02/26/2023
As Christian’s we like to refer to ourselves as the children of God, but before we first believed we were something quite different. The Bible refers to those who live in the flesh and carry out the desires of the body and mind as being children of wrath. And, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that even as Christians there are still those times when we find ourselves slipping away from righteousness and back towards wrath. Yes, even after we have come to believe we can find ourselves behaving less like children of God and more like the children of wrath once again. So, let’s ask ourselves a very important question today, “Which of these children are we right now?”
“among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Ephesians 2:3 ESV
The two verses that precede this one, which we have just read, define for us the kind of children we are, and they tell us that we are not only children of wrath, but also the sons of disobedience, and that we are dead in our sin. Further, they tell us who our master is and who it is that we are serving. In these verses we read that we are following Satan, the prince of the power of the air, and brothers and sisters, this should serve to convict us and drive us towards belief, or a reaffirmation of our faith.
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”
Ephesians 2:1-2 ESV
Now that we understand what will make us the children of wrath and disobedience, let’s understand more clearly what it means to be the sons and daughters of God. For this we can turn to the book of Romans… listen…
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Romans 8:14 ESV
We are told that we are led by the Spirit into adoption by God, or in other words, called by God to be His children. We are also told that we are not meant to fall back towards the world from which we were plucked, nor to reenter the state of fear that resides there, but to stay firm in our faith, and to know God as not only our Father, but as our Papa and our Daddy. He is dear to us, and thus we are invited to address Him as Abba. Are we firm in our faith, and are we fixed in our behavior as God’s righteous children? Are we comfortable enough in Him to not only refer to Him formally as our Father, or Heavenly Father, but to hug Him, burying our face in Him, and lovingly calling Him Abba?
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””
Romans 8:15 ESV
So which are we? Are we children of God, or of wrath and disobedience? To understand this we need to turn to the Holy Spirit who will tell us which we are with perfect certainty. He will circumcise our hearts, and open our spirits to the truth. He will show us for whom we suffer, and why. And, if we are obedient to God, suffering with Jesus, and are behaving righteously, he will glorify us by affirming us to be the true Children of God.
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Romans 8:16-17 ESV
Now, having an understanding of these things, and having sought the truth from the Holy Spirit, let’s address our original question… “Which of these children are we right now?” Are we prepared to begin receiving the many blessings due to us as God’s children?
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
Matthew 5:9 KJV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling us to be one of your children. Thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who teaches us how to love you, obey you, and serve in your house. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirits and reveals to us that we have truly been adopted by you. Help us in our unbelief Abba so that we will not be tempted to slide back into the world, but will remain firm in our righteous behavior as the heirs and joint heirs with Jesus. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who chooses to adopt us and to give us your name. Praised be your name for every new child who joins your household, and becomes our brother or sister in Christ. Merciful are you who by your grace and the blood of Jesus, have cleansed us of sin, given us eternal life, and sealed us in you for all eternity. Judge us Abba to be like Jesus in every way, and we pray that you will see only His image when you look at us on Judgement Day. We will run to you on that day Lord, and burying our faces in your clothing we will hug you close crying “Abba, Abba, we are home!”
“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Galatians 3:25-29 ESV
Rich Forbes