And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:18 ESV
One thing that makes Christianity particularly beautiful is that it proposes a style of relationship with God that no other faith could dare to propose. It proposes a father-child relationship with God. Part of Jesus’ mission for coming to earth was to reveal God to us; show us His nature, His love, His Fatherhood. Jesus was the one who revealed God the Father to us.
In Matthew 11:27 and John 1:18, Jesus speaks of revealing the Father, whom no one had fully known or seen. Before Christ came, the world had not yet seen this aspect of God’s relationship with humanity revealed in the same way. It was through Christ that we came to understand that we could approach God as our Father. After His resurrection, as He was about to ascend to heaven, Jesus also referred to God as our Father. Through His sacrifice, He brought us into this relationship with God.
And Scripture describes it as a great love that God has lavished on us; the privilege to be called sons and daughters of God (1Jn. 3:1). God’s immense love for us made us more than servants; it also brought us into the family of Christ through adoption. His love not only saved us from sin and its power but also brought us into sonship.
God revealed Himself to us as a good Father. Scripture helps us understand that He cares for His children, declaring healing as the children’s bread (Matt. 15:26). He clothes and feeds His children (Matt. 6:26-34). He teaches His children and grants them peace (Isa. 54:13). He settles their today and gives them assurance of tomorrow, even until forever (Jer. 29:11).
What is the significance of this sonship?
By sending His Son to redeem us from the law, God adopted us into sonship. And because we became sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. The Holy Spirit is therefore the witness of our identity as God’s children, bearing witness with our spirit that we belong to Him. Moreover, sonship made us more than servants; it made us heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. (Gal. 4:4-7, Rom. 8:14-17)
Being a child of God means a new identity. It is not a label for feeling good, nor is it something you write in your bio to spice it up. It is a reality that should have real expressions. 1 John 3:9-10 explains that it is impossible to claim sonship and still go on living in sin. The status change must reflect a new nature. If we are claiming to be children of a righteous God, then we must also walk in righteousness.
Furthermore, because this privilege of sonship comes from the abundance of God’s love, a child of God displays their sonship/daughtership by showing love to others as well (1 Jn. 3:10). Therefore, the position of a son is not just a position of inheritance but a position of representation. As God’s children, we represent Him. So, in conduct, love, and purity, we must show ourselves to be children of God indeed.
But this privilege and expression of God’s love is only open to those who believe in the Lord Jesus. Scripture says that as many as did receive him, he gave them the right to be sons of God (Jn. 1:12). The right to be a child of God is only given to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:26 tells us that in Christ, we are all children of God through faith. The adoption process by which we become children of God is a two-way process. Even though God is ready to make anyone and everyone His child, whoever will be adopted must first believe in the sacrifice that made such a privilege possible. Such a person must first believe in the Lord Jesus and then enter into that inheritance through faith.
What a privilege it is to be loved by God, not merely as His creation, but as His children.
So, if you will like to make the decision to join the family of Christ, please say this prayer: “Dear Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice of love for me. I believe in all that you did to save me. From today, I live in the privilege of sonship that you have given me. Amen.”
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