"I became your father"

Christ gives a very clear, simple and important commandment, recorded in Matthew 23.

"A father do not call yours on the Earth, for one is yours, the Father of Heaven" (Matthew 23:9, CFB)

It is part of Christ's commandments and teachings about authority.

"But you, do not be called 'rabbi',

for one is your guide, and you are all siblings.

And a father do not call yours on the earth,

for one is yours, the Father of Heaven.

Neither be called 'guides',

for your guide is one, the Christ.

And the greatest among you will be your servant;

And whoever will exalt himself will be lowered,

and whoever will lower himself will be exalted." (23:8-12)

Tragically, Christ's commandments and teachings about authority are widely disobeyed by churches.

Many church leaders require church-members to call them "father" in all 3 branches of Christianity (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant). They justify this by misreading the Holy Bible.

People who want to ignore Christ's commandment about calling no one on Earth your father, claim that in the New Testament, Christians did call people on Earth their fathers.

"For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel." (1 Cor 4:15, NRSV)

Does Saint Paul contradict Christ's commandment in 1 Corinthians? No. The Ancient Greek words do not land the New Testament into self-contradiction.

"For if you would even have myriad child-minders in Christ, yet you would have not many parents. Indeed, by* Christ Jesus, through the Gospel, I myself begot you." (*Or "in")

This is confirmed by the leading dictionary of Ancient Greek (Liddell Scott Jones).

πάτερ, pl. πατέρες

"respectful mode of addressing persons older than oneself; in addressing an elder brother" (A.III)

"parents" (A.VII.2)

Thus, a second text used by people to ignore Christ's commandment is also shown to be misread.

"I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.... I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning." (1 Jn 2:13-14, NRSV)

The consistent reading (consistent with the entire New Testament) is to read πατέρες to mean "parents" here.

"I write to you, parents, that you knew the One from the beginning. I write to you, young people, that you overcame the evil. I write to you, children, that you knew the Father. I write to you, parents, that you knew the One from the beginning. I write to you, young people, that you are strong and the Word of the God abides among you and you overcame the evil." (1 Jn 2:13-14, CFB)

Amazingly, few Bible translators seek to read the Ancient Greek and Hebrew of the Bible in a manner that is consistent with the belief that the entire Bible has one author, the Holy Spirit, and therefore should never be found to contradict either Himself or known facts.

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