Have you ever heard the statement, “We are all God’s children?” It sounds good. It seems right. It is comforting in a sentimental way. But, there is no Biblical truth to it. Today, there is a widely held view that everyone is in the family of God and everyone is going to heaven when they die. To suggest otherwise will raise hackles. People will become irate. But, if we were to follow this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, we would be required to conclude that the Hitlers, Stalins, Bin Ladens, Bundys, Gaceys and McVeighs of this world are all God’s children. [Please understand; each one of these, and all others, could be redeemed by the blood of Jesus [His blood covers ALL sin] and become a child of God [He is not willing that any should perish].
We are all God’s creation, but not necessarily God’s children. Speaking of Jesus, the Apostle John writes, “To all who received Him [Jesus], He gave the RIGHT to become children of God.” There are only two ways to become a part of anyone’s family… you can be born into it or adopted into it. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” And when you are born again, into the family of God, you are immediately adopted by the Father. So, how are we born again? Several individuals/groups in the book of Acts asked this question directly or indirectly, “What should we do/how should we respond to God’s grace in Jesus Christ?” Gleaning from the conversion accounts, here is everything they were told/here is what they did: hear the message, believe in Jesus, repent of sin, confess our faith in Christ, submit to baptism and live a faithful life of devotion. So… why would we want to leave anything out? Some want to know the exact moment a person is born again. No one can know that but God alone, who knows the hearts of all people. Some are probably baptized without believing or repenting. Some believe and repent without being baptized. Some don’t follow through with a life of faithfulness. Here is the thing… Let’s do what we are told and follow what we see by example in the conversion stories in Acts and trust God to make us a new creation, trust Jesus to forgive and save us, trust His Spirit to form Christ in us as we live the Christian life.
Pray with me…. Father, thank you for the joy and the security of belonging to You, being Your child, being adopted into your forever family. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
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