I AM GOD’S CHILD    
 
 
 
Over these past few weeks we have becoming increasingly aware of who we are  
and form that matter who we are not.
 
   
The very first week I had asked the question, “If you could say in a few words, who  
are you, what would you say?”  Almost without fail, most people begin to say that  
they are a son or a daughter, or what their profession is, or that they are American  
or English or Canadian?
 
 
 
  OUR NEW IDENTITY  
 
Colossians 3:10-111 says we “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in  
knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or  
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”  
 
In other words, how we formally identified ourselves no longer applies…..race, religion,  
cultural background or social distinctions no longer apply.   But Paul said none of t
hose apply anymore, because our identity is no longer determined by our physical  
heritage, social standing, or racial distinctions. Our identity lies in the fact that we  
are all children of God and we are in Christ.
 
   
A Christian gains forgiveness, receives the Holy Spirit, puts on a new nature and  
gets to go to heaven. A Christian, in terms of his or her deepest identity, is also  
a saint, a child born of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven.
 
   
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to  
God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his  
wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;  
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”   (1 Peter 2:9-10).
 
 
 
 
 
LEARNING OUR NEW IDENTITY  
 
Because of this glorious news we are no longer products of our past. We are primarily  
products of Christ’s work on the cross. But remember, when we were dead in our trespasses  
and sins, we had learned to live our life independent of God. Our identity and perception  
of ourselves were formed and programmed into our minds through the natural things of  
this world.  
 
 
 
That’s why Paul says in Romans 12:2
 
 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing  
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing  
and perfect will.”  
 
   
 
We have to consciously know the Word of God so that we can understand who we are  
from God’s perspective. And who are we?
 
 
 
 As 1 John 3:1-3 says,  “How great is the love the Father has lavished don us, that we should  
be called children of God! And this is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is  
that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we will be  
has not has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like,  
for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he  
is pure.”    
 
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to  
become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision  
or a husband’s will, but born of God.”    (John 1:12-13)
 
   
The most important belief about ourselves is that we are children of God and that being  
His child is a right given to us by God Himself.
 
   
Let’s use our family heritage as an illustration of some important truths about our spiritual  
heritage.  If my father had never been born, would I have been born? If my grandfather  
had never existed, would my father have existed. Obviously, the answer is no!
 
   
That my father and my grandfather did exist is what we need  for our basis here. If you  
were to continue with this kind of logic, you can see that we are all related, or “in Adam.”  
Between descendents, there exists a blood relationship, born of the flesh and the will of  
mankind.
 
 
 
 WOULD I STILL BE A SON?  
 
 Once I was born was there anything that I could have done to undo my relationship  
with my dad? What if he kicked me out of the home? Would I still be his son? If he  
attempted to disown me, would I still be his child?  Yes, I would because we are blood  
related.
 
   
But was there something I could have done that would cause me to no longer live in  
harmony with my father? Sure, and I probably discovered almost every way by the time I
 was five. But none of that had anything to do with my blood relationship. Living in harmony  
with my dad hinged on one issue: my obedience.
 
   
If I obeyed my father, we got along fine; if I didn’t, we had problems. My dad was a  
 
Taskmaster from the old school, and I learned very early, I needed to do what  he told  
me to do or else.
 
   
My relationship with my dad was born out of natural descent, based on the human decision o
f my parents. Ahhh but years later I was privileged to enter into a new relationship, to be born  
of God. Now my parents had nothing to do with that decision. This was a conscious decision  
that I made. I alone choose to believe and receive Christ into my life. Now that I am God’s  
child, is there anything I could do that would cause me to lose that relatedness?
 
   
Personally, I don’t think so. Why? Because I am blood related.
 
   
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were  
redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with  
the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
 
 
 
 WILL GOD LEAVE ME?  
 
The issue isn’t really whether or not I choose to, or am able to hang on to this relationship  
with God. The issue is whether or not God will ever leave me or forsake me, which He  
promised He would never do. By choice, I could disobey and no longer live in harmony  
with my heavenly Father, but that would not affect the blood relationship, and as long  
as I obey God, I will live in harmony with Him.
 
   
This is an important distinction. If I thought it was my obedience whether or not I would  
stay related to God, I would be subjecting myself to legalism. And if I did, I would logically  
conclude that I was related to God by my obedience, so if I disobeyed I would lose my  
relationship with Him. But that’s not true; we are saved by grace, through faith, not by works.
 
   
Now on the other hand there are those who say, “I know God will never leave me,” but  
they fail to live a happy, victorious life because they don’t obey Him. But Jesus says,  
‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:23).
 
 
 
 And that is not only for His sake but for ours. I like the simple truth of the old gospel hymn:
 
   
“Trust and obey,
 
For there’s no other way
 
To be happy in Jesus,
 
But to trust and obey.
 
   
We are not saved by how we behave, we are saved by how we believe. When we enter  
into a relationship with God by faith, we can exclaim with John,
 
   
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children  
of God! And that is what we are!…..Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what  
we will be has not yet been made known. But we shall see him as he is. Everyone who  
has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3).
 
   
This is critical. It is so important to understand who we are as God’s children, because  
that serves for the basis for how we live our lives. No person can consistently behave  
in a way that is inconsistent with how he perceives himself.
 
 
 
  THE CHILD OF A HEAVENLY FATHER  
 
When Jesus instructed  the disciples to pray, how did He start?
 
   
He started with  “Our Father.”  It is interesting to listen how people pray.
 
This is the most important inward, personal thing we can say as we address God.  
And if He is our father, then we must be His children. Do you have this assurance?
 
   
If not, why not settle it right now? The devil may come along and say, “What right do  
you have to call yourself God’s child?” renounce that as a lie, because the truth is,  
God has  given to you  that right. It’s not a right you have earned; john 1:12 says  
He gave it to you.
 
   
If you have never made certain of your relationship with God, let me encourage you  
to pray along with me:
 
 
 
 DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, thank You for dying on the cross, taking my place and taking  
my sin upon Yourself. I realize that I could not have any relationship with You on the basis  
of my works. But I thank You that in Christ I am forgiven, and right now, if I have never  
done so before, I receive You into my life. I believe that Jesus died for my sin, and was  
raised on the third day and I confess now with my mouth that Jesus is Lord.
 
 I come to You as Your child. I thank You for giving me eternal life. I renounce any lie of  
Satan that I have no right to be called Your child, and I thank You that You have given me  
that right. I no longer put any confidence in myself; my confidence is in You and the fact  
that I am saved, not by what I have done, but by what You have done through Christ on  
the cross. I now accept myself as a child of  God because of the free gift You have given  
to me. I gladly receive it and accept it for all of eternity. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen