Are you a Child of God?
You Have Rights
It is common for people to say that we are all children of God. We are all created by God. He is our ultimate source. In that sense we are all children of God. But those who have not been spiritually reborn are not the children of God in the same way as those who, through faith, are in Christ. They have been born of Adam’s seed. They have been born of flesh, born of water. That is their lineage and from that lineage they inherit fleshly traits. They cannot be children of God, joint heirs with Jesus, because they are citizens of the earth and not citizens of The Kingdom of heaven.
In John 3:5-7 Jesus said “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (NIV) Jesus said people must be born again or they cannot enter heaven. Only the children of God have that right. Only citizens are allowed in The Kingdom.
In John 1:12-13 we find some help in understanding what Jesus means when He speaks of being born again.
John 1:12-13
“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.” (NIV) The word translated “right” or in some versions “power” is ἐξουσία (exousia). It means right, power, or ability. Jesus makes all who believe on Him able, authorized, or given the right to become children of the Father.
The moment you change your mind about God, sin, and righteousness, and believe that Jesus is God who came to earth as a human person and gave His life to take away your sins, you become a citizen of heaven.
Citizens have rights. The moment you become a citizen, you get the right to call yourself a child of God. When you say that, you are telling the truth about yourself. Therefore, John is able in 1 John 3:1 to say, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (NIV)
Christian, you are a child of God. You were born of God’s seed. You were born of flesh and water, yes; but you have now been born of the Spirit. You have been reborn. The Living God is your lineage and from that lineage you inherit godly traits. You have been made completely new at the core. Scripture makes this clear in many ways. 2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it this way, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV)
Do not allow the enemy to lie to you about who you are. He would love for you to think that rebirth is merely figurative, or a metaphorical way of talking about spirituality. When he tries to make you think that you are no different than you were because you struggle with ungodly behavior or have ugly thoughts remember these verses that tell you what God declares to be true. Remember that our enemy is defanged. He is all bark and no bite and truth is his kryptonite.
Make Jesus your mindset and stand up for your right to be called a Child of God.
