Sunday, May 30, 2010

Are you a child of God?

This is the way God's children are distinguished from the devil's children. Everyone who doesn't do what is right or love other believers isn't God's child. 1 John 3:10

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I was talking to someone the other day I cannot recall who it was and how that came about but I mentioned that as children of God, Christians have privileges and that person replied that we are all children of God. Imagine my surprise. My assumption was that the person in question understood the word of God. I have been think about it ever since and i want to discuss it with you today in order to clear all misunderstanding you may have. I will be more careful with my assumptions in the future.

Are we all God’s children? It is true that God loves us all and the fact that He created us all does not imply that we are His children according to God’s Word. Let’s take a look at a few passages: Ephesians 2:3 tells us that before we were saved we were “by nature objects of wrath.” Romans 9:8 says that “it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.” Instead of being born as God’s children, we are born in sin, which separates us from God and aligns us with Satan as God’s enemy (James 4:4; 1 John 3:8). Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me” (John 8:42). In John 8:44, Jesus told the Pharisees that they “belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.”

How can you become a child of God? “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). First, you must recognize that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became man. Jesus was born through the power of the Holy Spirit. He did not inherit Adam’s sin nature). He died for us and resurrected on the third day and ascended to heaven where He is preparing a place for us. While Adam’s one disobedience brought the curse of sin and death to the world, Christ’s perfect life gives life. Our response must be to turn away from sin and we must trust that His blood will purify us. Second, we must have faith in Jesus as Savior. God’s plan was to sacrifice His perfect Son on the cross to pay the punishment we deserve for our sin: death. Christ’s death frees those who receive Him from the penalty and power of sin. Clearly, in Scripture, the lost are never referred to as children of God.
Obviously a child of God is not going to be rejected by sinning, but someone who “dwells” in sin (repeated offender without remorse/ consistently enjoys sin without heed for following Christ and His Word) reveals that he was never born again. Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire” (John 8:44). God’s children, on the other hand, no longer crave the gratification of sin but desire to know, love, and glorify their Father.

There are numerous rewards attached to being God’s child, but we obey Him because we love Him. The Bible says that we are a part of God’s family (the church), we are promised a home in heaven, and given the right to approach God in prayer as Father through Christ (Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 1:3-6; Romans 8:15). Being a part of the family of God is the greatest blessing bestowed upon believers and one that should drive us to our knees in humble adoration. We can never do anything to deserve it for it is His gift of love, mercy and grace to us, and yet, we are called to become sons and daughters of the Living God (Romans 9:25-26).You can also be a child of God right now if you would accept Christ into your heart and pray:

"Father God, I recognize now that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been selfish and I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, please forgive me. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From today on, I will no longer be controlled by sin. I will follow You all the days of my life. I ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen."

Praise the Lord!

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