Is everyone a "child of God?"
Before I dig into the explanation, let answer the question. Is everyone a "child of God?"
Simply put, the answer is no.
Now lets go further into this!!!
Did God create you? Yes!
Colossians 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, in the heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through Him and for Him.
Does God love you? Absolutely!
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
However, like I said, that doesn't make you a "child of God." Only those who receive Him as the Savior will become His children.
Romans 9:8 - This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise that are counted as offspring.
So what does all this mean? It means that because of "The Fall" of Adam and Eve (read Genesis 3), we are all born into sin. You are born a sinner and that separates you from God, while at the same time, aligning you with Satan.
1 John 3:10 - By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
So how do you become a child of God? You become "adopted" into God's family through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:5-6 - to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Now, where to begin!!!
You must first accept the fact that you are indeed a sinner. If you can't do this, then you will get nowhere with God. We have to realize that we all fall short of His glory.
Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
After you have realized this, you need to let God into your heart, so that you can know His will and His word. Now don't be mistaken here, because God already knows you and your heart, regardless if you let Him in or not. Remember, He created you, so He knows you.
He just wants you to want to know Him. He wants you to FREELY give Him access to the deepest, darkest corners of your heart. He wants you to have a REPENTANT heart, seeking Him as your Savior so that you can be with Him for eternity.
So how do you do that? You believe. That's where it starts! You BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and that He was sent to die for you PERSONALLY on the cross so that you could be with the Father in heaven for eternity.
Then what? You receive. You RECEIVE Him into your heart, with PRAYER. You ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and SAVE you. Admit that you are a sinner, in need of His saving grace, the gift of the cross.
Finally, you become. You BECOME a child of God! You are filled with the Holy Spirit so that you are now walking through life with Jesus by your side and the Holy Spirit in your heart. You walk in the light, seeking to be Christ-like at every turn and following Jesus through every storm!
We are told that once we become saved, or born again, that we will become new creatures in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.
This means that if you TRULY let Jesus into your heart and you want Him to change you, the Holy Spirit will now be inside of you. You will fight against the flesh and desire to be Christ-like because you want too, not because you have too. You will begin to feel convicted about your past and present sins and WANT to repent for them. Your life will begin to align with the Bible, the word of God, as you dig into it and learn more about Jesus!!!
If this hasn't happened to you, but you think that you are saved, you need to do a heart check! Find out if you actually meant it when you wanted Jesus to come into your life. Are you still giving into the flesh with no desire to be Christ-like or are you changed? Are you a new creation in Christ as He says you will be?
Being a follower of Christ doesn't mean that your life will suddenly become a walk in the park. You are STILL a sinner even though you believe. The only difference between you and the unbelieving sinner is that you have decided to accept Jesus' FREE GIFT to you on the cross! Therefore, you are a SAVED sinner who is CHOOSING to fight against the flesh and fight against the world so that you can be with the Father for eternity.
Simply put, the answer is no.
Now lets go further into this!!!
Did God create you? Yes!
Colossians 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, in the heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through Him and for Him.
Does God love you? Absolutely!
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
However, like I said, that doesn't make you a "child of God." Only those who receive Him as the Savior will become His children.
Romans 9:8 - This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise that are counted as offspring.
So what does all this mean? It means that because of "The Fall" of Adam and Eve (read Genesis 3), we are all born into sin. You are born a sinner and that separates you from God, while at the same time, aligning you with Satan.
1 John 3:10 - By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
So how do you become a child of God? You become "adopted" into God's family through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:5-6 - to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Now, where to begin!!!
You must first accept the fact that you are indeed a sinner. If you can't do this, then you will get nowhere with God. We have to realize that we all fall short of His glory.
Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
After you have realized this, you need to let God into your heart, so that you can know His will and His word. Now don't be mistaken here, because God already knows you and your heart, regardless if you let Him in or not. Remember, He created you, so He knows you.
He just wants you to want to know Him. He wants you to FREELY give Him access to the deepest, darkest corners of your heart. He wants you to have a REPENTANT heart, seeking Him as your Savior so that you can be with Him for eternity.
So how do you do that? You believe. That's where it starts! You BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and that He was sent to die for you PERSONALLY on the cross so that you could be with the Father in heaven for eternity.
Then what? You receive. You RECEIVE Him into your heart, with PRAYER. You ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and SAVE you. Admit that you are a sinner, in need of His saving grace, the gift of the cross.
Finally, you become. You BECOME a child of God! You are filled with the Holy Spirit so that you are now walking through life with Jesus by your side and the Holy Spirit in your heart. You walk in the light, seeking to be Christ-like at every turn and following Jesus through every storm!
We are told that once we become saved, or born again, that we will become new creatures in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.
This means that if you TRULY let Jesus into your heart and you want Him to change you, the Holy Spirit will now be inside of you. You will fight against the flesh and desire to be Christ-like because you want too, not because you have too. You will begin to feel convicted about your past and present sins and WANT to repent for them. Your life will begin to align with the Bible, the word of God, as you dig into it and learn more about Jesus!!!
If this hasn't happened to you, but you think that you are saved, you need to do a heart check! Find out if you actually meant it when you wanted Jesus to come into your life. Are you still giving into the flesh with no desire to be Christ-like or are you changed? Are you a new creation in Christ as He says you will be?
Being a follower of Christ doesn't mean that your life will suddenly become a walk in the park. You are STILL a sinner even though you believe. The only difference between you and the unbelieving sinner is that you have decided to accept Jesus' FREE GIFT to you on the cross! Therefore, you are a SAVED sinner who is CHOOSING to fight against the flesh and fight against the world so that you can be with the Father for eternity.
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