Who is A Child of God (got questions.com)

[shalom-dodi]

Song: This is one of my older favorite songs. Because it is my heart’s desire to be closer and closer to the heart of God. It is called The More I Seek You. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... I_1YliutzA


Prayer: Father God thank you for this time. Thank you for this place and for these brothers and sisters who love you. Thank you for the community you have built here among us. Bless eye and ….. and those we love. Now Abba, would you help us set aside the cares of life as we hold our hearts open to receive your LOVE via the Word. We ask in Jesus name amen.

I wanted to delve into the question about are all people God’s children or not. It came up briefly last week.
We will all run into people who think that all people are God’s children. Then we run into others who say, well that is simply not true.
Personally I know God loves all people but we are not all his children. We are using a source from Got Questions.
Question: "Are we all God's children, or only Christians?"

Answer:
The Bible is clear that all people are God’s creation (Colossians 1:16), and that God loves the entire world (John 3:16), but only those who are born again are children of God (John 1:12; 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1-10).
Let’s see what those scripture references are.
Colossians 1:16 says:  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Dodi Note: People are part of the “all things” mentioned here.
That chapter, or that portion is speaking of Jesus.

Let’s see the context: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Dodi Notice: Notice an action specifically that reconciling all things to himself by the blood of the cross. The shed blood of Jesus is our one and only covering and gives us the right (if/when we accept it) to become children of God.

Notice what the very next verse says:
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Dodi Note: Did you notice? We, who were once ALIENATED and HOSTILE in mind were reconciled by the blood of Jesus and….Did you see it? We are presented holy and blameless and above reproach…but the condition is we must continue in the faith being stable and steadfast and not shifting from the gospel.
Don’t get scared this does not mean a “wondering” it means a rejection of the validity of the Gospel of Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is kind of funny…I am just wondering here..Doesn’t it sort of seem that people who claim all people can go to heaven because God loves them and being Born Again is not necessary. Faith in Jesus is not necessary. Could that a huge denial of the truth of Salvation in Jesus only which the Bible teaches?

I also like the reminder in Genesis 1 beginning at verse 26:
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.
Dodi Note: Now since God created mankind in His own image of course he loves them. Remember this was before the fall when everything was in perfect unity, harmony and oneness with God.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Dodi Note: So yes we are seeing God does love all people but to become his daughter or son requires an action on our part.
Any comments?



John 3:16 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Dodi Note: Do you see the condition? “Whoever believes in Him”.

And again in John 1:12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
Dodi Note: This is a good verse to pull out in a discussion perhaps.

John 11:52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Romans 8:16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Dodi Note: At new birth we receive the promised Spirit of God to indwell us. The Holy Spirit and that is the mark or seal or promise that we are indeed his own. Sort of like when cattle is branded.

The next passage is beautiful and a bit scary. We will read it through and then discuss it a bit.
1 John 3:1–10 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.

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.

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.  You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Let’s look at the portions of it. 1 John 3:1–10 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.

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.
Dodi Note: This is the BEAUTIFUL promise. We are God’s children by New Birth. But it says it is a promise…that he will continue to refine us. None of us are the same spiritually and in our outward behavior as we were when we first became children. Children in the natural grow up. First an infant, then a toddler, then a preschooler , etc. Children of God also are constantly going through a “growing up” process.

Next verse says: And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Dodi Note: Just as a natural child must submit to the direction of a parent, so also we as children of God will receive correction and discipline in order to help us grow up to be who God created us to be. Sometimes that can be painful. Remember the verse in Proverbs 3:11-12? My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Dodi Note: The next portion tells us a distinction. We have a flesh nature, our old nature, our sin nature. We also at New Birth have a new nature. As God’s children. But there is a war. Paul describes it very well when he says: Romans 7:19 19For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. The reason I am talking about this is to allay any fear. Sin which is habitual and chosen is not a good thing. Sin which we recognize and admit as sin and sorrow over is different from habitual chosen sin.

1John goes on to say:
 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.  You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Dodi Note: Can you see the difference in habitual choosing of sin and even denying it is sin and falling into sin but then repenting? Personally I see these LGBT people who are insisting they are Christians and that the church marry them as an extreme example of Biblical lawlessness. But even then God is able to touch, heal and restore their hearts and bring them (and us in our own areas of weakness or blindness) back into right relationship with Himself.


In Scripture, the lost are never referred to as God’s children. Ephesians 2:3 tells us that before we were saved we were “by nature objects of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Ephesians 2:1-3  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Dodi Note:This is pretty clear isn’t it? Aren’t we glad this no longer describes us?


Romans 9:8 says that: that “it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.” Instead of being born as God’s children, we are born in sin, which separates us from God and aligns us with Satan as God’s enemy (James 4:4; 1 John 3:8).
Dodi Note: We will see this by looking at the verses.
Romans 9:8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Dodi Note: Well this could also be the answer to those who become angry with us when we can’t participate in their sin or pretend it is OK when it is not. The trick is, how do we do that in a loving manner? I have never seen a person who is part of what is going on in the culture today not hoot and howl that Christians are judgmental. And how the Bible tells us not to judge. But personally I see these verses speaking of enmity with God vs having enmity with the world…think modern day culture. I choose God.

1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Dodi Note: Please don’t take on fear and please do search your heart but also remember habitual sin which we are trying to defeat is different than chosen sin which we embrace as good and fine and dandy.

In John 8:43, Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me”.


Then a few verses later in John 8:44, Jesus told the Pharisees that they “belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.”
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Dodi Note: Pretty clear. Right?

The fact that those who are not saved are not children of God is also seen in 1 John 3:10: “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”

We become God’s children when we are saved because we are adopted into God’s family through our relationship with Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:5-6; Ephesians 1:5).

Galatians 5:5-6 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,


This can be clearly seen in verses like Romans 8:14-17: “because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Dodi Note: Aren’t we loving these reminders? Well maybe except the aside that says, we will share in both suffering and glory. Remember Jesus said to his disciples: John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
At least we know that when, not if, when we do have troubles or suffer for being God’s children, God will be WITH us and walk us through those.

Those who are saved are children “of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26) because God has “predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:5).

Glatians 3:26 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Dodi Note: Has this become clearer? Now we have scripture references to back up our stance.

Let’s pray: Father God, oh how sweet it is to be invited to say Father God or Abba, we thank you for choosing us to be your children. We thank you for the gift of Salvation in Messiah Jesus and that we are eternally safe in your love. We thank you that we who are born again have the seal of Holy Spirit. Lord help us to invite you to search our hearts and show us if we have any cherished sin then help us to walk in freedom from that. Please bless each one here and those we love. In Jesus name amen.