Children of God

I John 3:1-3

You have absolutely no idea how many times I have messed up in my life. You couldn't possibly know the number of times I have brought shame to my parents by my words or action. Truth be told, if they were keeping a record, they would not even know the number of times. So, after all of that I have done, when they introduce me to someone and say, "This is my son Justin", it still makes me smile. I'm not saying I grin from ear to ear, but I still like to hear that. It gives a sense of security and belonging. That simple statement expresses love and pride. Of all the things that I have done that could have severed the bond between us, they still choose to call me "son".

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Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

I John 3:1-3

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John tells us that God calls us His children. Contrary to what many say, this is not everyone. John is talking to the saved. Those who have had their sins paid for by Jesus's blood. When that happens, we are the "children of God". That is a relationship that will never end! Just as being called "son" by my parents brings feelings of belonging, love, security, and pride, so being called son or daughter by God should do the same. We belong to the family of God. We are loved by God. We have security in knowing that nothing can separate us from that love. God is proud of us.

John says that because we belong to the family of God, that distinguishes us from the other family of this world. Those who are not part of God's family belong to Satan. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were of their father the devil (John 8:44). There is no middle ground. There are no orphans that do not belong to either. Jesus told Nicodemus that he "must be born again" (John 3:3) and that spiritual birth brings us into the family of God. It is more than just an adoption. We become the children of God and there are no distinctions. We also become joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Growing up, my parents taught me things. They taught me how to behave. They taught me to be modest in dress. They taught me to be respectful (though I was a slow learner). They taught me about appropriate speech. They taught me about God. Their goal was to teach me to mature and to be a good citizen and a mature adult. They wanted me to be a man. They wanted me to be a Godly man. Just like my parents, God is maturing us. Some of that happens here, but some of it will happen later.

John tells us that when Jesus returns, we will be "like Him". John tells us that we do not know exactly what that means now, but one day we will. As preachers, we try to express as best we can what Christians can expect when that day comes. Truth is, we cannot even begin to understand or express it. That is because none of us have seen Jesus in His glory and we have not experienced that change. We believe it because God's word says it, and we look forward to it.

While we are here waiting, we are to try to imitate Christ. We are to be holy because God is holy (Leviticus 11:44; I Peter 1:16). We are to confess Jesus to others (Matthew 10:32) and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). There are a lot of things we are supposed to do, but ultimately the goal is to be more like Jesus. We are to look and act like we belong to the family of God. We should desire to not bring shame on the family name. We should want to make our Father proud.

Father, what a privilege it is to be able to call You that. You are holy and could have kept that barrier between us. Instead, You chose to call us sons and daughters. We often treat that so flippantly. May we understand the honor and privilege it is to bear such a title and may be honor You because of who You made us.