I am a child of God.

From being owned to being sons...

People belong to God. Now, you've heard it said "we're all children of God", but that's just not so, at least not in the strictest, truest sense. Psalm 24:1 does tell us something important: "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein," (ESV)

We belong to God. We are accountable to God. We were made by God. We are His creations. We are ALL His creations, but not all of us are His children.

One can be adopted! And, if any would have peace with God and the hope of heaven, one MUST be adopted. We can be. We can move from being owned by God to be sons and daughters of God. John said, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12 ESV) Paul said, "...in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Galatians 3:26 ESV)

Familial proof lies in Spirit-led life and intimate, close-knit relationship with the Father. Paul explains it in this way: "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.h Now we call him, 'Abba, Father.' For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." (Romans 8:12-17 NLT)

The New Covenant is Jesus. In this New Covenant --the adoption deal-- we are made fellow heirs with Jesus. If we are not both born from above (see John 3) and adopted by God as sons and daughters, we have no part with Him. If we've believed on Jesus and received Him, in truth and in deed, that relationship affects our lives. We live as sons and daughters!

This was the way of the Old Covenant, too. Israel, by God's covenant, were made children of God, and the Father expected His children to live differently. One example of that: "You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead." (Deuteronomy 14:1 ESV)

Are you a child of God? Have you been adopted by the Father? Have you been made a fellow heir with the Son? Does the Spirit work in you to make you call out to God as Father and walk with Him as a humble, obedient son?

Some do not understand what I am saying, here, and the Apostle John understood that well: "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know him." (1 John 3:1 NLT)

Everyone belongs to God. Some are His children. How about you?