Children of God

The logical question therefore is, when does a person becomes a child of God?  Remember, Jesus said plainly, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” He also said, “He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." Therefore, there is a clear distinction between a child of God and a child of the devil as confirmed by the apostle John who wrote; “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10).

So when is a person a child of God! One becomes a child of God when he/she believes in Jesus Christ and surrenders to Him as Lord and Savior as we have been instructed saying; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John1:12-13).

It is at this juncture that the individual is transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

From this point on it is the believer´s responsibility to live and walk in the light as we have been duly admonished saying; “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:5-7).

Remember, light and truth are synonymous, therefore, the way we can distinguish a child of God from that of the devil is by teaching and practicing the truth and so we have been admonished saying; “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1John 3:7-9).

There is a test to prove whether or not we are the children of God for thus it is written; “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1John 2:3-6).

Being human does not qualify anyone to be a child of God; our physical body is simply a vehicle or a body that embodies the soul and spirit. One becomes a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus and when the individual’s spirit is joined to the Spirit of God. And so Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (flesh) and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again” (Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:1; John 3:5-7).

One is born again and becomes a child of God when his spirit is joined to the Spirit of God, before that, man`s spirit is drawn to the spirit of the prince of the power of the air which works in the sons of disobedience as we have been instructed saying; “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Anyone who habitually sins, transgresses the law of God is not a child of God, they are those whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Because, the word says clearly, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (2 Corinthians: 4; 4; 1John 3:8-9).

One becomes a child of God through the connection of our spirit with the Spirit of God, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs --- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:1-17)

Therefore, living a sinful, licentious life, walking after the imaginations of one´s own evil heart and doing what seems right in one´s own eyes and still claiming to be a child of God is both erroneous and deceitful because, the outward sign of a child of God is righteousness. For we have been admonished saying: “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1John 2:28-29).

Righteousness, which according to David pertains to all the commandments of God is clearly the test or the outward sign of a child of God, for by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. We therefore, should not allow anyone to deceive us for, it is he who practices righteousness that is righteous, just as Jesus Christ is righteous thereby, allowing His nature to be formed in us.