This is the issue of people regarding themselves as spiritual fathers, spiritual mothers, spiritual sons and spiritual daughters. They must have followed what Paul said in one of his letters. Paul was not actually calling himself their spiritual father in a literal way that they should be calling him or see him as the father. There is only one God who is The Father and He is Spirit and therefore our only Spiritual Father. God is Spirit and He is the Father; therefore, He is our real spiritual Father. 

Paul referred to God as the Father of the spirit of all the flesh. A spiritual father is the father of your spirit and who himself is spirit. How can a man who is not a spirit regard himself as a spiritual father? I know someone will conclude that this is a spiritual matter that I may not have understanding of. Like Paul said, I am also in a position to be called a spiritual father because I serves in the vineyard as well. The defense is that because they teach spiritual things, then they are spiritual fathers or mothers. This is also wrong because no one among the disciples of Jesus should be seen as a teacher. The gifts of the Holy Spirit which teaching is one of them are for the edification of Believers including the person through whom the Spirit teaches. In spiritual things, those through whom the Holy Spirit teaches are also students learning the same thing that is being taught.

No teacher can fail his or her own course, but there is every chance that those who claimed to be teachers among Believers shall fail spiritually at the time of judgment. A teacher is supposed to set exam as a teacher and do not have to sit for the same exam as a student, but we know that in spiritual matters, those who claim to be teachers and those they call their students are going to be tested together with the same thing. Paul acknowledged this and said he is being careful so that he will not fail after helping others pass. So, Paul actually did not see himself as a teacher, but a student helping other students learn from the same teacher.

“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

Someone who cannot give birth to a spirit cannot be a spiritual father. We are earthly fathers because our fatherly roles are limited here on earth. We are earthly fathers because we gave birth to fleshly beings who when they die, their spirit does not come to us, but will return to God who made it while the flesh will be given to us to bury and deal with as we please. We will be given the flesh of the person to perform autopsy and funeral rites according to our different cultures and traditions because that is what we gave birth to. Souls and Spirits belongs to God and only Him has a place for them after our earthly life. We built and maintain cemeteries for the flesh of the dead ones and not for their souls and spirits. All men are mortal flesh, but anyone who is led by the Spirit of God is a son of God. 

There are no spiritual children of a mortal flesh and there are no spiritual fathers or mothers among men. Anyone and all who come to Jesus Christ is given the authority to become a child of God and not spiritual children of a spiritual father and a spiritual mother. Spiritual father, spiritual mother, spiritual son and spiritual daughters are not of God and was not taught by the Holy Spirit. Rid yourself of this error and be sanctified as a child of God who upholds the truth. Being just a child of God, which is what God declared we have become is more than enough for all Believers.

It is one of Satan’s many subtle ways of taking us away from the truth. The bible warns that Satan’s tactics in the last days requires great wisdom to be detected. Wisdom is what God has given us to use in these last days to persevere because it has already become perilous as Paul prophesied. It is now a great time of confusion when everyone who has believed should constantly check themselves to make sure they are still in the faith and are still abiding in Christ Jesus and not in someone else.

It is a great error to not believe in the truth and to fall away from the truth, but the greatest of these is to fall away from the truth after you have believed and have been progressing. Those who do not believe maybe convinced of their unbelief and will have the opportunity to believe before they die, but those who have believed, tested the power of truth and later fall away from the truth may never be restored because they will be living in error still being convinced they have the truth. These are people who Jesus will call the workers of unrighteousness on the day of settlement because they have lived in error.

We become the children of God through salvation and only God can give salvation which is the reason the saved are called the children of God. When we become the children of God, we come into the household of God and in the house of God, men are appointed by God through Jesus to give the proper food to His children at the proper time. How erroneous for these servants assigned to minister food to the household of God should elevate themselves to the position of fathers and mothers of God’s children. How will you feel if you come back from a long journey to discover your children are now referring to your house servants as their daddy and mummy?

No one can teach anyone about God, but we can tell others about God. God is not to be understood. He is to be encountered and believe in. We tell people about the existence of God and point to them who is the true God. God will direct them to His Son Jesus Christ who will wash and cleanse them for them to receive The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then will increase and expand their knowledge and understanding of God and God’s ways through revelation, teaching and ministration. 

A servant cannot be greater than his master and a disciple cannot be greater than his teacher. This is true because the master and the teacher is the Lord who is above all. In our world, servants and students actually grows to be greater than their masters and teachers. Some people you told about God will grow to handle greater responsibility in the kingdom than you. The reason is simply because you are neither their teacher nor their master. Ananias prayed for Paul to regain his sight, but the scope of Paul’s role was wider than that of Ananias, because it does not depend on man, but on God who calls each one according to His purpose. We are warned not to think of ourselves above what we are and not to lord it over the children of God.

“And because of God’s gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you…… Love one another warmly as (believing) brothers and sisters and be eager to show respect for one another.” Romans 12:3, 10 GNB