Children of God, Part 1: Becoming a Child of God

This series of posts was developed as a Sunday School lesson that I taught on November 6, 2011.

Introduction:

The doctrines of our faith, right teaching, are essential to the believer’s life. They inform our thoughts and behaviors. They help keep us in the “love of God” (Jude 20-21). They have given us a foundation upon which we can understand God, and ourselves, better. Right teaching also enables us to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to God. Some topics tend to be more what I call “high theology.” Other topics are much more personal: such as “who are we?” Those who believe in Jesus as their Lord are called several different things in Scripture. One such name for believers is “the children of God,” and that is what we’re going to take a look at over the next few posts.

Becoming a Child of God:

Our first Scripture passage we’re going to look at is John 1:11-13.

Verse 12 says that as many as received Him [that is Jesus, the Light of the world], He [Jesus] gave the right [that is, the authority] to become children of God. – Receiving here is believing in His name. And this is not accomplished by any natural means, nor under our own power, but it is rather by the power of God that we are born of God. In John 3, we see that we have to be “born again” to enter God’s kingdom. And this birth is accomplished by the Holy Spirit (3:8).

Verse 11 shows us that there were those who rejected Jesus. The difference between them and those who are the “children of God” is that the ones who are born of God have received Jesus (that is welcomed and accepted Jesus) and believed in Him, not just as a teacher or a miracle worker, but rather as the Son of God, the one whom reconciles men to Himself, to God.

Paul echoes this in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 3:26).

We see here that Christians are sons of God only through faith in Jesus. Jesus being the “only begotten” Son of God (John 3:16), is the Eternal Son. He has always been with God and is Himself God (John 1:1). It is amazing that we can be considered sons of God, along with Jesus Christ. And how does this take place? Through faith, that is by means of faith, by believing in Jesus Christ, as we saw in John 1:12. If we have placed our faith in Jesus, we are sons of God.

As J. Vernon McGee so aptly said, “…neither your prayers, your fundamental separation, your gifts, nor your baptism will ever make you a son of God. Only faith in Christ can make you a son of God.” [1]

We'll take a look at what it means to be adopted into God's family next time.

Notes:

[1] - McGee, J. Vernon. Galatians. Through the Bible Commentary Series: The Epistles. Vol. 46. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991, p 64.

Books Consulted:

Bickel, Bruce and Stan Jantz. John: Encountering Christ in a Life-Changing Way. Christianity 101 Bible Studies. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2003.

Comfort, Philip W. and Wendell C. Hawley. Opening John’s Gospel and Epistles. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Reference, 2003

McGee, J. Vernon. Galatians. Through the Bible Commentary Series: The Epistles. Vol. 46. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991.

McGee, J. Vernon. Thru the Bible: Volume IV: Matthew through Romans. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983.

Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament Volumes 1. Colorado Spring: Cook Communications Ministries, 2001.