What Does it mean to be a “Child of God?”

He was my greatest cheerleader and fan. He never missed a football or baseball game I played from grade school through high school. He always came. I knew he was there even when I was not able to spot him in the stands. There were times I could even hear his voice. Until I reached junior high and high school, he came to almost all practices as well. His presence and support were a great encouragement for me. Just knowing my father was in the stands and wanting me to do well gave me the necessary incentive to never give up, to continue to strive and compete regardless of the difficulty and the outcome of the game. I had an indomitable spirit that was in large part due to my father’s support and encouragement.

He also gave me some very tangible encouragement. In the grade school years there were milkshakes. If I played a good game, which really meant that I gave my best effort, he would stop at the local Dairy Queen and buy a milkshake for me. My father may have been biased about my performance because I do not remember ever passing that Dairy Queen without stopping. In high school the stakes were higher. I would receive an entire frozen cream pie at home after the game and my sister, mother, and father would share one. I thought it was a great tradition and do not remember ever missing a frozen cream pie.

My father was a smart man and a diligent worker. He eventually worked his way to be an instructor of service technicians for all manner of large and small appliances, along with refrigeration and air conditioning systems. He doggedly worked for one company for most of his working life and retired in his early sixties. He had other opportunities that may have proved more lucrative such as a motel complex on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, but they were risky. He had a wife and two children to support, so he chose to stay with the one company to ensure he could provide shelter, food, and necessities for his family. He was a good and conscientious provider. As such, he was not willing to risk the financial and family stability to pursue something unknown and unfamiliar. He provided what our family needed, and it was sufficient.  

By example and counsel my father taught me two important lessons that became an integral part of my life. In sports he taught me to hustle not only in games, but also during practice sessions. He also advised me to be sure the coach knew I was interested in playing. I applied this advice in practice such that the coach asked my father if he was feeding me something different. He explained to my father that I was hustling and hitting like he had not seen me do before. Then, during games I would be constantly at the coach’s side or underfoot letting him know that I was ready to go in the game. This approach and drive carried over into my career as well.

But the most important lesson, and one I think he would be proud to know I applied, relates to familial relationships. My father loved my mother and was always faithful to her. I observed that, and my father explained that principle to me when I became a teenager. That observation and explanation helped keep me in check during my teenage and early adult years. It has also been a guiding principle in my relationship with my wife.

As with most children, there were times when I needed correction. Discipline is the word often used. And, I remember some of those “correction” moments. My father did his best with the application of the “rod of correction.” I did not, and even now cannot, agree with all the correction received, but I know the intent and appreciate my father’s efforts. The correction applied by my father helped me mature and grow to be a more responsible adult.

I have related how my father was an encourager, a provider, a counselor, and a teacher. Another aspect of being a child is inheritance. That was one aspect of parenting my father was not well able to perform. The money he was able to put aside for his retirement was used for his living expenses before he died. It was not really what he wanted, but it was better for the money to be used for his benefit than for him to be destitute to give a benefit to my sister and me. We were in favor of him using the money for himself.

What has all this to do with being a “Child of God?” These aspects, these duties, of our earthly fathers are merely an imperfect reflection of the characteristics of God, our heavenly Father. God is a perfect provider, a perfect teacher, a perfect counselor, has bestowed a perfect inheritance, and is a perfect encourager.

As a Perfect Provider

                The Apostle Paul explained to the Philippians that God would supply all their needs, “But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19. Such a great statement, and such confidence that Paul showed in God’s ability to provide all that was necessary for the Philippian believers. Paul wrote to the Philippians from first-hand experience. He knew that God supplied his needs while he was in prison in Rome, and that is the place from which he wrote to the Philippians. This was written for our comfort and confidence as well.

                The Apostle Peter made the confident assertion that God has given to believers all things that pertain to life and godliness and has given us promises for us to become partakers of His nature, “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:3-4. God has given us everything we need to have a godly life because of our knowledge of Him.

                The Apostle John explained it more succinctly, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” I John 3:1. We are called sons of God. We have all our needs supplied. We have all that is necessary to live a godly life. 

                The Apostle Paul explained the greatest of God’s provision for us in several of his letters. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:11-14. “But we are bound to give thanks always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: hereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Thess 2:13-14. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thess 5:9. “In Whom [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;… In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation …” Eph 1:7-13. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [Gentile].” Rom 1:16.

                The other apostles preached the same salvation that Paul explained. “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name [authority] of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man [the lame man healed by Peter and John] stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12. “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus Christ] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39.   

