Identity in Christ
02 – Children of God
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Ephesians 2:19 KJV
I and everyone who receives the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ are members of the household of God.
- Member: a person belonging to a particular group of people
- Household: a house and its occupants
- Citizen: an inhabitant giving allegiance
We are no longer strangers or aliens, foreigners.
- Before giving allegiance to the King of kings, Jesus Christ, we were strangers to the household of God
Our identity begins in Christ Jesus.
- Humbling ourselves and giving our allegiance to Christ Jesus our King and Savior
- Surrender: to yield power, control, or possession of another
- Here I am Lord, I surrender
- Without this step our efforts are of our own flesh and not the grace of God
We are the recipients of a great gift.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
We must begin with a step of faith to believe that what God says is true.
- We are in need of a Savior (and that is not ourselves)
- God has provided that Savior (Jesus Christ)
- He gives the faith to believe to those who will humble themselves
And He said, “Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of My Father.”
John 6:65 KJV
- The Father draws us to the Son, Jesus Christ
- We either do, or do not, give our allegiance to Christ Jesus, acknowledging Him as our Lord and our King
- Those who do these things by faith are welcomed into the household of God
- We become members of the family of God
- We belong to a particular group of people
We become children of God.
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
John 1:12 KJV
- “He gave the right to become”
- This implies that we did not have this right, or power, before He, God, gave this right, or power, to us
- What was that right?
- To become children of God
If we need to be given the right, or power, to become something, then we must not have already possessed it.
- Being given the right is a transition
- It is a gift from God, from the Father
- It was not something already within us
- It was not something we produced by our works, or by our own effort
This is a new birth of sorts.
- It is a birth of our spirit, a coming to life out of the dormancy it existed in
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:13 KJV
- Again, it is God who brings this to pass, not the will or efforts we put forth
- It is by the grace of God through the faith He has given to us, and put in us
- We must humble ourselves to truly receive this truth, believe it, and act upon it in faith
This is important for new believers as it is the foundation of life in Christ.
- We must surrender our lives to Him
This is important for established believers as a defense against pride, which destroys, and as a reminder of our humble beginnings.
- We must never take back what we have surrendered
What was the right given to those who received Him?
- The right to become children of God
So, when someone says, “We are all children of God,” is that position correct?
- When did “we all” become children of God?
- Did “we all” receive Him, or surrender to Him?
- “Everyone”, or “we all”, is not correct as not all receive Him and therefore not all are given the right to become children of God
- All are His creation, not all are His children
We are given the right to become children of God by receiving Him
- That is, by accepting the truth that Christ Jesus is the Savior that we need
We have the right to do it, now how do we do it?
- I believe this is where the surrender comes into play
- We must act upon the faith that the Father put into us
- The faith to believe
- We must act upon the faith that the Father put into us
If we say we believe, but we do nothing to act upon it, do we truly believe?
- We may intellectually believe the truth, but our salvation is not an intellectual exercise
- When Christ calls us to follow Him, we must actively do something, that is, we must follow Him
- We need to live out, or make active, our faith that the Father has given to us
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?
James 2:14 KJV
- The Apostle James asks the question
- The faith is a gift from God
- The faith enables us to believe and to receive the truth of the Savior and of our need for Him
- What do we do with that faith?
- What do we do with the right given to us to become the children of God?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:17 KJV
- We must act upon the faith
- Our action keeps the faith from “being alone”, or being by itself and dead
James warns us that belief without action is a dangerous spot where deception lurks.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
James 2:19 KJV
- The importance is in what we do with the belief, with the faith that was given to us
James then asks the important question.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:20 KJV
- We do not produce saving faith; it is a gift from God
- Our acting upon that faith perfects it so it may do what it was intended to do
We all, as children of God, enter the household of God in the same way.
- We receive the gift of faith from the Father
- We have the faith to believe the truth of Christ Jesus as our Savior and of our need for Him
- We act upon that faith and belief in the surrender of our lives to Him
- We answer the call to follow Him
- By virtue of our acting upon that faith, we become the children of God
This is where our identity in Christ begins.
- It is the same for all who enter the Household, or the Kingdom, of God
- This is why no one may boast
- How can anyone boast as all had come by the same method?
- Humbling oneself and surrendering to the Lord and King, our Savior, Jesus Christ
- How can anyone boast as all had come by the same method?
Next Up:
03 – The Body of Christ
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