BORN AGAIN AS SONS

Introduction & Review

This devotion continues the theme that we began on Father's Day, which has addressed what it means to be children of God. On June 20th, we looked at God's role as our heavenly Father. He loves and cares for us more than any earthly father ever could. On June 29th, God led me to write about how humanity lost its God-given birthright. Because of our sins, we are no longer children of God by birth. Rather, we were born into slavery—slavery to sin and to Satan. Because of our sins, we were unable to free ourselves from Satan's grip. Jesus, however, could not be held by Satan or by death because of the perfect life He lived. Through Jesus' perfect obedience to God the Father, He showed Himself to be the one true Son of God. Through His death, He defeated Satan and paid the price required to redeem all of God's lost children from their captivity within the kingdom of darkness. This is what I talked about on July 11th. In this week's devotion, I hope to explain how we are able to be adopted into God's family and what it means to be the adopted children of God.

Sons through Adoption

The New Testament is littered with the language of sonship: “adopted” / “adoption” (Romans 8:15 NLT, 8:23, 9:4, Ephesians 1:5), “sons of God” (Matthew 5:9, Romans 8:14,19, Galatians 3:26), “children of God” (John 1:12, 11:52, Romans 8:21, Philippians 2:15, 1 John 3:1-2,10, 5:2,19), “born of God” (John 1:13, 1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1,4,18), “born again” (John 3:3,7, 1 Peter 1:23), “heirs” (Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Titus 3:7), “inheritance” (Matthew 25:34, Ephesians 1:14,18, 5:5, Colossians 1:12, 3:24, Hebrews 9:15, 1 Peter 1:4)... As you can see, many different phrases are used to express the same truth that God has extended an open invitation to all people to return to His family.

ccc John 1:11-13 tells us that “to all who received [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” We are all invited to be adopted into God's family, but we are not all children of God. The passage from John tells us how we are able to be adopted into God's family—through faith in His Son, Jesus. This truth is stated and restated throughout the New Testament. For example, Ephesians 1:5 says that God “predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.” And Galatians 3:26 says “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” There is only one way to be adopted into God's family—one way for us to come to God the Father and regain our status as His children. As Jesus told His disciples: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is the only way into God's family and the only way to obtain God's eternal inheritance.

ccc As we discussed in a previous devotion, there are two kingdoms and two fathers. All people belong to either the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of the devil. They are either sons of God or sons of Satan. From my studies of the Bible, I have come to the understanding that the word “kingdom” is synonymous with the word “family.” Therefore, to enter the kingdom of God is the same thing as entering God's family. In the section below, we are going to examine a passage that describes how we are able to enter the kingdom (i.e., family) of God.

Sons through a Spiritual Rebirth

We have already shown how a person is able to enter God's family / kingdom through faith in Christ. And yet there are many more things we could say about what it means to be a part of God's family / kingdom. For example, in John 3:3-6, Jesus says that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again... no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” These verses tell us that we can only enter the kingdom of God by undergoing a spiritual birth. Furthermore, by saying that “the Spirit gives birth to spirit,” Jesus was telling us that this spiritual birth takes place by God's Holy Spirit. However, this spiritual birth is not a requirement of salvation (as faith is), but rather it is a consequence of it, as Paul describes in Ephesians 1:13-14: “you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession.” Jesus has given us a wonderful down payment (John 16:7), which is evidence of the inheritance that we have yet to receive. In Jesus' day, a seal signified ownership. Therefore, to be marked in Jesus with a seal is to belong to Him (and to His family and kingdom). The Holy Spirit is the seal that marks us as God's property. If we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit actually lives inside of us (1 Corinthians 3:16)!

ccc So we see that believing in Christ involves a second, spiritual birth. But, if this birth is by the Spirit of God, why then does Jesus say that we must be “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5)? First of all, I believe this passage refers to baptism. In Mark 16:16, Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Then later, Jesus said “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus clearly intended for His followers to be baptized.

ccc Mark 1:8 sheds a little more light on what it means to be “born of water and the Spirit.” In this passage, John the baptist says of Jesus, “I baptize with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Later, Peter says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Although Jesus had no need for repentance or forgiveness, He too was baptized, at which time “the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:22).

ccc I take these passages to say that baptism is a means by which we receive the Holy Spirit and are, thus, spiritually reborn. (Note however that some people received the Holy Spirit prior to or after baptism, as in Acts 10:47, 8:14-17, and 19:5-6.) Titus 3:5-7 explains how baptism is connected with our spiritual rebirth: “...[God] saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” As you can see from these verses, the value of baptism is in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at work within us.

ccc In summary, Jesus tells us that we cannot “enter the kingdom of God unless [we are] born of water and the Spirit.” He also tells us that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. When we believe in Jesus we are marked in Him with the seal of the Holy Spirit, who washes and renews us. Our faith in Jesus places us in God's family and motivates us to obey Jesus' command to be baptized. To believe and be baptized is to be spiritually reborn.

