HOW TO RESPOND TO PROTESTANTS WHEN THEY SAY "CALL NO MAN FATHER ?"

Protestants Attack us When we call priests "father" . They will point to Matthew 23:9, where Jesus says, "Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven."

However, this directive is not meant tobe taken literally in all contexts. Jesus Often used Hyperbole , and this is one of those many Instances. “Hyperbole,” For those who don't know “is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Jesus often used it in the Gospels. In fact even in The same Gospel of Matthew in 18:21-22...

He didn’t mean that we should only forgive our brother 539 times when he told us to forgive others seven times 77 times as in Matthew 18:21-22.” SUCH WOULD MEAN WE ARE TERRIBLE PEOPLE WHO KEEP COUNT OF EVERY PARDONED SIN .😁

Christ used hyperbole often, for example when he declared, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matt. 5:29, cf. 18:9; Mark 9:47). Christ certainly did not intend this to be applied literally, for OTHERWISE ALL CHRISTIANS WOULD BE BLIND AMPUTEES ! (cf. 1 John 1:8; 1 Tim. 1:15).

■》In the Bible, the term "father" is used in various ways, including spiritual and respectful contexts. For instance, Joseph is described as a "father to Pharaoh" (Genesis 45:8), and Elisha calls Elijah "my father" (2 Kings 2:12). In the New Testament, Stephen refers to "our father Abraham" (Acts 7:2), and Paul speaks of "our father Isaac" (Romans 9:10). Thus, calling priests "father" is a sign of respect and spiritual fatherhood, not a contradiction of Jesus' teaching.

■》Incidentally, both Old and New Testaments associate priesthood with fatherhood (cf. Judges 17:10, 18:19, and 1 Corinthians 4:15), but in this case, Jesus’ command is not violated.

■》Jesus is not forbidding us to call men “fathers” who actually are such—either literally or spiritually. He is warning people against inaccurately attributing fatherhood—or a particular kind or degree of fatherhood—to those who do not have it.

As the apostolic example shows, some individuals genuinely do have a spiritual fatherhood, meaning that they can be referred to as spiritual fathers. What must not be done is to confuse their form of spiritual paternity with that of God. Ultimately, God is our supreme protector, provider, and instructor. Correspondingly, it is wrong to view any individual other than God as having these roles.