WHEREAS, God has revealed Himself to us in Holy Scripture that we might have knowledge of Him; and
WHEREAS, Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are replete with references to God as Father; and
WHEREAS, The prophets of the Old Testament bore witness to God as Father, anticipating the words of Jesus Christ, who as the incarnate Son spoke of God as His Father and revealed God as the Father of all who believe; and
WHEREAS, Our Lord Himself taught us to pray, addressing the sovereign Lord of all creation as “Our Father”; and
WHEREAS, The Christian church is now confronted with challenges to its address of God as Father and is encouraged to accept alternatives which confuse the biblical witness or substitute impersonal language for God; and
WHEREAS, We are charged to bear witness to God as He has revealed Himself through the Christ and through Holy Scripture.
Therefore, Be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 135th session of the Southern Baptist Convention, affirm biblical teaching concerning God the Father and call upon all Christians to remain faithful to biblical language concerning God, understanding that the revelation of God as Father is central and essential to trinitarian faith; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we state clearly the scriptural witness that God is Spirit, beyond any human gender, and that He is transcendent, beyond the limitations of any human word; but confess that He has uniquely and explicitly revealed Himself to us as Father, by His sovereign and perfect will; and
Be it finally RESOLVED, That we join in unapologetic confession of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the authority of His revealed Word and for the sake of His own glory.