FATHER
God is the Father of all men in the sense that he is the Creator of humanity (cf. Mal. 2:10; Ezek. 18:4; Lk. 3:38; Acts 17:28).
He is the Father of Jesus Christ (Mt. 3:17; 17:5; Jn. 14:2) in that, by his power, Jesus was miraculously conceived within the body of a virgin (Lk. 1:35). Christ was not the Son of God before the incarnation. In that phase of his existence, he was the divine Word (Jn. 1:1ff; see Lk. 1:35, "shall be called the son of God").
God is the spiritual Father of all who, by submitting to the conditions of the "new birth" (Jn. 3:3-5), become his regenerated children (Tit. 3:5) and part of his "household" (Eph. 2:19; cf. 1 Tim. 3:15).
The relationship, in fact, occurs at the point of immersion into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27; cf. 4:4-5). See ADOPTION.
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