What This Is

The Gospel of the Father is the plan God presented to Adam before he and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. God taught Adam what was needed to redeem his family from the Fall. He taught him about the Messiah whom He would send to save His children from sin and death. Through the Messiah, they would live again after mortal death and could be forgiven of their sins, for God knew that all would sin and fall short of perfection. Through faith in the Messiah, repentance, and coming to know the Father and the Son, His children could be redeemed and return to Him.

This was the Gospel that Adam lived and taught his children throughout his 930 years upon the earth. Not all of his children followed what he taught. Many chose the ways of Cain, while others worshipped God as Adam had taught them and followed the example he had given them. The knowledge of God continued through those who believed, obeyed and taught their own families.

The Bible tells us very little about those early generations. Most of what we know is recorded in Genesis, with further references scattered throughout the rest of the Bible. However, during those first approximately 2,500 years, God accepted Abel's offering, Enoch and Noah walked with God, and God personally appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, making covenants with them. These men knew God personally, and the more I study their lives, the more I want to understand what they did that enabled them to receive such wonderful blessings.

For many years I had the impression that these men were loners, wandering through the wilderness and occasionally receiving instruction from God. However, as I have continued studying Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their fathers back to Adam, my understanding has changed. They lived among large families and households, worshipped God, taught their children and strengthened one another in their faith. Their relationship with God was personal, but they were not living that relationship alone.

One of the wonderful things I have come to understand is that Adam taught his children how to come into the presence of God, how to offer an acceptable sacrifice and how to walk with Him. He taught these things through his family, not through a religious institution. He showed his children how to live and worship before God and encouraged them to seek the Father for themselves. Each of his children then had to decide whether they would follow what they had been taught.

Abel is a good example of this. He approached God in righteousness, offered an acceptable sacrifice and was accepted by Him. Cain also approached God, but his heart and his works were different, and God rejected his offering. It was God who made that judgment, not a man. No man or woman should stand between a child of God and the Father. Each of us must learn to approach Him, hear Him and do His will for ourselves.

After God opened my eyes to the Gospel of the Father, I went back to the words of Jesus in the four Gospels. What I found was that Jesus was teaching the very same pattern I had been seeing in the fathers. He did the will of the Father, taught His Father's doctrine and invited His followers to do the works of Abraham. He wanted His followers to come to know the Father, just as He knew Him. The Messiah came to redeem us and bring us back to our God and our Father.

As I have continued studying, I have come to see four simple principles that run through the lives of the fathers and the teachings of the Messiah. Have no other gods before the Father. Do the Father's will. Uplift your family. Strengthen others. These are the things I want to live myself, and they are the pattern I hope to see more clearly as I continue looking to the fathers.

My desire is to emulate the lives of these righteous men and learn to know God as they did. As I prepare for the return of the Messiah, I am looking for others, especially men with their families, who also desire to do the works of Abraham and live before the Father. I believe the Father is preparing His children for the return of His Son, and I want to be among those who are worthy to witness the crowning of the Messiah by the Ancient of Days.

My invitation is simply to look to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their righteous fathers back to Adam. Study what they did, look at the blessings they received, and consider what their lives teach us about coming to know the Father. You may see some things differently from me, and that is fine. I am still learning myself, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss these things with others who are also seeking Him.

May God bless you as you seek Him. If you would like to discuss your experiences or just talk, I would love to hear from you. gospelofthefather@gmail.com