What Does The Bible Say
About Being A Father?
By: Wanda L. Ball
The Wikipedia definition of Father's Day is a "secular celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth
century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor
and commemorate father's and forefathers." Father's Day became a national holiday in 1966 when
President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as the day. Mrs.
John Dodd of Washington first proposed the idea in 1909 when she wanted to honor her father,
William Smart. Her mother died in childbirth when their sixth child was born. He was left to raise
his children by himself and after Mrs. Dodd became an adult she realized the selflessness her father
had shown as a single parent. Father's Day has become a day to not only honor our fathers, but
all men who act as a father figure.
What does the Bible say about being a father? Proverbs 22:6-11 reads, "Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." To train, indicates the first
instruction that a parent gives to a child; which is his early education. Ephesians 6:4 is a summary
of instruction to parents, represented by the father, in a negative and positive way. "And now a
word to you fathers, don't make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them
up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord." This is what the Bible says about a
fathers responsibility in raising their children. The negative side of this verse indicates that a father
is not to foster the bad passions of their children by severity, injustice, partiality, or unreasonable
exercise of authority. Bad conduct towards a child will only serve to nurture evil in their heart. The
positive side is to educate them, bring them up and develop their conduct in all of life by the
instruction and admonition of the Lord.
This is the training of the child or the whole process of educating and discipline. The word
"provoke" means to irritate or rub the wrong way. This is done by the wrong spirit and by wrong
methods, for example, unreasonableness, sternness, cruel demands and unneccessary restrictions.
These things would cause bad reactions, make him less affectionate and make him feel he can't
please his parents. A wise parent wants to make obedience desirable through love and
gentleness. Christian discipline is needed to prevent children from growing up without reverence
for God, respect for their parents authority, knowledge of Christian standards and self-control. 2
Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given of God and is profitable for teaching, reproving,
correcting and instruction in righteousness; that the man (or woman) of God may be completely
equipped for all good works." This is what the Bible says about being a father.
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