Child of God

Over the past several years, there have been a number of core ideas we have been pounding into our messages about what it means to be and live as a Christian. One of the key terms you’ve heard so often you’re probably sick of it by now is: Child of God. It’s a term I love. But it’s a term that can also be easily misunderstood. After all, what is a child of God? There are many people today that would say, “All people are children of God.” And in the sense that God created all of us, that’s true.

But that’s not what we mean here at Crossroad, and it’s certainly not what the Bible means. What do we mean, then?

Today, we are continuing our R8 series. The Japanese title is: “daizentei” series, the foundations or major premises for what we believe. And so today I want us to think, what is a child of God? What are the major premises that lie behind those words. Let’s take a look at Romans 8.

Let’s start with a little review, starting with verse 1.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We have talked a lot about this verse, but this time, I want to focus on the last part. Paul tells us there is now no condemnation. But no condemnation for who? For everyone? No. For those who are in Christ Jesus. But what does it mean to be in Christ Jesus?

To use terms we’ve used in this series, it means to be under the new contract that God has established with us through Jesus Christ. When we put our faith in Jesus and his sacrifice for us on the cross, we enter into that new contract. Before, when we were under our old contract with sin, we were ruled by our flesh and because of that, we were enemies of God.

If you remember, earlier in this series, we defined our flesh as our sinful instincts, desires, and feelings that would pull us away from God. And under the old contract, whenever our flesh would give the orders, we would follow. The result of that, though, was we were under God’s condemnation for our sins. We were under a death sentence.

But when we put our faith in Jesus, our contract with sin was broken. Now, we are under a new contract. In another letter by Paul, he describes the benefits of that new contract. He says in Ephesians 1:7.

In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

Paul says here we have redemption through Jesus’ blood. In other words God bought us out of our old contract that put us in slavery to sin. And by Jesus’ paying for our sins on the cross, we are now forgiven. Now, to seal that new contract, God has given us his Spirit. Look at verse 13.

In [Jesus] you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. (Eph. 1:13)

In Japan, we often use our personal seal to finalize our contracts. God does the same with our new contract with him. But God’s seal is much more than just a red stamp. God’s seal is his Holy Spirit living in us. And as we’ve talked about earlier in this series, the Holy Spirit gives us life. He changes us, giving us a new heart. And this inner change starts bringing about outer change. According to Romans 8:4, because of our new heart, we start fulfilling God’s law in our everyday life. Put another way, as we walk daily according to his Spirit, we start to live as Jesus did

But what does it mean to walk according to the Spirit? It comes down to two major premises which underlie our identity as God’s children. What’s the first premise? God’s kids see God differently. We saw this earlier in our series. Look at Romans 8:7-9.

The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. (7-9)

As Christians, our view of God changes. Under our old contract with sin, consciously or not, we had this deep-seeded suspicion of God. We didn’t truly trust that God is good, that his Word is good, and that he knows and desires our best. And because of that, whenever we saw things in his word we didn’t like, we rejected it. But Paul tells us, “If you’re a Christian, that’s not you anymore.”

The sign that you’re under the new contract and that God’s Spirit is truly in you is that your hostility toward God is gone. That doesn’t mean we’re simply neutral to God, though. Rather, we start looking at him as a Father who loves us. That truth becomes the core foundation to our lives. Look at verses 14-17.

For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (14-17)

In these verses, we see the second major premise underlying our identity as God’s children: God’s kids are led by his Spirit. The language is emphatic in the Greek: Those led by God’s Spirit…these are God’s children.

But what does it look like to be led by his Spirit? We see the answer back in verse 13.

But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (13)

A person led by the Spirit puts sin to death in their lives. They don’t tolerate it. They certainly don’t indulge it. They put it to death. But not only do they put sin to death in their lives. They start walking in a way pleasing to God. That’s what it means to be led by the Spirit.

Now to be clear, this is not an instant transformation. This is a process. Paul’s words are probably better translated this way:

But if by the Spirit you are putting to death (process) the practices of the body, you will live. (LSB)

You see, it’s impossible to be led by the Spirit and not start going against the tides of all your sinful instincts, feelings, and desires. In another letter to the Galatians, Paul tells us this:

I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

What is Paul saying? He's saying that the Spirit’s desires are in conflict with our flesh. And so if we’re truly led by the Spirit, we will start walking against our flesh and in a way that’s pleasing to God. That’s not to say that we will never sin. Because there are times when we will get swept away by the tides of our sinful instincts, feelings, and desires.

