Children of God
- Jacob Ninan
Even though we are born into this world in sin (Ps.51:5) as children of the devil (Jn.8:44), when we repent from our sins and place our trust in Jesus as our Saviour we are born again (Jn.3:5,6) and become children of God (1Jn.3:1). This new birth is carried out by the Holy Spirit placing the 'seed of God' into our spirit (Jn.3:6;1Jn.3:9). Now Jesus the Son of God calls us His brothers and sisters (He.2:12), and all the other children of God become our brothers and sisters. We become inheritors of God's riches and glory with Christ (Ro.8:17).
At the same time we need to keep in mind that we can never become a 'child of God' in the same way that Jesus is the Son of God! He is the Son of God as being God Himself as a part of the Trinity. We are created beings who are children of God. In other words this acceptance by God as His children does not make us gods.
The Bible says that God has adopted us as His children (Ep.1:5). We have been made children of God by His grace and we enjoy all privileges as His children. There are more glorious things God has planned for us in eternity (1Jn.3:2). At the same time we have to recognise that we are still only created beings who have been given the privilege of being children of God. Even though we can partake of God's character (nature), we are not partakers of His being as God.
Why is this important to keep in mind? This is because the New Age philosophies which are influencing the world have crept into many parts of the Christian world view, confusing people's understanding concerning these things. The New Age philosophies come from Eastern religions such as Hinduism, where the assumption is that man is a part of god and is essentially god in his being. Man's moksha (salvation) is to come to realise this and ultimately merge with god losing his own identity in the way a drop of water merges into an ocean. These people believe that man has in himself all powers that he needs, and strive to locate and release these powers into action. It is blasphemy for a Christian to claim he is God, because the Christian's God is his Creator and distinctly far above and beyond him. The Christian's salvation is to acknowledge God's lordship over him and to submit to His authority in every way. This is extremely contrary to the New Age approach.
God has given Christians authority in the name of Christ over sickness, evil spirits, etc. (Lk.9:1). We don't have this authority in ourselves, but only in the name of Jesus. It means that it is Jesus who exercises His authority even when He does that through us as His channels. It is sacrilege for us to take that authority on ourselves (mis)using the name of Jesus and acting out of our own initiative. Many Christians seem to be getting into this posture, albeit unknowingly. It is good to remember that even Jesus as the Son of Man never did anything out of His own initiative (Jn.8:28).