Month: September 2015

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are” (I Jn 3:1).  And such we are!  If you have embraced the gospel message of Jesus Christ you are, in fact, a child of God.  Do you know that?  Do you sense that?  Do you feel that?  It is easy to see ourselves as God’s children on a theological or intellectual level, but are we experiencing its impact?  Are we connecting to our identity as God’s child on an emotional or spiritual level?

Following Christ’s ascension, the initial group of Christ-followers were almost exclusively Jewish.  And for these “children of Israel” to now be “children of God” was a radical change in identity.  Throughout the Old Testament, God’s chosen people were known as “the children of Israel.”  The children of who?  Not the children of God, but the children of Israel.  They were known by their earthly father, Jacob, who was renamed Israel in Genesis chapter 32.

In the gospels, the Jewish leaders saw themselves as God’s chosen people, identified by their connection to their forefathers.  In their interactions with Jesus, they identified themselves as children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  But this all changed when Jewish believers went from children of Israel to children of God.

What about us, 2000 years down the line?  We too have become the children of God.  Do we celebrate and rest in this incredible truth?  These are facts, after all, not just opinions. If you are a believer, you are a child of God.  You are adopted with full rights and privileges into the family of God.  God is your Father.  The seed of God dwells inside you.  You now have a family resemblance to God your Father.  Whoa, is that taking things a little too far?  A family resemblance to the God of the Universe?  Can this be true?  We will explore that topic next time.

Now that I am in the mindset of reading Scripture in light of all that became new when Jesus initiated the New Covenant, the discoveries have been eye-popping.  For example, have you ever thought about what changed in our connection with God as our Father when the arrival, death, and resurrection of Jesus put the New Covenant into action?

In the entire Old Testament, God is referred to as Father seven times.  In the New Testament, God is identified as our Father over 150 times!  And even one of those seven Old Testament references is looking ahead to our New Covenant relationship.  “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6).

Moving to the New Testament, God’s expanded relationship to us as our Father is just one more of the incredible provisions of the New Covenant.  And God, our Father, does not leave us to wonder about what this father – child connection looks like.  Throughout the New Testament, God explains what and how His specific Father attributes play out in our lives.  This explanation is so critical because on an intellectual level it is easy to accept that once we receive Christ, God becomes our Father.  But do we really embrace all that “God is my Father” entails?  Do we, on an emotional and spiritual level, accept and explore and cling to all that being God’s child includes?

For example, do you believe that the seed of the God of the Universe actually lives inside you, His child? (I Jn 3:9).  Do you believe that God is a good Father who trains us for our own benefit? (Heb 12:5-11).  Do you believe that our heavenly Father showers us with good gifts? (Mt 7:9-11, James 1:17).  Do you believe that God, your Father, does not tempt you to sin? (James 1:13-15).

As we begin to grasp the idea that God is our Father, it is easy to evaluate that relationship through the lens of our experience with our earthly father.  We often ascribe attributes to God that we saw – for good or for bad – in our natural father.  But we must, through the power of the Spirit, cast those limitations of our heavenly Father aside.  We must see God for who He truly is – just as He has revealed Himself – through the lens of His Word.

If your childhood experience was with an emotionally distant or stern or angry father, you may have some distance to travel in recognizing all that is good and loving in God, your Father.  May I encourage you?  Ask Him to open your heart to the truth of the Father that we see described in Scripture.  Over the next several posts, we will explore what the Father looks like.  And we will see that God is a good Father who always draws near, never pulls away.  God is not the distant, cold, arms-crossed, frowning Father.  No, God is the holy, compassionate, tender, loving, kind, righteous, warrior Father who is on your side; revealing His glory through His children.