Sometimes people feel like if they were really a “good Christian,” they would never have to wrestle with sin in their lives. But the mark of a Christian is not that they don’t struggle with sin. On the contrary, Paul says in verse 17 that our desire to please God is often in conflict with what we actually do. But here’s the key, and we can call it the third premise of a child of God: Deep down, God’s kids really do want to please their Father. And because of that, we hate our sin and want to put it to death. That’s why we feel the struggle. If we didn’t hate our sin, if we had no desire to please God, there would be no struggle. We’d just happily go along with the tide of our flesh.

So if you have put your faith in Christ, I have absolutely no problem calling you a Christian even if I see you wrestling with your sin. It’s your struggle against sin and your desire to be like Jesus that actually convinces me that you are a Christian. It’s the person who doesn’t struggle against their sin and just follows the tide of their flesh that would make me seriously question if they’re really a child of God or not.

Now some of you may feel uneasy at me saying that. And you’re saying, “Wait a minute! We’re not saved based on how much we change or don’t change. We’re under grace, not law.”

That’s true. God's acceptance of us is not based on how well we “perform.” But I think there’s a misunderstanding many people have about our relationship to God’s law. When Paul says in verse 18 that if we’re led by the Spirit we’re not under law, he’s not saying the law is no longer important to us. In fact, if you look at Romans 3:31 he specifically tells us that as Christians, we uphold the law. Rather, I think Paul’s pointing out two important things. First, as God’s kids, we’re now following something far better than the law ever was. We’re following God’s Spirit.

Why is the Spirit better? Simply put, God’s law teaches you to do right, but it doesn’t give you the power to do so. Instead, all the law can do when we fail is to condemn us. But when the Spirit leads us, he not only teaches us, he also empowers us to overcome sin and live in a way pleasing to God. We saw that in Romans 8:13. Paul doesn’t say by our own willpower we put to death sin in our lives. He says by the Spirit living in us we start that process of putting sin to death. And the good news is, as we go through that process, there is now no condemnation.

And that’s the second thing I think Paul means by not being under the law. To be under the law is to be under condemnation because we can never keep it perfectly. But when we’re walking by the Spirit, there is no condemnation. Instead, when we fall, the Spirit encourages us. “Get up. Your Father hasn’t given up on you. Keep walking, child of God.”

And as we walk, led and empowered by the Spirit, we will live in a way consistent with what God’s law teaches.

Some of you may still be nervous as you hear me say that though. You’re nervous because you’re worried about becoming legalistic. The ironic thing though, is that many Christians get so worried about not becoming legalistic in their faith, that they actually start thinking like a legalist. What do I mean?

A legalistic Christian often thinks about what they have to do and don’t have to do. Their whole life is about the rules. But the ironic thing is that in trying to escape a legalistic mindset, some Christians go right back to the “have to, don’t have to ” mindset. The only difference is they primarily focus on the “don’t have tos” instead of the “have tos.” And so one of their favorite sayings is, “We don’t have to do this or that as Christians.”

Now, let me be crystal clear: God doesn’t accept us based on us keeping the rules. Nor is God like many school teachers in Japan. Here in Japan, many teachers give stickers to their students for giving extra effort in class. But we don’t earn any special stickers from God for going to church every Sunday, or doing things like reading our Bible and praying every day. We are already completely accepted and loved by God.

But by thinking in terms of “I have to,” “I don’t have to,” you’re not walking by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit isn’t about, “I have to,” “I don’t have to.” Walking by the Spirit is about, “My Father loves me. And he has blessed me so much. I get to go to church every Sunday. I get to read his Word. I get to talk to him anytime I like. And by living his way, I don’t lose. I get to experience his blessing.” Being led by the Spirit isn’t about the “have tos” or “don’t have tos.” Being led by the Spirit is the joy of the “get tos.” That’s the joy God wants you to have.

It’s the joy I have. You know, I am so far from being the Christian I should be. There are still so many sins in my life that I struggle with. But the thing that encourages me is that God has always been so patient with me throughout this process. And God that same patience with you.

I love Paul’s words in verse 14: now that we are out of the old contract of sin, condemnation, and death, we are no longer slaves to fear. Before we were Christians, we had every reason to be afraid of God because of our sin. We had every reason to fear his judgment. But now, by his grace, we’re under that new contract, sealed by his Spirit. We’re God’s children now. Not only that, we’re his beloved children. Paul tells us we can now call him, “Abba, Father.”

Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic, and “Abba” is the Aramaic word for “father.” Interestingly enough, though the language in the Middle East has changed over the centuries, there are still four countries where the first word children learn is, “Abba.”

