Is God the Father of everyone?
A few times a year, and today again, we get the question:
Is God the Father of everyone?
The fact that we get this question a few times a year says something, because it means that people hear the statement (“God is the Father of everyone”) and then doubt it. If God is the Father (and the word “Father” is often linked to “God loves everyone / God is love”), why do some people still go to hell?
So you hear the statement that God is the Father of everyone, and it shakes in all its seams. So how does it really work? It’s time to give an explanation.
Creator vs. Father
If you make a distinction between Father and Creator, it becomes clearer:
- God as Creator of all people,
- and God as Father of His children.
According to the Bible, God is the Creator of everyone, but not the Father of everyone in a spiritual sense. Now we’re getting somewhere. Let’s look at what the Bible literally says. Paul says the following to the Gentiles, showing that all people come from God as Creator (something different from “Father”):
Acts 17:28–29 (NASB) “For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’”
At the same time, the Bible also teaches that the “childship of God” is not universal, but reserved for those who believe in Christ:
John 1:12–13 (NASB) “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This is the core of the huge difference between the Creator and the Father. In other words:
- All people are creatures of God.
- But only born-again believers are children of God.
In some church traditions in the Netherlands, this is even reflected in their church doctrine:
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 13, Question 33
Q: Why do you call Him our Lord, the only-begotten Son of God, since we are also God’s children?
A: Because Christ is alone the eternal, natural Son of God; but we are adopted as children of God by His will out of grace.
The problem with mixing Creator and Father
Confusing these two is a huge problem:
It may seem like a small difference (“God made you” vs. “God is your Father”), but it has huge consequences if you interchange the concepts of Creator and Father. Let’s break it down biblically:
- The difference is relational, not linguistic
- Creator refers to origin and authority: God made every person, sustains their life, and is therefore their Judge and Owner.
- Father refers to reconciled fellowship, a relationship of love, care, and inheritance.
If you say to someone in evangelism, “God is your Father,” without them already being a Christian, you are saying something the Bible does not say about unbelievers. Jesus makes this crystal clear in the next verse:
John 8:42–44 (NASB) “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'”
Jesus sharply distinguishes between creation and childship in this verse. That sharp tone shows how important He considers this distinction, and why it matters in evangelism.
- What goes terribly wrong if you confuse the two
a. It makes salvation unnecessary.
If everyone already has God as Father, why would reconciliation be needed? The cross of Christ loses its unique necessity; it becomes only a symbol of love, not salvation.
b. It weakens the seriousness of sin.
The Bible says we are naturally alienated from God (Ephesians 2:3; Colossians 1:21). Saying that God is already everyone’s Father ignores that this relationship is broken. Evangelism then becomes “remind people they are already children” instead of “Come back to the Father through the Son.”
c. It changes the tone of the gospel.
Instead of a call to repentance (2 Corinthians 5:20), it becomes affirmation (“you are already loved and safe”). That sounds nice, but it removes the need for faith and repentance.
- What is biblically and pastorally balanced
You can safely say:
“God made you, He knows you, He sustains your life. He wants to be your Father, but for that, you must return to Him through Jesus Christ.”
This is both true (biblically) and pastorally honest. It acknowledges the creation bond everyone has with God while preserving Christ’s unique role as the way to sonship.
John 14:6 (NASB) “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.'”
Final Conclusion
If someone does not distinguish between God as Creator and God as Father, it usually does not mean they want to be “unbiblical,” but that an important distinction is missing in their understanding of faith. Not making this distinction obscures the heart of the gospel: the need for reconciliation through Christ. This is not a minor detail—it is the axis on which everything turns.
- A bicycle has two wheels, but not everything with two wheels is a bicycle.
- God is the Creator of all people, but not all people God has created are His children.
- Presenting the gospel as “sweet cookies” is a half-gospel and therefore a false gospel.
It is a crucial difference that determines eternal life or eternal death.
Great article, guys! Thanks for the helpful insights!
Thanks brother!!!