Truth Magazine

By Irvin Himmel

Prayerful thought needs to be given to this question. A person may suppose that he is a child of God when in fact he is not. The word of God discloses the mind of God on this important subject.

A Child of God Is One Who Has Entered the Family of God

The Jews were considered as children of God because of the covenant that Jehovah made with the nation of Israel. Moses reminded them, “Ye are the children of the Lord your God . . . For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut. 14:1, 2).

In the New Testament, becoming a child of God is an individual mat- ter. Jesus Christ “came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God” John 1:11-13). Paul explained the process in Galatians 3:26, 27 as follows: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

We do not enter the family of God by a physical birth but by “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:23). The individual who believes in Jesus Christ has the power or right to become a child of God. When his faith is exercised by being baptized into Christ, he becomes a child of God by putting on Christ.

A Child of God Is One Who Is Led by the Spirit of God

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). It is by means of the word of God that the Spirit leads, hence Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

There is more to one’s being led by the Spirit than submitting to the gospel by believing and being baptized into Christ. One must continue to walk by the Spirit. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). To become a child of God one must follow the directions of the Spirit in God’s word, and the true child of God walks by the Spirit. Being led by the Spirit of God is a continuous process.

A Child of God Is One Who Is an Heir of God

‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:16, 17). An “heir” is a person who is bequeathed something; he has an inheritance. The heavenly Father provides for his children “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” for them (1 Pet. 1:3, 4).

The inheritance of the saints is made available in Christ (Eph. 1:11). After Paul explains that we are children of God by faith when we are baptized into Christ, he states, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). What a privilege it is to be considered as sons! “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal. 4:6, 7).

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God . . . 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; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:1, 2).

A Child of God Is One Who Partakes of the Character of God

“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” (1 John 3:10). “For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

God expects his children to be holy. After John mentioned the exceptional love by which we can be called the sons of God and have the hope of seeing him as he is, these words were penned: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

Peter wrote along this same line: “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:14-16).

The conduct and character of a Christian indicate his spiritual parentage. If one’s life is cumbered with sin, rebellion, and impurity, his claim of being a child of God will not be taken seriously. The true child of God walks in the light and confesses his sins (1 John 1:7, 9), thereby being cleansed of unrighteousness. In his first epistle, John sets forth a number of ways in which one may test himself as to the genuineness of his claim that he is a child of God. When professing Christians are no different from the world except in church affiliation, they are not children of God. To use the language of Jesus, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

By Mike Willis

There is no one who serves God who does not face trials, tribulations, adversities, and other things that tempt him to throw up his hands and quit. That is common to Christians and, for that reason, there are numerous Scriptures to encourage us not to become discouraged and disheartened. Paul exhorted, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9). Sometimes it helps us to be reminded of those things that make serving God worthwhile. Consider some of these things that Christ gives us:

1. A hope of heaven. On several occasions, the Lord described to us what he has prepared for us in heaven.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Rev. 21:1-7).

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:1-3).

The hope that one has enables him to endure the horrible burdens of life. The Proverbs speak of how one without hope has trouble perservering.

Prov. 12:25 — “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop . . .” Prov. 15:13 — “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

Prov. 18:14 — “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?”

We think of some faithful men who endured, such as Job. Their hope sustained them. Job wrote, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27).

2. Forgiveness of sins as a present possession. How could one look at himself in the mirror without having forgiveness of his sins? More than any other person he is aware of his failures, his transgressions, the pain he has caused others, his innermost thoughts that are not always pure, the words he has spoken in anger, the off color jokes he has told and laughed at, and other failures in his life. He is fully aware of his failures and knows by experience what Paul so ably expressed,

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me (Rom. 7:15-20, NRSV).

How blessed a sinner is to know that his sins are forgiven and that he has peace with God. Christ is the expression of God’s grace, his undeserved and unmerited kindness toward mankind. The Father gave his Son as an atonement for sin that men could be saved from their transgressions and iniquities. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

Salvation from one’s sins gives the sinner a release from his guilty conscience. Paul described this peace as that “which passeth all understanding” and which is able to “keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). Through Christ we who once were alienated from God can be at peace with him (Eph. 2:14). The beautiful message of Christianity is that it is a redemptive system. Regardless of what you have done in the past, you can be forgiven and have newness of life. Paul wrote, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4).

