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Glory · God the Father
Because belonging to God as a child rests on His adopting love and His promise, not on your performance. When His children fail, He does not stop being Father: He is the Father who runs to His returning child, who disciplines because He loves, and whose claim on you is a covenant, not a balance sheet.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/still-my-father-when-i-fail · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Luke 15:11-32
As you read: The prodigal's failure changes everything about his condition, and nothing about whose son he is: the father runs to embrace him.
11He said, “A certain man had two sons.
12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.
13Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.
14When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.
15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.
17But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!
18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.
19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
20“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
23Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;
24for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
25“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
27He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’
28But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
30But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
Romans 8:12-17
As you read: You received the Spirit of adoption, not a spirit of slavery to fear: you cry 'Abba, Father,' and the Spirit witnesses that you are God's child.
12So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
15For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
17and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.
Galatians 4:4-7
As you read: Adoption is something God did, not something you earned: He sent His Son and His Spirit so we could be called children.
4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
5that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children.
6And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
7So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Hebrews 12:5-11
As you read: Discipline is the mark of a son, not proof of being disowned: He treats us as children because He loves us.
5and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him;
6For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.”
7It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?
8But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children.
9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?
10For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
11All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.
1 John 3:1-3
As you read: That we should be called children of God: a love that names us, whatever the world or our conscience says.
1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.
2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.
3Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
You were not adopted because you were good enough; you were adopted because God chose to. Paul says God sent His Son and poured out His Spirit so that we might receive adoption as children. The invitation is not 'prove yourself, and then I will call you son.' It is the opposite: because we are children of God, the Spirit cries out, 'Abba, Father!'
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children. And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!””Galatians 4:4-6
“For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””Romans 8:15
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.”1 John 3:1
“having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,”Ephesians 1:5
Human parents can be a poor picture; God's love is not running on your record. 'We love him, because he first loved us.' Even when a mother could forget her nursing child, God says He will not forget us; His compassion is on those who fear Him. He does not keep a tally of your failures against the love He has pledged.
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 John 4:10
“We love him, because he first loved us.”1 John 4:19
““Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you! Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”Isaiah 49:15-16
“Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.”Psalm 103:13
“But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:8
The prodigal rehearsed a speech about being treated as a hired servant, but he never got to the punchline. While he was still far off, his father saw him, was moved with compassion, ran to him, and embraced him. The robe, the ring, and the shoes came before any lecture. Failure did not make him less a son; the father received him still calling him 'this, my son,' and to the elder son's complaint he answered, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours': the son's place never depended on what he earned.
““He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”Luke 15:20
““But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.”Luke 15:22-24
““He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’””Luke 15:31-32
Hebrews tackles the very worry you have when you fail: it can feel like God has turned His back. But the Word says the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son He receives. God deals with you as with children. It is painful for the moment, but it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness; a father who does not discipline is not showing love, and He does discipline because you are His.
“For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.””Hebrews 12:6
“It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?”Hebrews 12:7
“For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.”Hebrews 12:10-11
When you fail, the enemy wants you to doubt the name; God points you back to the deed. 'Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity... He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot.' And if you sin, John reminds you: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And because Jesus was tempted in every way like us, yet without sin, we can draw near to the throne of grace and find mercy in time of need. You are not the one who holds your place in His family; He is.
“Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”Micah 7:18-19
“My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”1 John 2:1-2
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.”Romans 8:16-17
“For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.”Hebrews 4:15-16