There are a total of 15. references in the Old Testament to the subject of the Fatherhood of God.  When we explore the New-Testament writings, however, we find that the number of such references runs into hundreds, with around a hundred found in the Gospel of John alone.


The Lord Jesus addressed God as "Father" and taught his disciples to do the same.  However, his "Sonship" was different from that of his followers.  He was by nature the Son; they were "sons" through adoption.  This is clearly seen in John 20:17. in the distinction between "my" Father and "your" Father, and between "my" God and "your" God.  It is also seen in Matthew 5:16, 45, 48;  6:1, 4, 6;  7:21;  10:32-33, where Jesus refers to "your" (singular and plural) and "my" Father, but never "our" Father.


In Galatians 3:26, Paul reminds those who have trusted Christ for salvation that they “are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” a fact which the apostle John feels compelled to view in the context of the love of God: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God …” (1st John, chapter 3, verse 1).