The role and influence of a father, or father figure, is of utmost importance in God’s Word. Peter, having just warned us of the, “futile ways inherited from your forefathers” (v. 18) issues a call for “purified souls” with obedience to the Word of God which clearly calls for the headship and leadership of fathers.
1 Peter 1:22a “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth”
Fatherhood was one of the first jobs God gave men. Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, God commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). One of His primary purposes for marriage was offspring who would fill the earth with God’s praise and glory. However, physically fathering a child is but the initial responsibility of fatherhood. Some men who want to be good fathers have little understanding of what godly fatherhood looks like, so the Bible provides a job description:
It’s our responsibility to “train up a child in the way he/she should go.” Not the school, not the government, but you—and that means dad.
Scripture teaches that who we are and how we live is like a “letter from God.” Our kids read that letter, every day.
For those of you struggling to find work, don’t get down on yourself. This idea is more about your heart and desire. Being a father who provides covers more than rent and food. As dads, it’s our responsibility to make sure our family’s needs are addressed across the board. Be encouraged and look for ways to give to your family even when it is hard to financially.
The one who loves their children, Scripture says, “is careful to discipline them.” This is also about proactive leadership in our homes.
The Scriptures are clear that dads must engage their children in the kind of deep, heart-to-heart conversations that impart more than facts, but teach wisdom. Schedule some regular “conversational walks” with your children, one on one. Family time that counts.
A father has compassion for his children. Psalm 103:13 points out, “so the LORD has compassion.”
Well, not in those exact words. But James 1:22 instructs us to not only be “hearers” of God’s word but “doers” also.
The alternative, the Scripture suggests, is to raise them to be young people of faith.
The story of “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:20-24) is the story of a father who never gives up hope and is ready to receive his child back with open arms. We can discipline, we can hold accountable, but we must never give up.
King David prayed for his son, Solomon. Children who know without any doubt that their dads pray for them every day own a deep sense of love and security.
In Exodus 34:7, God punishes the children for the iniquity of the fathers (literally, “parents”) “to the third and fourth generation.” The sins were idolatry and unbelief. While Moses was on the mountain obtaining the Ten Commandments, Aaron had made a golden calf which the people worshiped in Moses’ absence. That’s when God described Himself as “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation” (Ex. 32:7) killing 3,000, the rest wandering for 40 years, all of this impacting the third and fourth generations of Israelites. Just as God promised, the sins of the fathers were visited upon their descendants.
It’s important to note that within the Mosaic Law children were not required to suffer the penalty for their parents’ sins (Dt. 24:16). Nor was a child’s standing before God determined by the actions of parents (Ez. 18:1–32). However, there is no such thing as sin without consequence. When a parent sins, his or her children (and grandchildren) can expect to experience negative, earthly consequences for that sin. For example, if a father is an alcoholic, his children will not be punished for his sin; however, they will have to deal with the negative consequences of his actions, such as verbal abuse, a strained marriage with the mother, financial difficulties, self-image issues and more.
