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Children of God
I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor 6:18)
Is it possible that we could actually be the literal children of
God? Most people think that we are “children” in the sense that all
God’s creatures are His children - it’s semantics somewhat akin to a
schoolteacher speaking of her pupils saying, “these are my
children.” Some are not able to accept the wonderful truth of God’s
promise to us.
Paul wrote to the Romans: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Rom 8:16) How can we
genuinely pray, “Our Father…” as Jesus taught us to pray, unless He
is our Father, and we are indeed His children?
In conception and birth, we become the physical children of our dad
– his life passes to us - we receive our dad’s last name as our own.
We are children of our dad. In the exact same way, in baptism and
the laying on of hands, we become the spiritual children of our
heavenly Father - His Spirit life passes on to us – we are baptized
into the Father’s name. We are children of God – the seed of God.
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba [daddy], Father.” (Gal 4:6)
Notice how clearly the Scripture reveals this: “That is, They which
are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:
but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” (Rom 9:8)
The apostle, John, writing at the end of the first century recorded
this incredible fact that only converted Christians would be able to
believe: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God.” (John 1:12) and: “For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:26)
In the same way that a child must grow through nine months of
development before being born into this world – we must develop
spiritually for a time before our full spiritual birth takes place.
None the less – we are considered by God to be children of God at
this present time.
This incredible mystery was hardly known to the ancients of old.
Jesus, Himself, began to expound on God’s plan to create literal
sons and daughters to be a part of His family – made in His image
and likeness. (Genesis 1:26)
Jesus Christ set the example – going before us. The Word became
flesh as the Son of God, as the only begotten of the Father (John
1:14). After His death, Jesus was resurrected to spirit life - the
"firstborn from the dead" (Col 1:18) and "firstborn among many
brethren" (Romans 8:29). Jesus became the first child of God. In
turn, Jesus makes it possible for us to follow in His steps: “But as
many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God.” (John 1:12) “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1John
3:1)
The Jews of Jesus' day accused Him of blasphemy for saying that He
was the Son of God: "Because You, being a Man, make Yourself God"
(John 10:33).
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, I said, 'You
are gods?" Jesus interpreted the term “gods” literally to mean,
“Gods.” Notice: “If He [God] called them gods, to whom the word of
God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him
whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are
blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God?" (John 10:34-36).
Psalm 82:6 reads: "I [God] said, You are gods, and all of you are
children of the Most High." God is a family. There is one God
(the God family) made up of more than one member of the God family.
At this present time there are only two – the Father and Jesus
Christ - two divine Beings—God and the Word (John 1:1-3). At the
time of Christ’s return, there will be a huge increase in the number
of members of the God family – that’s because we have not yet been
spiritually born – though God counts us as children already.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear we shall be
like him.” (1John 3:2) We will not be some kind of lower creatures;
rather, we become "partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4)
The very reason that God created the universe, the earth, and man in
it was for the purpose of bringing many sons to divine glory. “For
it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things,
in bringing many sons unto glory…” (Heb 2:10) As divine children of
God we will be a part of God’s infinite plan of developing all the
universe into the Kingdom of God.
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ…For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God…Because the creation itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God.” (Rom 8:17,19,21)
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