Whose child are you? There are some unfortunate people who cannot name a parent. Or they have parents that they might wish were not theirs. As a child they might imagine some kind and loving parent, one that might magically appear and proclaim that they are their son or daughter, and will bring them into their home. We can’t pick our human, physical parents, and children who are orphans have very little, if any say in who may adopt or foster them. Having physical parents is good, but it is even more important to know who our spiritual father is. And here we definitely have a choice. Let’s look into our Scripture for today.
As we read in the Bible, there are two spiritual fathers in this world. There is Yahweh, the one true God, and there is Satan. One or the other is the spiritual father of everyone on earth. You are either a child of God, or a child of the devil Only those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior and have been born again are a child of God, and can call Him their Father (John 1:12). Everyone else has Satan as their spiritual father. People might not like to hear that, as they like to say that everyone is a child of God. God is certainly the Creator of everyone, and He loves everyone, and wishes that everyone would come to Him for salvation, but only those who come to Him through the shed Blood of Jesus are His children. Even the Lord Jesus said that people who did not believe in Him were children of the devil (John 8:42-47). According to God’s Word in our Scripture today, who are we? If we are saved, we are God’s children.
Some of us have had less than ideal parents, and the word “father” is not one that brings a warm feeling to our hearts. For some of us, we never knew either a mother or father’s love, and we might not know what to expect from God as our Father. The Scriptures show us that we have a heavenly Father who is perfect. Jesus gives us a picture of God as our Father. He tenderly holds His children in His loving arms, ministering to the sick, showing compassion. He shows a Father who loves people, listens to prayers, and offers forgiveness. God, alone, meets our soul’s need to be purely, perfectly, and completely loved (vs. 1).
In many households, children like to imitate their parents. They want to be just like their mommy or daddy. A child of God is no different. As they grow spiritually, reading and studying the Word of God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to be working in their lives, they grow to be more like Jesus. This is a gradual process, though. The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Jesus. This process will not be complete until we see Jesus face to face (vs. 2-3). Knowing that seeing Jesus is our ultimate destiny should motivate us to purify ourselves. To purify means to keep morally straight, and free from the corruption of sin. Living in the reality of Jesus’ imminent return should make a difference in a Christian’s behavior. Since Christians will someday be like Him, a desire should grow within us to become more like Him now.
Just because we are not fully like the Lord Jesus right now does not mean that we are any less a child of God right now. Born again Christians are just as much a child of God now as we will be in heaven. Knowing that we are His children should encourage us to live as Jesus did. One day we will exchange our worn out, weak bodies for new ones, patterned after Jesus’ resurrection Body - strong, ageless, and free from sin (I Corinthians 15:42-57). One day we will see God face to face, and we will be like Him. Until then, we are “under construction”.
One further item to note from this Scripture passage is that the Apostle John told believers that the world does not know or accept them because they did not know or accept the Lord Jesus (vs. 1). Many of us have felt, at one time or another, the scorn of unbelievers against us. We don’t fit in with the world, and definitely feel out of place in many situations because of our faith. Jesus said, as recorded in John 15:18, that the world hated Him, and it will hate His children, Christians, as well. Jesus stressed the connection between how the world relates to God and how it will relate to true Christians.
So, whose child are you? If you cannot answer with full assurance that you are God’s child, do not delay a moment longer and accept Jesus as your personal Savior, and become part of His family!
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