Articles
Father - Reverend - Holy
I would like to discuss the idea of addressing someone by a religious title. It is not uncommon to hear someone addressed as father, reverend or even have the word holy attached to their title. Matt 23:9 clearly states " Do not call anyone on earth your father", and also gives the reason for this teaching, "for One is your Father. He who is in heaven". There is no doubt Jesus' teaching here is referring to the spiritual sense in which we would call someone father and not the temporal sense. For to be here on earth inherently necessitates a physical father and mother. Another precept that men often ignore is the attributing of titles such as reverend or holy to a man. In psalms 111:9 " Holy and Reverend is His name" refers to God, and I would argue CANNOT be bestowed by men. Mal 1:6 talks about the ones who despised God's name and then denied it. These are the same ones who dishonor God by being disobedient in their offering of polluted sacrifices. To take what is by right God's [Father, Reverend, Holy ] and give it to a man is robbery, and in practice is despising His name. Mal. 2:2 makes God's case that those who would not hear and take to heart the things that he had directed them and give glory to His name would have to face certain consequences. Psalms 111:10b teaches that "good understanding have all they that do His commandments", so why the continuance in wrong practices? The question of the day is, are you disobedient ,do you profane what is Holy, do you rob God? Do you call any man in a spiritual sense father, reverend or holy?
- Tim Davis
