3 Levels of Relationship with God
1.) God is Father, first, as Creator.
All creation has a right to the Fatherhood of God because a part of Him is in His creation; He made all things through His spoken Word and by His Spirit.
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Gen 1:27 NIV
“Is this the way you repay the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is he not your Father, your Creator,
who made you and formed you?
Deut 32:6 NIV
2.) Another level of the Fatherhood of God is that of Adoption.
The children of Israel, as depicted in the Bible, enjoyed this level of relationship with God because of the Covenant relationship, faith and loyalty that Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs established with God. This was a deeper level of relationship than just being a part of God’s creation. As a result of this relationship, God favored Israel above other nations and creatures. He called Israel His chosen people; He chose them from amongst the nations of the earth.
“Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. “
Rom 9:4-5 NIV
3.) The other level of relationship with God, which is an even more intimate level, was introduced through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the Rebirth or Regeneration.
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
Titus 3:3-7 NIV