3. A brotherhood of Christians. Christians are part of a family, the family of God. What a blessing we have to be called the children of God. John wrote, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (1 John 3:1). Everywhere God has a son, I have a brother. How blessed one is to be a part of the family of God.

God’s children are lovely and loving people caring for one another’s needs. Paul described how God’s children should act toward one another when he compared the church to a physical body: “. . . the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:25-26).

Sometimes the brotherly affection for each other is most apparent in the hour of adversity. I have watched how Christians rally to the support of those who are hurting. I was so proud of my brethren who raised over $400,000 last year to help their Filipino brethren who were destitute, even though most of us would not know by face any one of these brethren. I watch how Christians minister to one another when the call of death arrives. Christians are generally ready to assist the family through the suffering the family endures as it awaits that final hour. Indeed, I am honored to be associated with the best people in the world in being a part of the family of God.

4. Purpose for living. Christianity gives us direction in life, helping us to sort out what is most important and what is least important. In a culture in which men are tempted to become consumed by recreational activities because of our abundance of leisure time, we need to remember that life’s purpose is not self-gratification, as the hedonists might teach us. In an age when one might think that life’s purpose is the accumulation of things (as illustrated in the game of monopoly — he who has the most at the end wins), we need to remember that these things will be left behind when we hear the call of death and then whose shall they be (Luke 12:15-21)? What is life’s true purpose? Here was Solomon’s conclusion: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).

5. Hope for tomorrow. Everyone goes through dark and gloomy times in his life. One has reminded us, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” Whatever comes to me will come from a God who truly and dearly loves me. Jesus said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt. 7:11). Recognizing God’s providence, I know that there is hope for tomorrow. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). In one of Bill Gaither’s songs is this line: “Hold on my child, The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.”

6. Strength to endure. Paul reminded us that through the strength of the Lord, he had the ability to endure his suffering and remain faithful to his God. So can we. His inspiring words are worthy of our meditation: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”  (Phil.

4:11-13).

Conclusion

As we face life’s trials, let’s try to keep focused on what truly is important in life. There is so much reason to have.

Shortly after his resurrection, we are told that Jesus explained to his disciples that, “it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:46). Unquestionably, the death of Jesus stands out as the single most important event in all of human his- tory since the creation of the world. There is no escaping the great impact that his death has had, and continues to have on the human race. However, such a statement of Jesus as that recorded above causes us to carefully ponder the necessity of the death of Christ on the cross. Why did Christ die? What purpose did his death serve? According to the Bible, Christ died in order to:

1. Save the world. Before Jesus was even born, an angel told Mary and Joseph that “he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). With reference to his own mission, Jesus said, “the Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (Matt. 18:11). Nothing could be clearer from the New Testament than the fact that Jesus died in order to bring salvation to the world. As John put it, “We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

2. Pay the debt for our sins. While briefly recounting the facts of the gospel to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). The Scriptures present the idea that “Christ died for our sins” in the sense that he was the perfect sacrifice given to pay the debt for our sins. As he was instituting the Lord’s supper just before his death, Jesus “took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’” (Matt. 26:27-28). The death of Jesus was necessary because, “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). Through his own death Jesus paid the debt we could not pay.

3. Fulfill prophecy. The Bible teaches that the death of Christ was part of God’s plan even before creation. Peter writes that Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:20). Isaiah, as well as the other prophets of the Old Testament, prophesied that Christ would die in order to bear the sins of the world several hundred years before Jesus was even born (Isa. 53:12). Jesus referred to these prophecies after his resurrection as he explained their fulfillment to his disciples saying, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44). The death of Christ was the culmination of God’s plan for man’s redemption as revealed throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. As Paul put it, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).

4. Abolish the Old Law. Speaking of the Law of Moses, Paul writes that Christ’s death accomplished the work of “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col. 2:14). Similarly, in his letter to the Ephesians Paul writes of Christ “having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Eph. 2:15-16). In order to bring salvation to the entire world, it was necessary for Christ to remove the Old Covenant, and replace it with the New Covenant at his death (Heb. 8:7-13; 9:16-17).

Bible teaches that sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4). As we have already noted, Christ died for the purpose of paying the debt for our sins. We ought to arrive at a good understanding of how seriously God looks at sin as we reflect on the fact that God the Son suffered a horrible death in order to bear the punishment for our sins and bring us back into fellowship with God. We also gain a better understanding of God’s love through the death of Christ as we realize that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Conclusion

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:9). Have you died with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5)?