But to all who did receive Him (Jesus Christ), who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?†And calling to Himself a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:1-4)
The Bible is divinely inspired revelation of reality: who God is, who we are, how God wants us to relate to Him, and how God wants us to relate to each other. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119)
We must understand every scripture in the context of all other scripture because it all originates from the same divine source.
By connecting scriptures that might otherwise remain disconnected, we can receive highly beneficial insights. For me, one example is the insight that God’s children are children.
John’s Gospel makes it clear that Christians are “born again,†“born of the Spirit,†and “born of God.†(John 1:12-13, 3:3-6) The Holy Spirit of God now lives within us. (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9) As a result, we become children of God who are “new creations†still living in the world but no longer of the world. (Romans 8:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 17:15-16)
Could there ever be a more extraordinary change in who we are? One moment you are a mortal human being without God living within you; and the next moment the eternal God who created you lives within you and calls you His beloved child now and forever! (1 John 3:2, 4:12)
Most if not all Christians embrace the revelation that they are children of God, but do we fully appreciate the impact of this amazing truth? This extraordinary change in who we are does not often bring about an extraordinary change in how we approach life.
We readily pocket our “ticket to heaven†but in lots of ways, continue to live the way we used to live as people who are both in the world and of the world.
The key to resolving this problem is connecting our identity as a child of God to the teachings of Jesus that we must become like children to “receive†and “enter†the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:1-4; Luke 18:15-17)
In teaching about our identity as children of God, both John and Paul used the Greek word “teknon,†which refers to a child of any age and is most frequently used in connection with their father or parents — here, our heavenly Father. In teaching children of God who we must become like to receive the kingdom of God, Jesus uses the Greek word “paidion,†which refers to a little child or younger child.
And when Jesus speaks of receiving and entering the kingdom of God, He is not talking about the afterlife. He is speaking of the benefits of living in His kingdom while we are still living in this world. (Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 5:8; Romans 14:17)
As children born into and of this world, we learned how to live the life of this world. Now as “born again†children of God, we must start over because life as a child of God is remarkably different from what we learned before. Whether we are 25, 45 or 75 years of age, we must become little children of God who humbly love, trust and depend on God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to teach us this new life. We must, like all healthy children, be alert, affectionate, expectant and eager to learn. We must yearn to move on from milk to solid food. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
Remember that this childlikeness Jesus teaches us to embrace does not include self-centeredness, irresponsibility, lack of emotional control or wanting to have your own way. Those traits are childish, not childlike. Paul uses the Greek word “nepios†to describe them as infantile and strongly warns us to turn away from them. (1 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:14)
Remember also that maturity in the world means more independent and self-reliant, but maturity as a child of God means increasingly God-dependent and God-reliant. (John 5:19, 12:49)
More truth means more freedom. (John 8:32) An ever-renewing mind leads to an ever-transforming life. (Romans 12:2) The more I learn from God, the more I see the immensity of what I do not yet know. But as a child of God, I am a child of the One who loves me beyond measure and knows everything I need to learn. Teach me, Father. Teach me, Jesus. (John 16:13)
God bless you, and God bless our community.
Doug Tweed and his wife Christie founded Friends of the King Ministries. Readers may reach him by visiting the website .
