“I bow my knees before the Father, from whom all families in heaven and on earth are named, that He may establish your inner beings with mighty power through His Spirit, according to the riches of His glory, that Christ may abide by faith in your hearts” (Ephesians 3:14-17)
According to the Bible Study Tools website, these verses come from a letter written by St. Paul to the Ephesians living in modern-day Turkey.
The Rev. Hans Fine, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Crestwood, Missouri, told Fox News Digital they shared an important lesson to remember on Father’s Day.
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“I often see atheists making some form of the same argument online: ‘The universe is huge and you are small in comparison, so believe that God created something incomprehensibly huge just to love someone so insignificant. This is extremely arrogant.
The argument, he said, was “unconvincing” and “as illogical as ‘kidney stones shouldn’t hurt just because they’re small.'”
Pastor Hans Fein, a father of five, believes that a loving “earthly” father is the key to children growing up in the love of their Heavenly Father. (Courtesy Hans Fein/iStock)
“But I find that argument not only untenable, but sad,” he said.
“Every time I hear that, I say to myself, ‘This is a pretty embarrassing way for these particular atheists to tell people they don’t have a loving father.'”
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St. Paul says in the book of Ephesians that “every family in heaven and on earth is named by him” — something that can be difficult for people to understand, Fein said.
“Quite simply, I believe Paul is asserting that God established earthly fathers to reflect the love of our heavenly Father,” said Fein, himself a father of five.
“When fathers don’t love their children, when they are harsh, selfish, distant, often the end result is that these children lose the ability to understand the concept of a loving God,” Fein told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
A father who protects, loves and sacrifices for his children “makes the hearts of his children aware of how the Father protects them, loves them, and how He gives them the greatest sacrifice, the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, to save them”. Sin,” he said.
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“But, of course, when fathers don’t love their children, when they are harsh, selfish and distant, the end result is often that these children lose the ability to understand the concept of a loving God,” he said.
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If a person’s living father doesn’t care about him or her, Fein said, then “how could your heavenly father be any different?”
“I pray that God will bring peace to all those whose fathers have failed to love them, to heal their hearts by showing them the infinite love He has for all of us in the heart of his Son, Jesus Christ,” Fein said. (iStock)
He continued: “If you are not important to the Father who brought you into this world, how can you possibly believe that you are important to the Father who created the world?”
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He said that when people who have been hurt or abused by their fathers claim that it is “arrogant” for the God who created the universe to love individuals as well, “they are not showing their humility to the world.”
“They are showing their desperation.”
“It’s not hard for me to believe that God would create the universe and give up what is most precious to Him to make me His own.”
Fein also said: “It’s not hard for me to believe that God would create the universe and give up the things that are most precious to Him to make me His own.”
It’s not a “ridiculous concept” that needs to be understood, he said.
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“Growing up, I saw this every day in my father’s words and actions.”
He added: “This Father’s Day, I pray that my children will see the same love in me. I pray that God will grant faithfulness to all who are blessed to share the name of our Heavenly Father.”
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He added: “I pray that God will give peace to all those whose Father has failed to love them and heal their hearts by showing them the infinite love He has for all of us in the heart of His Son, Jesus Christ.”
