Weekly Devotion: Children of God

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26

Who among us hasn’t heard, or said, that we are all the “children of God”, yet that is an incomplete quote of the above verse. While scripture teaches us that all mankind is made in the “image of God” (Genesis 9:6), this verse and others teach us that you only become a child of God “by faith in Christ Jesus”! The fact of the matter is that all mankind is in one of two spiritual families.

“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil…” 1 John 3:10

This sobering truth is the only way to Biblically reckon every race, creed, religion, ethnic group, language, gender, age, etc. The Bible cuts through these boundaries and boils this topic down the lowest common denominator; you are either saved or lost, a child of God or a child of the devil, destined for heaven or hell. To simplify this one step further, the Bible also teaches that “we all” are lost by default and are “by nature the children of wrath”.

“Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:3

The Christian’s mission field is now coming into focus, because if someone has not been saved, then they are still lost. This sounds cut and dried (and it is, to God), but because of humanistic thinking, most have been conditioned to believe that I’m OK and you’re OK and that there are many roads that lead to heaven, etc. Thankfully, when we speak the word of God, the Holy Spirit speaks to a person’s human spirit to “reprove (convict) the world of sin” (John 16:8), and search their “inward parts”, much like searching through a darkened room with a “candle”.

“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Proverbs 20:27

So how can one leave the devil’s family and enter into God’s kingdom? Glad you asked, because just like you were physically born into the devil’s family, you must be “born again” into God’s family. The same things that took place physically must take place spiritually.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:3, 7

God must supernaturally Father you by placing his “seed”, which “is the word of God” (Luke 8:11), into your heart. If you receive that seed and willingly repent of your sinfulness, you will be “delivered” (Colossians 1:13, 14) “as newborn babes” (1 Peter 2:2) and your name will be recorded in the “Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27), just like a birth certificate. Friend, why not pray to God with child-like faith, in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection today and become one of the “children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus”?

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18:17