What It Means to be a Child of God
He leads me …
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” ("Psalm 139:13-16 TLB).
This is a great section of scripture to meditate on. As we consider how we were made, we become more and more amazed at how God did it. After all man can create some amazing things, but the nearest that we can get to a being is a robot. The robot is great for some selected tasks which are repetitive, but in no way has mankind been able to duplicate a human – except in the movies.
We also see that every human is created in the same loving way, so we all get the same start in life. We are not made perfect because that would enable pride to become established in our lives. It also means that in order to get the most out of life we are to interact with our fellow humans so that we can support them in their weakness that they can support us in ours. This is how the second most important commandment that Jesus taught us – to love our neighbour as ourselves – is fulfilled.
While being active in our community and supporting the less fortunate is a significant step in the right direction, it does not qualify us to be a child of God. There are people who have made a large amount of money and are now investing it back into projects that help both people and the environment. Unfortunately being a philanthropist like this on its own does not qualify a person to be a child of God.
For 20 years, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been committed to fighting the greatest imbalances in the world. The foundation has spent $53.8 billion since 2000, and this has helped the people and organisations that the Foundation works with make a difference. How do they know that they are making a difference? The foundation is committed to measuring progress so that they can see what is working and what is not.
This kind of generosity on its own does not qualify Bill and Melinda Gates to be children of God. The Bible is quite clear.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (John 1:12 ESV)
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons [and daughters][1] of God, through faith. (Galatians 3:26 ESV)
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons [and daughters] of God. (Romans 8:14 ESV)
And as Christians, we ‘are no longer a slave, but a son [or daughter], and if a son [or daughter], then an heir through God’ (Galatians 4:7 ESV)
Notice that as a child of God, we are someone that He loves unconditionally. This means that there is nothing we can do that will make Him stop loving us. The only condition in becoming a child of God is that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour by faith. That is it.
To be loved by God is not based on our performance, like how successful we are, or how many corrections we make in our life to reach holiness, or any of the personal choices we make.
And what is our response to the outpouring of God’s love towards us? It is to love others as Christ loves us. In Ephesians 5:1-2 (MSG) we are told,
‘Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.’
In John 17 we find everything that we receive as a child of God and a joint-heir with Christ. A study of John 17 tells us that before Jesus went to the cross He prayed for us to receive His Word, His joy, His mission, His glory, His love, His presence, His peace, and eternal life. All the promises of God are given to us in Jesus.
In summary we should always remember our position with God. We are in the family of God. We are His child. It is good to give Him thanks for these things, and live according to the riches we have received, remembering…
1. Our purpose in this life is to honour and glorify God (Isaiah 43:7, Revelation 4:11)
2. Our goal is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
3. Our mission is to magnify God and to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ (John 17:18, Mark 16:15)
4. Our destiny in Heaven is settled (John 14:1-3).
5. Our life is eternal and one day we will be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever. (Revelation 21:3-4).[2]
[1] The addition in brackets is based on Galatians 3:28 which reads – ‘There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ NLT
[2] What Does it Mean to Be a Child of God? by Shari Abbott, Reasons for Hope* Jesus
