Jesus calls God “Abba”—an intimate word children use to address their father. And he invites his disciples to do the same: “Our Father in heaven.” Here you’ll find 22 Bible verses about God as Father: about his care, his patience, and what it means to be his child.
Our Father in Heaven
Verses about how God as Father cares for his children.
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Therefore pray thus: Our Father in heaven! Hallowed be your name.
Matthew 6:9The Lord’s Prayer
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For you have not received the spirit of bondage, whereby you should again be afraid; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, Abba, Father!
Romans 8:15The Lord’s PrayerFear
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Because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, who cries, Abba, Father!
Galatians 4:6
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See what love the Father has shown us, that we should be called children of God!
1 John 3:1aIdentity in ChristGod’s Love
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As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
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If then even you, who are evil, can still give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
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Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:8b
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Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more than they?
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He is a father to the fatherless and a judge of widows. He is God in his holy dwelling.
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But now, Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, you are the potter; and we are all the work of your hands.
Isaiah 64:7
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Do not fear, little flock! For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32FearKingdom of God
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For he himself, the Father, loves you.
John 16:27a
Children of the Father
Whoever belongs to God is called his child in the Bible—with everything that comes with it.
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But as many as he received gave them power to become children of God, who believe in his name.
John 1:12Identity in ChristConversion
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And you shall be my Father, and you shall be my sons and daughters,” says the Almighty Lord.
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But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and he was moved with compassion, ran to him, fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luke 15:20bFathersRepentance
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No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6bConfirmation VersesI Am Sayings
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In my Father’s house are many rooms.
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Therefore I bow my knees before our Father in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true Father over all who are called children in heaven and on earth.
Ephesians 3:14-15Family
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Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17GodThankfulness
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Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us?
Malachi 2:10a
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The Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
John 10:29
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Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16Confirmation VersesGood Works
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
Related Topics
This Goes Well Together
“Abba” is one of the most personal words in the Bible. Our Abba poster brings it to life on your wall—and is a beautiful reminder in a child’s room of who the Father of all fathers is.
Abba - Names of God PosterPoster for “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15)—also beautiful for a child’s room.€12
Created in God’s Image - Kids SweaterFor the little ones: “Created in God’s Image” as a soft children’s sweater.€39
Promises Vintage SweaterEmbroidered sweater in a vintage look that reminds us of God’s promises.€55
Seen & Loved SocksSocks with the message “Seen & Loved”—seen and loved.€12
Why Jesus Calls God “Abba”
In the Old Testament, God is called Father only in a few places—for example, in Psalm 103:13 or Isaiah 64:7. But Jesus almost always speaks of him this way. The Aramaic “Abba” (Mark 14:36) is the intimate way a child addresses their father. Paul uses the word twice (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6) and writes that God’s own Spirit allows us to pray this way. This means God is not only Creator or Judge, but also someone we can approach like a child.
The Father Who Runs Toward You
Jesus tells the most powerful story of God as Father in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11–32). The father does not wait for his son to apologize. He sees him from afar, runs to meet him, and falls on his neck. For people who have not had good experiences with their own fathers, this image can be healing: God is the Father who does not disappoint. You can find verses for fathers themselves in Bible Verses for Fathers, and the prayer Jesus gave his disciples in The Lord’s Prayer in the Bible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Abba mean?
Abba is Aramaic and means “Father”—the intimate address that children also use. Jesus prays this way in Mark 14:36, and Paul uses it in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.
Is God only a Father in the Bible?
No. The Bible also uses maternal images for God, for example in Isaiah 66:13: “I will comfort you like a mother comforts her child.” But the image of the Father is central to the New Testament.
