Many Protestants point to this verse:?

Question

Matt 23:9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

They say "See... the Catholic Church has 'Fathers' so they contradict the Bible and therefore the Catholic Church is wrong"

But Paul calls Abraham "Father Abraham" in Romans 4:12.

"and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which OUR FATHER ABRAHAM had while still uncircumcised."

He also calls himself "father" in 1 Cor 4:15 (NIV)

Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I BECAME YOUR FATHER through the gospel.

So either those Protestants who point to this verse are misinterpreting Matt 23:9 OR Paul is doing something that God told us not to do....

I think those Protestants are wrong... what do you think??

To the person who wrote this:
"Well seeings as how there were not Catholic Church priests called "Father" back then, I highly doubt that Jesus was talking about the Catholic Church."

Sorry, but you are incorrect.

In 1 Cor 4:15, Paul shows us that, through Jesus, he became the spritual father of the Corinthians he was addressing in the letter.

Today, through Jesus, Catholic Priests become our spritual fathers.

So Paul was a spritual father, what we now call a Catholic Priest.

Answer 1

u tell them that they r getting hung-up on terminology we all have a biological father, then there is God the source of all goodness and creation, why stress yourself over something like that? or them for that matter? if you accept Jesus Christ as the savior why are they upset with you? im Protestant and i never had a problem with Catholics because we are all on the same team

Answer 2

Sorry, When Paul was referring to Abraham, he wasn't calling Abraham his spiritual father, he was calling Abraham his relative, because Paul as a jew, was descended from Abraham.

As to 1 Cor 4:15 Paul brought life to those who listen to him,

But no where in the bible will you read "Father Paul" did or said something.

2 Pet 3:15 refers to our brother Paul.

Gal 1:3 call Paul, an apostle

Matt 23: 1-9 refers to spiritual titles.

Answer 3

It is because Abraham was literally the Father of many nations. You can't compare such a great man to men in the catholic church. God said not to call men father because He didn't want anyone to place them in a position to be like God in a leadership position in church. We can call our fathers at home fathers because they are literally our fathers but the men in the church taking on a resposibility that is a serious one and the authority of that position can be abused very easily and has been by many in the catholic church and other churches as well. God's word is the final authority and if He says not to call any man father in the way that is done in churches, then that means don't do it.

Answer 4

The key to the verse is "on earth" since God the Father is in heaven, the term father should be reserved only for him. Paul may have been overreaching his authority, but I doubt it. He is using the term father as one who cares for the children God has allowed him to train in godliness. There may actually be a hapoxlagama at this juncture due to a word which can not or must be translated more loosely. There are few words which can describe the relationship between children or babes in the Lord and the elders above them. The word "father" may be the only word which fit the description for the vocabulary of the day.

Answer 5

I think that you have to go back and find the original wording of the scriptures to argue this cause our later day versions of the Bible while I believe accurate putting in revised wording can sometimes change the meanings. I however think that God wasn't saying you can't use the word father for earthly dads as much as He was saying we aren't to look at our earthly dads as our Father. That only God/Jesus is our true Father. I'm not real good at interpreting scripture always but this is just my idea.

Answer 6

Well seeings as how there were not Catholic Church priests called "Father" back then, I highly doubt that Jesus was talking about the Catholic Church.

Answer 7

Actually you are wrong and they are right because you are considering two entirely different circumstances in Matt 23 Jesus was addressing the Scribes and Pharisees of his day the religious leaders and correctly told them in that context for religious leaders not to call themselves "father so and so " or father smith, brown or what have you so in this case they are totally right and as for calling Abraham that is also correct as he is the Father of the Jewish nation paternally just like I assume you have a father and you call him father ,dad pop or what ever you call him as he is the paternal head of house this is a family venue not a religious one and Jeasus is the father of humanity specifically through adoption and hence correct as the father of ransomed mankind and alsoin Romans 4:12 paul correctly calls Abraham father as he is the fore father of the nation of israel of which paul is a member just like grandchildren can rightly call their grandfather father because he is the starter of that family line he had a son who had children Abraham had a son Isaac who had children Jacob and Esau jacob had his name changed by an Angel from god to Israel and hence his grandfather was the progenitor of the jewish nation and rightly calls him father get the point Gorbalizer

Answer 8

Matt 23-9 is referring to carnal man. once one is baptized with spirit they are lifted out of "sin" rising above duality into spiritual union with God in unconditional love within the heart. Awaking to "God dwells within you as you" Read John 10-30, 14-11,14-20, 17-11,17-21/23 Ephensians 2-22 & 4-4/6. being raised they are in the world but not of the world,no longer children,nor sons but have full unity with God

Answer 9

I am a Protestant and don't get the heavenly father mixed up with your earthly father. What a dumb question

Answer 10

I don't know where you got your information, but I grew up Protestant (Luthern) & never heard this before.