Would you like to become a child of the living God, special to our Creator, assured to be with Him into eternity? Does this sound too good to be true? Well, this can be your destiny and I plan to share with you in this column in how this is possible.
First, one must be accepted, a necessity to belong to His family. John 1:12-13, "As many as received Him, (the Lord), to them gave He the right to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Jesus stated that "He that believes in Me, believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me, and he that sees Me, sees Him who sent Me," John 12:44-45.
This is not a confusing statement if you stop to consider what Jesus is conveying. Jesus came as the perfect ambassador of His Father, speaking words His Father wanted Him to speak, and carrying on His Father's plan for mankind while He walked this earth, read verses 49 and 50.
Therefore, it is of the upmost importance that one believes in the words preserved in the scriptures spoken by Jesus, for these are the words from the Heavenly Father. You may ask, "What's so hard about believing in the words spoken by Jesus?" It's hard and impossible for we have a rebellious nature that resists instruction. Scripture states that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to them, nor can they know them because of our human nature, read 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Being aware of our carnal spirit of pride, arrogance and rebellion is also an important step before becoming a child of God. Psalm 51:17, Our Creator accepts a humble contrite heart, thereby one can begin to believe and accept Jesus who saves our souls. Did you know there is a promise awaiting those who have truly accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior? Our mortal fleshly bodies will be changed to immortal glorified bodies, possessing eternal life, this is His promise to us.
He also gives us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to accomplish overcoming our rebellious nature. Read Romans 8:10-17, "If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
Also, "if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies by His Spirit living in you." Now, this is so beautiful, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons, (or children) of God." Be sure to read the rest of scripture in this chapter.
Paul writes so eloquently about this subject of becoming a child of God throughout His writings inspired by the Living God. In II Corinthians 4:16-18 Paul states that our fleshly lives are for such a short time compared to the glory of living with our Lord for all eternity. Also turn to II Corinthians 5:1-4 where we read we anxiously wait for our transition into our glorified bodies.
How can we reach this point? We must believe in the One who made this all possible, for Jesus stated in John 14:6, "I Am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to My Father, except through Me."
Don't succumb to your rebellious heart by turning away from what you know deep down, beyond your vanity and pride, is the truth. Keep in mind what is in store for those who love the Lord Jesus. In 1 John 3:1-3, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called, children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Jesus as Lord. Now are we children of God, (even though we are still in the flesh), and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we shall be like Jesus, for we shall see Him as He is."
Isn't this worth believing in and living for? Whoever has been born of God does not sin for His seed (the Holy Spirit) remains in them, and they cannot sin, because they are born of God," verse 9 of 1 John 3. My dearest hope is you will accept the truth revealed in the scriptures and have the faith to believe in our Lord, Jesus Christ, becoming a child of God.
Craig Joyner has worked and served in the Hot Springs area for more than 20 years. He has a deep passion for studying the Word of God and sharing with others his findings. His objective is for believers to draw closer to the Lord, cleaving to the truth of the Word and not be deceived during these end-times.
Religion on 01/14/2017