Abba Father
(Mark 14:36 [KJV]) And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt.
(Mark 14:36 [AB]) And He was saying, Abba, [which means] Father, everything is possible for You. Take away this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You [will].
IMHO, Jesus is talking to the Hebrew persona Father of the great “I Am”. Before Jesus died, the “I Am” is the name under the Law which was Father to the Hebrew nation.
(Rom 8:14-18 [KJV]) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
(Rom 8:14-18 [AB]) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God. And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory. [But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and7 for us and8 conferred on us!
Imagine a person by faith could become a child of God. Imagine the power of the Holy Spirit could flow through a person’s willing vessel and do all the signs and wonders and do more what is describe in the Bible.
(2Col 4:7 [KJV]) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
(2Col 4:7 [AB]) However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.
(Gal 4:4-7 [KJV]) But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
(Gal 4:4-7 [AB]) But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Therefore we are servants no longer to it Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Abba is such a beautiful word. It describes a relationship between a child and his or her father. The meaning of the word Abba does not have a direct translation in the English language. It is an intimate relationship of love and respect.
All my research on Abba Father, I found these two explanations best how I feel about the words “Abba Father” to the great “I AM”, my God, my Lord, my Jesus!
Explanations 1) Intimacy with Abba Father
But intimacy is one of the hallmarks of the use of Abba Father by Jesus and the early church.
Jesus and his disciples used Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic language in majority of their communications. The Biblical Hebrew ab is "father." But in Aramaic “abba” is a word derived from baby-language. As the Rabbis said, a small child "learns to say “abba” (daddy) and “imma” (mummy)." In the pre-Christian era the usage of the word broadened so that "... Abba as a form of address to one's father was no longer restricted to children, but also used by adult sons and daughters. The childish character of the word ("daddy") thus receded, and abba acquired the warm, familiar ring which we may feel in such an expression as "dear father."
While nowhere in the entire devotional literature of ancient Judaism is abba a way of addressing God, in Jesus' teaching and practice, such an expression was the norm. Abba as a transliteration of the Aramaic word into the Greek, appears three times in the New Testament:
Explanations 2) “Abba! Father!” and Transethnic Adoption
I’m sure you have heard that abba (from “Abba! Father!” —Galatians 4:6) is the Aramaic equivalent to our word “Daddy.” This is often argued because of how easy the word abba is to say, but I think this understanding of abba not only over-sentimentalizes its significance but also misses Paul’s reason for using it.
The significance of the word abba lies not in the thought that those adopted by God now have the privilege of calling Him “Daddy.” As warm as that thought may be too many who have heard it, I’m convinced that Paul has something else in mind entirely—something that points to the unique makeup of the family God has brought together through the gospel.
This is so important; I want to repeat it again. Abba is an Aramaic word (Aramaic was the language the Jews used during New Testament times) with two parts. The first part, ab, is a standard Semitic word meaning “father.” The second part, ba, makes the name a form of address. We don’t have a direct equivalent in English, but the easiest way to explain abba is to say that you could refer to someone else’s father as ab, but if you say abba, you can only be talking to or about your father. Abba is probably best translated “dearest father.” Recognizing this prevents us from over sentimentalizing our understanding of abba.
This is very important!
But knowing how to translate the word abba does not tell us why Paul uses both the Aramaic and Greek words for father in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 (”Abba! Father!”). I’m convinced that Paul utilizes these two forms of father from two different languages so that we realize that God the Father is not a respecter of ethnic origin when it comes to membership within His household or family.
As I have already noted, Aramaic was the language Jews used during New Testament times. Greek, on the other hand, was the language of commerce for the Gentile world at large. The Aramaic and Greek words of “Abba! Father!” respectively teach us that whatever our ethnicity, our country of origin, or our language, if we have been adopted by God the Father through faith in Jesus (see Galatians 4:5), we have the incomparable right and privilege to call God “Father”—even as our Elder Brother Jesus did on the eve of his crucifixion (Mark 14:36)! Regardless of ethnicity, those who have believed in Jesus through the proclamation of the gospel have the utterly remarkable privilege and joy of calling God “Father.”
One of the great glories of the gospel is that the Spirit of God places “Abba! Father” in our hearts and on our lips irrespective of our ethnic origins. Clearly, it is God’s great joy and pleasure to create for Himself a multi-ethnic family. So if you are a father of an earthly multi-ethnic family, be reminded of and rejoice in the glory and grace of the gospel each time you hear one of your different races of children calling you “Daddy.”
To the best of my knowledge and faith knowing the Truth and Spirit of God’s Gospel, I became a child of Jesus and now I have the Spirit of Adoption. The sole purpose of Abba-Father.org is to share my ‘light” and understanding to who want the same relationship as I have with our God!
