For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Romans 8:14-16

I remember hearing my Dad say this when I was a younger man and I can now confirm that the term “Daddy” is one that is spoken by children at times – especially when they want something or something is broken.

The term “Daddy” is perhaps the best example of the word “Abba” used by Paul in the passage above. The term speaks of the intimacy of the relationship we have with God as adopted children.

Gordon Fee writes that “the experience of the Spirit leads the believer not only to a position of justification before God, but also should lead to an ongoing awareness of the privileges of childhood—personal relationship and companionship with God himself. Being “in the presence of God” through Christ and by the Spirit (2 Cor 2:17; Eph 2:18) was for Paul a cause not for fear but for confidence.”

What if we recognized and lived out our lives as God’s children – without fear, but with confidence?