                At the birth of John the Baptist, Zacharias, John’s father, gave praise to God and referenced the Messiah (Jesus Christ, not yet born), “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; … To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; the oath which He sware to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.” Luke 1:68-75. Then, when Jesus was dedicated in the temple as a baby, Simeon said these words, “Lord, now lettest Thy servant depart in peace [he was ready to die in peace], according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32. This salvation was God’s greatest provision for us.

As a perfect teacher

                God also teaches and corrects us to mature us in our trust of Him and to purify our actions. “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Rom 8:29. This correction and discipline conforming us to the image of Jesus is explained in more detail by the author of Hebrews, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, ‘My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of Him:’ For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons … Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb 12:5-11.

As a perfect counselor

                When we need advice or counsel, our God is the foremost and best resource. Paul explained, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba, Father’ [dear daddy].” Rom 8:14-15. To be led by the Spirit of God is to allow God to guide our manner of life, not to yield to what our fleshly nature wants, but to yield to God. This is accomplished in us by our trust in the work of Jesus Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the  flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom 8:1-4.And, “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Gal 5:16-17. “But the fruit of the Spirit [that which the Spirit of God produces in us as we submit to His counsel] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If [since] we live in the Spirit, let is also walk in the Spirit.” Gal 5:22-25. Walking in the Spirit is walking in His counsel.

Bestowed a perfect inheritance

                Since we are God’s children by our trust in Jesus Christ, we have an inheritance. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God [our inheritance] is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 6:23. The writer of Hebrews gives a more detailed explanation of the idea of inheritance and the full content of our eternal life inheritance. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. … How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament [a legal will], that by means of death [the death of Jesus Who mediates this legal will], for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament [the old will], they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” Heb 9:11-15. “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figure of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Heb 9:24-28. That inheritance is our salvation. It is eternal life with Him. It lasts forever.

A perfect encourager

                When Jesus walked this earth as a man, there were times He looked for and received encouragement from the Father, just like we do. It is interesting to note what seemed to be a great encouragement to Him. “Then cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith to her, ‘Give me to drink.’ (For His disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat).” John 4:7-8. This simple request for a drink of water from the well is the beginning of Jesus’ discourse with the woman. The comment about the disciples being gone to buy food will be visited again later. Jesus set the stage for the conversation with the woman, and a lesson of encouragement for the disciples.

                After Jesus had His conversation with the woman, she ran back to the village telling the people about the Messiah she met. The villagers then came out of the village toward the well. While Jesus watched them come, the disciples returned with food and encouraged Jesus to eat. Jesus stated that He had already eaten. When they questioned Him, He pointed to the people coming out of the village to see and talk to Him. Instead of ignoring the woman’s testimony, they wanted to come and see for themselves. Many in the village believed in Jesus both from the woman’s statements and because they talked to and listened to Him. Because the woman believed and the villagers believed, that was an encouragement to Jesus.

                Jesus was teaching a crowd in a house when four men brought in a pallet a friend who had palsy. When they could not get into the house because of the crowd, they carried him to the roof, opened it, and lowered the man through the roof in front of Jesus. Jesus saw the faith of the men and healed their friend. He rewarded their trust in Him, and I expect their faith and persistence was an encouragement to Jesus (Luke 5:17-20). There was another incident in which a Roman, a centurion, wanted Jesus to heal his servant. The centurion explained that Jesus had no need to come to the house; merely a word spoken by Jesus had the authority to heal the servant. Jesus indicated that the centurion, a Gentile, had greater trust than the Jews in Israel (Luke 7:1-10). I am sure that the faith (trust) of the centurion was an encouragement to Jesus.

                Just as Jesus received encouragement from His father, so He encourages us as our heavenly Father. We need to learn to look for these kinds of encouragement from God in our own lives. Many times, it is simple things, things we do not realize are the workings of God’s Spirit within us. Be observant and pay attention to even “little” answered prayers, small conversation opportunities with loved ones, acquaintances, and strangers. There are many ways that God can give us “milkshake” or “frozen cream pie” encouragements.

The Summary

So, what does it mean to be a “Child of God?” We recognize God as our heavenly Father. He has provided our salvation from sin and its penalty. We have been adopted into God’s family, which means we have everything we need; He has provided all. He teaches us even during the hard circumstances of life. He guides our lives and gives us direction and meaning. He has provided an inheritance that will last forever, even beyond this life. And He gives us encouragement in big and little things He allows us to do as we spend our lives trusting Him and serving others.