21 Crosscheck

I am a Child of God Because…


Over the past couple of weeks I have spent a good bit of time reflecting on the first eighteen verses of the gospel of John. And for the last couple of days I have focused in on the sovereignty of God and the uselessness of man in every aspect of salvation in John 1:13 which reads: ..(children) who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Your heritage is Useless:

Whether one is born a Jew or Gentile, prince or a pauper, born to a Godly family or born a helpless orphan, no one is made a child of God because of their genealogy. The Jews of Jesus’ day were certain that they were God’s children because they had Abraham as their Father; however, a stinging rebuke from John the Baptist made it clear that they were dead wrong:

And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham
as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. (Mat 3:9)

The faith of one’s parents, spouse, family, or ancestors has never and will never make one a child of God.

The Human Will is Useless:

The desire to love God, to serve God, to obey God does not come natural to us. We were all conceived and born in sin. And as a result of our fallen nature, we are willing to make any number of things our god, things that momentarily satisfy our sinful desires, but ultimately always leave us decimated and desperate for something else to feed our cravings. We will naturally embrace anything as our god, anything that is but God. It takes an “outside force,” something uncorrupted and pure, to create in us the desire for God. And it’s that desire that is the soil in which repentance and faith, watered by grace and mercy, take root and bloom into salvation and adoption as children of God.

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who
sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on
the last day. (John 6:44)

Human Effort is Useless:

Sonship is not a prize to be earned; it’s an underserved gift that is received. No amount of good works done in the flesh will ever qualify one to become a child of God. If it were true that one could work their way into this righteous relationship, to sonship, then mercy would no longer be mercy and grace would no longer be grace.

For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8 )

It is man’s utter and total dependence upon God for the desire to seek Him, for the repentant heart that shines light on the need for a Savior, and for the faith by which we call on His name to be forgiven and reborn as a child of God that pour the meaning into the words “mercy” and “grace.” It is because we cannot achieve it that God is merciful in His giving. And because we don’t deserve it, God is magnified and glorified as the gracious giver.

I am a child of God because of…….God