Slides: Children of God

Children of God
by David Feddes

3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

Are all people God's children?

• Sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2)

• By nature children of wrath (Eph 2:3)

• You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. (John 8:44)

Only believers in Jesus are God’s children.

• Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)

• In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. (Gal 3:26)

Children of God

• Children by adoption: status

• Children by rebirth: life

• Children by affection: love

Children by adoption: status

God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4-7)

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Roman 8:14-17)

Predestined for adoption

• Adoption comes after a decision, made in advance, to include someone in your family.

• In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. (Eph 1:5)

• For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Rom 8:29)

Legal adoption

• God takes responsibility for us and deals with our problems.

• God’s declaration of adoption gives us a status that is stable and secure.

• God grants us legal standing as heirs.

• God puts his name on us and grants us authority to act on his behalf.

• God treats any attack on us as an attack on Him.

Children of God

• Children by adoption: status

• Children by rebirth: life

• Children by affection: love

• “born of God” (John 1:13; 1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:4, 5:18)

Born with God's DNA (seed)

• You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

• No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:8-10)

• partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)

God's DNA produces family likeness

• You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:48)

• If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. (1 John 2:29)

• Everyone who loves has been born of God. (1 John 4:7)

• Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. (1 John 5:1)

God's life is eternal: it can't be defeated or destroyed.

• For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. (1 John 5:4)

• We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18)

• We are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

Best of being adopted child, best of being genetic child

• An adopted child is a chosen child. God freely chose to adopt believers as children. If our heavenly Father wants us, it doesn’t matter who might not want us.

• A genetic child inherits the father’s DNA and life. Born of God, we have His spiritual DNA and his eternal life. His DNA makes us like Him. His eternal life can’t be defeated or destroyed.

Children of God

• Children by adoption: status

• Children by rebirth: life

• Children by affection: love

Children by affection: love

• See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (1 John 3:1)

• Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6)

• The Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:12)