I AM A BELOVED CHILD OF GOD

Text: Romans: 8:16-17

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The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him [NASB].

The bible calls us Children of God, which also means that we have been brought into the family of God where we have brothers and sisters whom we can share our joys and burdens with.

We are also told that God has made us not only heirs but heirs with Christ, Which means that we will enjoy all of the blessings and riches of God throughout eternity. But what at all does it mean to be a child of God and why do we need to be identified as beloved children of God?

Our text presents two very important questions which demand that we examine them carefully if we are to understand who we are in Christ and what we stand to gain because of our new identity.

1. The text poses us the question, “How are we Children of God”?

From Rom. 8:14-15, we are the children of God if His Spirit leads us to fight against and kill sin in our lives. It is this Spirit that leads us which we have received into our lives.

For Rom. 8:15 says, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received [the Spirit] of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”.” This Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit is what Paul says is the seal or pledge of our inheritance as adopted children of God (Eph. 1:13-14 read).

We have therefore become or are children of God first and foremost, through ADOPTION.

1a. What, then is adoption?

Adoption is the English for the Greek word “huiothesia” which in other words means the “act or process of giving official [or legal] acceptance or approval to something” (acc. to Merriam Webster).

It is therefore a picture of what God has done for us, by engrafting us in. We were dirty, diseased, and made poor, with no one to care for us. We were not necessarily as helpless victims, but rather because of our deliberate rebellion against God.

But God graciously and through His mercy cleaned us up, and clothed us in righteousness. He brought us into His family where we have brothers and sisters of which Jesus is one of them. For it says in Heb. 2:11 that,

“For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” [NASB].

We have become a part of God’s family without anyone raising any issue of legitimacy. Therefore, through ADOPTION, we have become children of God.

Homiletical Idea: Tell yourself, “I am a beloved child of God”

The next most important question is,

2. What is the importance of being a child of God? In another word, of what significance does it make to be called a beloved child of God?

We will answer this question in two parts; a. what it means to be a child of God, and (b) what it does not mean to be a child of God.

2a.What it means to be a Child of God. It means we have become heirs, heirs of God… (Rom. 8:17).

What this means is that as children of God, the creator and Lord of the entire universe, we never need to fear that someone else will get our portion. We have ultimately become partakers with Christ, with our inheritance being God Himself; all we ever needed.

(i) This truth was taught in the Old Testament. When Israel conquered the land of Canaan, it was divided up among the various tribes. But the priestly tribe of Levi got no land, because “the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them” (Deut. 18:2; Josh. 13:33). Do you suppose that any of the Levites looked with envy at the other tribes and their fertile pastures and grumbled, “Where’s my inheritance?” And when they were told, “The Lord God of Israel is your inheritance,” they complained that they would rather have a land? Of course not!

(ii) The psalmist knew the joy of having God as his inheritance. For a while, he was envious of the wicked as he saw their prosperity. But then he got his composure and realized that they would die and face God’s judgment. So he affirmed in Ps. 73:25-26 that, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

And co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17)

Hebrews 1:2 declares,

“In these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

“All things” is fairly comprehensive! Paul puts it this way as he rebuked the backbiting Corinthians (1 Cor. 3:21-23),

“For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”

Therefore, if we are co-heirs with Christ, our inheritance is secure because there is absolutely no doubt that Jesus will inherit all that the Father has ordained to give Him. In Psalm 2, the nations rage against God and seek to throw off the lordship of His anointed king. But God, who sits in the heavens, mocks at these proud earthly kings. And then Messiah responds (Ps. 2:7-8),

“I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord; He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.’”

It is certain that Jesus will inherit all that the Father has promised to Him. And since we are fellow heirs with Christ, our inheritance is secure. Our right to the riches of heaven is not because of anything in us, but because we are in Christ.

After saying all these things, it might look as if we might suffer nothing to gain all these. But the irony in Christ is that we must lose to gain.

2b. What it does not mean to be a Child of God. It does not mean that we will not suffer lose but rather, “if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Rom. 8:17).

Illustration:

As an earthly parent, I did everything that I could to protect my children from suffering and to alleviate their pain, whether physical or emotional. If God is an all-powerful and all-loving Father, then why doesn’t He do the same with His children? While many books have been written to deal with that issue, Paul here and through the rest of the chapter shows that our suffering is not at odds with God’s love for us as His children. Just as our Savior had to suffer first and then enter His glory (Luke 24:26), so too, our path to glory goes through the valley of suffering.

CONCLUSION

There is no doubt that we are indeed children of God through adoption. But how does this new understand help your daily battle against sin, depression, etc?

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