My guess is that it’s the first word the Spirit wants to teach us to say when we become Christians. Not “God.” Not “Master.” Not “Lord.” Not “Creator.” “Abba.” “Abba!”

Why does the Spirit want us to use that word? Certainly, there can be love between a master and a servant. There can be love between a creator and his creation. There can be love between a king and his subjects. But that is so different from the love between a father and his child.

It’s the love that Jesus had with God the Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before Jesus died, as he was preparing himself for the agony of the cross, he didn’t pray, “Master!” Or “King!” or “Lord!” or “God!” He said, “Abba!” (Mark 14:36)

Jesus teaches us to do the same. He probably used “Abba” when teaching us the Lord’s prayer: “Our Abba.” And by teaching us to call God “Abba,” I think Jesus is letting us know God has the same kind of love for us as he does for Jesus.

What kind of love did the Father have for Jesus? At the beginning of his ministry when Jesus was baptized, the Father declared, “You are my Son. I am well pleased with you. (Luke 3:22)

The Father says the same thing to us. “You are my beloved child. My beloved son. My beloved daughter. Don’t think you’re somehow a second-class child because you were adopted into this family. I love you. And I am well pleased with you.”

Some of you have grown up with fathers that you could never seem to please. No matter what you did, it never seemed good enough. And because of that, they withheld their love from you. But God is different. Even with your struggles with sin, he isn’t constantly saying, “I’m disappointed in you. You let me down.”

Rather, with every step forward that you take, faltering though it may be, he smiles and cheers you on.

I remember my daughter learning to walk for the first time. Like all little kids, she’d take a few steps and then fall down. But I wasn’t mad that she fell. I was excited that she was taking those steps forward. I was cheering her on. And if she ever hurt herself, I would be there to pick her up. That’s how God sees us.

Why is this so important? It changes our whole outlook towards God. We’re not trying to earn his love. We know in our hearts that we already have it. The strain to win our Father’s approval is over. Instead there is rest. “My Daddy loves me. My Daddy accepts me.” And with that knowledge comes a desire to walk close beside him, moment to moment, day to day.

But as long as we’re seeing God as a Father that’s impossible to please, or worse, as a Father who’s always angry, manipulative, or abusive, we’ll never have that desire to draw near. And we’ll be afraid to take any steps forward because we’re afraid of his rebuke. We’re afraid of his punishment.

So where do we go from here? I want to address three kinds of people today. First, some of you are sitting here and you’re still thinking, “Am I really a Christian? Paul says it’s those people who are led by God’s Spirit that are really God’s children, but I don’t really feel that way. I still have to wrestle so much with sin in my life.

If that’s you, let me say it again: the fact that you are bothered by your sin, that you want to please God, and are fighting against the tide of your flesh, that’s the sign of someone led by God’s Spirit. Wrestling with sin in your life isn’t the sign of a non-Christian. It’s actually the sign of a child of God being led by the Spirit. So if you have put your faith in Christ, and you have a desire to please God and go against the tide of your flesh, be assured: that’s the sign of a child of God.

Second, some of you are still living by the “have to”, “don’t have to” form of Christianity. Some of you are very legalistic, thinking that you have to keep the rules in order to be accepted by God. Others of you are constantly living your lives by “I don’t have to.” In some cases that leads you to blatantly sin. In other cases, it becomes an excuse for not doing what the Spirit is telling you. Let me encourage you: throw out the “have to”, “don’t have to” mentality. And start focusing on the “get tos”, joyfully following God’s Spirit wherever he leads.

Finally, some of you are struggling with all this because your father wasn’t so great. And because of your broken relationship with your father, it affects how you see God now. The words, “Abba, Father,” don’t stir love and joy in you. They stir fear. They stir suspicion. They may even stir anger or hatred because of what your father did to you. Here’s what you need to know: Your heavenly Father is totally different from your earthly one.

So let’s change our image of what a father is. The best way to do that is look at what the Bible says our Heavenly Father is like. I’m putting some verses about that on the next slide. I encourage you: Take a picture of them. Or look back at the video on youtube. Then read them. Memorize them. Meditate on them. Contrast in your mind all the ways God is different from your earthly father. And pray for God’s healing for all the hurt your father has caused you. Pray that he can heal your broken image of what a father is so that you can see God as he really is. In fact, let’s pray to our Father now.

Verses concerning God as our Father

Psalm 27:10; 68:5; 103:8-13

Isaiah 49:14-15 (More comparing God to a mother in this case, but similar to Psalm 27:10)

Matthew 6:25-33; 7:7-11

2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 6:16-18

Hebrews 12:5-11

James 1:17

1 John 3:1