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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 Corinthians 6:18)
Is it possible that we could actually be the literal children of God
– higher than the angels? 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.” Most are not able to accept the
magnificent truth of God’s promise to us – that we can be like God
and in the God Family.
Paul wrote to the Romans: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 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?
At 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 the children of our dad. In the exact same way at our baptism
and with the laying on of hands, we become the spiritual children of
our heavenly Father – His Spirit life passes on to us – and we
receive the Father’s name (Matthew 28:19, John 17:11). Therefore, we
are the children of God – the seed of God. “And because you are
sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba [daddy], Father.” (Galatians 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.” (Romans
9:8) In other words, when a person is baptized and receives God's
Spirit, he becomes a begotten son of God - God places His own name
on the newly baptized believer! He belongs to God. He is God's son
in embryo – not yet fully born spiritually into the eternal Family
of God. That will come at the resurrection.
The Apostle John wrote at the end of the first century and 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) “For you are all the
children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26)
In the same way that a child must grow through nine months of
development before being born into this world – we must grow in
Godly character and develop spiritually for a time before our full
spiritual birth takes place. Nonetheless, we are already considered
by God to be the 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) God is Spirit – and we will be fully
Spirit too, when our change takes place in the better resurrection
(Philippians 3:21).
Jesus Christ set the example – going before us. The Word [Jesus
Christ] became flesh as the Son of God (John 1:14). After His death,
Jesus was resurrected to Spirit life - the "firstborn from the dead"
(Colossians 1:18) and the "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: “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). They did not understand that God’s plan included
reproducing Himself – utilizing mankind. Jesus was raised in glory,
the first of many who will soon be raised in glory also (Romans
8:18).
Jesus answered those Jews, “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 present, the literal spiritual
Family of God consists only of the Father and the Son, 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 is 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) “Whereby are given to us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these you might be 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…” (Hebrews 2:10) As divine children
of God we will be a part of God’s infinite plan of developing the
entire 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 waits 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.” (Romans 8:17,19,21)
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." (1John 4:7)
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| Sermon: |
"Children of God"
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