A Child of God - Part 4

Due to the miraculous work of redemption through Jesus Christ, man has been restored to all that he was in God before the fall.  The only way that a person can take advantage of such a wonderful gift, he must confess Jesus as Lord and receive Him as Savior. This act of faith transforms the sinner instantly by-means-of new birth and gives him the right to become a child of God. New birth is the heart of Christianity. From the fall of man to Pentecost every plan and purpose of God to redeem man had centered in this. This is the reason for the sacrifice of Jesus as man's substitute. Man's interpretation of the new birth determines his whole Christian experience. What this means is, if the new birth is not supernatural, then Christianity is nothing more than one of the other religions of the world. If the new birth is simply a conversion to new concepts or a theory, then Christianity is purely a product of human endeavor. However, the fact is, the new birth is supernatural and Christianity has become the family of God, not a mere religion, or religious experience, but a completely restored relationship of man with Father God. 

Jesus is the first one who speaks of the new birth, and in His conversation with Nicodemus He tells us what the new birth is and the need of it. (For the sake of space, please read John 3:1-8) The first thing that we see it that no one can see or understand the Kingdom of God except he is born again, that is, except the life of God come into his very being and recreate his spirit. Second, no one can enter the Kingdom of God except he is born of water and the spirit. However, Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, cannot understand these things and asks, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus responds, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again." In this scripture, Jesus reveals the difference between the natural and the spiritual man. The importance of us grasping this is that Jesus shows us that man is spiritually dead, a child of the devil. (John 8:44) The Apostle Paul tells us, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:1-2) 

However, the new birth is to be a complete change of the sinful, satanic nature of man to a new or restored relationship with Father God. The Apostle Paul continues, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6) We were not sick with sin, we were dead in sin, but God made us alive together with Christ, new birth, born again. By one accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,  he enters into a covenant, a legal contract so-to-speak, with the Father through Jesus Christ. Some of the numerous blessings that are legally and instantly bestowed upon believers from the Father, are...

His sins are remitted, wiped out as though they had never been. (Isaiah 43:25); He is legally justified, made righteous or set right with God. (Romans 5:1-2); His name is written in the Book of Life. (Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3); He is legally adopted into the family of God. (Romans 8:15-16); Jesus publicly confesses him before the Father and the His angels. (Revelations 3:5); He is legally reconciled to the Father. (Romans 5:9-11); He is declared and made righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21); Satan no longer has authority over the believer, but the believer has authority over Satan. (Mark 16:17; Luke 10:19); He is blessed and given every spiritual blessing by the father in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3); He has the promise of eternal life. (1 John 2:25). 

Keep in mind that these are but a very small potion of what takes place in the new birth, but these are enough to show us the wonderful privilege of being a child of God. The fact is, new birth is an impartation of God's own nature into the believer. (2 Peter 1:4) The Apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is not a figure of speech but, literally, if any person receives Christ as his Lord and Savior, that person is a new creation. He is not renovated, patched up, fixed over, or a hybrid, nor is he one who has received eternal life without losing the old nature. No, Paul distinctly says, that he is a new creation and that the old things, that is, the old nature, has passed away. In other words, it would be like an old building completely torn down and replaced by a new one. The new creation is a work that God Himself has accomplished in the believer. It is all of God and the new believer is now a legitimately born again child of God. Not only are we legally born again by God, but we are also legally adopted into His Family which makes our relationship with the Father doubly secure in Christ.

The Apostle John tells us, "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:13) The Apostle James tells us, "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:18) The Apostle Peter tells us, "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." (1 Peter 1:23) Man, once spiritually dead, hopeless, helpless and without God in the world, a child of Satan, now has the opportunity to become a part of the family of God, simply by confessing with the mouth and believing with the heart, the Lord Jesus Christ and taking Him as Savior. Think about these things and then consider, who would not want to be a true, legal, bought and paid for child of God? Really, no one. So take some time and let some people know that they can be a part of God's family and become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.