The Bible teaches, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ” (Matt. 23:8-10). But these verses seem to contradict, for example, Hebrews 12:9. Since there can be no contradictions in Holy Scripture, ‘How is this explained’?
HEBREWS 12:9
This verse reads “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” This verse teaches that it is okay to have both earthly fathers and the “Father of spirits” in our lives (see also, Ex. 20:12).
According to the English Bible, the male household leader and the one who participates with a female (the woman) to physically make a baby is called the father. This is proper according to this verse of Scripture.
Christians are taught that, in earthly matters, a father is responsible. But as for every person’s spiritual well-being, it is the Father in heaven who is the commanding presence.
MATTHEW 23:8-10
In this verse written above, Jesus is preaching to the crowd and to his disciples (v. 1). He is teaching about the scribes and Pharisees, who are also present (v. 2). He tells the crowd to do what they teach but not what they practice (v. 3). The reason is simply that they do not practice what they preach (v. 3). They are “hypocrites” as God calls them (v. 13)!
These Jewish leaders require of others, but not of themselves, onerous deeds that are not mentioned in Holy Scripture (v. 4). They require the people to call them special names, such as rabbi, their dress is different from that of the common people, and they love to be in a place of honor (v. 6). But Jesus teaches everyone not to be like “The scribes and the Pharisees” because they are wrong in what they do.
This passage teaches that church leaders are not to require people to call them by special names. In fact, it says that only God can be called rabbi (v. 8) and the Father (v. 9), and only Christ can be called instructor (v. 10) regarding anything spiritual. This passage, though, indicates that it’s okay for believers to call each other brother (and sister) (v. 8).
We are also told by Jesus that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 12).
This passage in Matthew 23 teaches that only God may be called Father in matters of the spirit. It does not speak of earthly fathers as the Hebrew text does.
CONCLUSION
Jesus is not teaching that there shouldn’t be positions of authority in the church. He says that to reach these positions of authority, we must have as our primary purpose the glory and service of God. The reason that people attain these positions is for the glory of God. The service is to God, and to the people; it is not to oneself.
As Hebrews 12:9 says, He is “the Father of spirits.” In spiritual matters, God is the Father, not the head of the church, the priest, the pope, etc. All officers at the church serve God and the people, and are not to be called ‘father.’
Earthly fathers are not forbidden by this passage either. These are permitted (see Hebrews 12:9).
But only God can forgive our sins, and Jesus had God’s authority (Luke 5:17-25). Christians pray to their Father in heaven (i.e., God) for the forgiveness of their sins (Mark 11:25), not to humans.
What is forbidden is a church leader calling himself ‘father’ when only our Father in heaven may be called Father in spiritual matters. An earthly person who calls themself ‘father’ in spiritual matters, including church operations, is doing so out of an arrogant and pompous spirit, not for the glory of God.
Again, all Christians must know that Holy Scripture teaches that only our LORD God in heaven may be called Father in spiritual matters.