Spiritually Reborn to Live a New Life

What are the implications of this spiritual rebirth? And what does it mean to be “marked in [Christ] with the... Holy Spirit”? According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, “...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Romans 6:3-4 expounds upon this idea when it says, “...don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” These verses tell us that, through our spiritual rebirth, we are actually a new creation—that we have been given the power to live a new life. As we just heard, “the old has gone, the new has come!” But what exactly does this mean? What is “the old” and what is “the new”?

ccc In Romans 6:3-4 we discovered that we die and are buried with Jesus through our baptism. This baptism into death is necessary because, in order to be a new creation, we must die to “the old” way of things. Romans 6:6 tells us that “our old self was crucified with [Jesus] so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” According to this verse, “the old” that “has gone” is our sinful nature and, as a new creation, we have been freed from our slavery to sin. As Romans 6:10-11 says: “The death [Christ] died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, if “the old” is truly going to be gone, then we must die to our sinful nature. But how is this possible? If we could do it on our own, then we wouldn't be in need of God's help. As we will see, it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can truly live a new life.

ccc The Bible says that “if the Spirit of God lives in you” then you “are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit” (Romans 8:9). This is not a loss of free will (which is why—although we are freed from our enslavement to sin—we still inevitably end up sinning). Instead, being controlled by the Spirit is a choice. As Romans 8:12-14 says: “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Even though we are a new creation, we still have the ability (or the choice) to sin. But as we submit our lives to God and ask for His help in overcoming our sins, we will find that we are indeed progressively more “in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Then we will see that we are truly a new creation, and that “the old has gone, the new has come!”

ccc So we see that baptism is both life and death. It is death because, in baptism, our “body of sin” is crucified and buried with Christ. And yet, at the same time, baptism is life because it produces spiritual rebirth. We must, therefore, consider ourselves to be “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” And this means that we must die to self, because we cannot live for ourselves and at the same time crucify our sinful nature. In Galatians 2:19-20, Paul expresses his own baptismal death like this: “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

ccc There is a subtle irony in this truth: In order to live we must die. This was true of Christ as well, but in a different way. In order for us to live, He had to die. And we are baptized into Christ's death “in order that... we too may live a new life.” And what is the nature of this “new life”? It is “that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Ephesians 4:22-24 says it like this: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” If we are born of God we will be like Him. As the old saying goes, “like father like son.”

Summary / Conclusion

We are all invited to be a part of God's family and kingdom as a result of Jesus' death and resurrection. He paid the price for our sins in order that we would be made right with God. He is the only way to God the Father. Through our beliefs, we either accept or reject God's generous invitation to join His family. If we believe in Jesus, then we admit our wrongdoing and rely on His strength and ability—rather than our own strength and ability—to save us. In obedience to Christ, we are baptized. And, through the working of the Holy Spirit, we are spiritually reborn as a new creation—empowered to live a new life, freed from our enslavement to sin. However, the fact that we are a new creation is a seeming paradox. The old has gone, and yet it remains. The new has come, and yet we still struggle to do what's right. Anyone who struggles with sin knows what I'm talking about. (And, don't we all struggle with sin?)

ccc We are not perfect, but we have a responsibility to follow the Holy Spirit's leading as best as we can in order to put to death our sinful nature and live our lives for God. We are not able to do this on our own, but the Holy Spirit helps us. Even so, we must cooperate with Him, since disobedience can lead to spiritual death. So you see that, although we cannot make ourselves holy on our own, we are not without responsibility in the matter. Both God and the individual play a part in the sanctification process, as described in Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” God willing, those who belong to Him will become progressively more like Him. And, in the end, we know we will be like Him, because Romans 8:29 promises that “...those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

THE LOST CHILDREN OF GOD

Introduction

Before I begin this devotion, I want to make a special point of giving God the glory for it (and for the others as well). In writing these devotions—this one in particular—I have really felt guided by God. He used a television program to drop several Bible verses in my lap that I probably wouldn't have considered on my own. And He has given me some new insights—not new to everyone, but certainly new to me. Over and over again this week I have repeatedly run across many of the same Bible verses that I had already begun to work into this week's devotion. Having already completed a draft of the devotion by Saturday evening (June 26th), I then ran across some of the same “new insights” in a book I purchased on Sunday (June 27th). Though I must take credit for any errors, the point of all of this is simply to let you know that any good you receive from this devotion is not from me, but rather from God. “To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

ccc Last week, we focused on our heavenly Father. This week I want to focus on His children. Generally speaking, there are two ways to become someone's child. You can be a child by birth or you can become a child through the process of adoption. This week I want to talk about the first of these two possibilities (being a child by birth) in order to set us up to talk about the second possibility (adoption) next week.

ccc Let me begin by reminding you of the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau were brothers—they were twins in fact. Esau was born first with his brother Jacob clinging to his heel (Genesis 25:26). Genesis 25:29-34 tells us the following story: “Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!' ...Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look, I am about to die,' Esau said. 'What good is the birthright to me?' But Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.' So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.”

Children by Birth

A birthright is something we are entitled to by birth. (For example, when a baby is born in the U.S.A., they are citizens by birth.) Adam and Eve were not “born” in the same way that you and I were. They didn't have any earthly parents. Instead, God Himself was their father. Because God was their father, their birthright consisted of the things given to them by God—both their present gifts and their inheritance. By birth (creation), they were children of God. Their status as God's children was a part of their birthright. In addition, God gave them authority over the earth (Genesis 1:28-30) and the right to eat from the Tree of Life (Genesis 2:16). But, in the same way that earthly parents set boundaries in order to keep their children safe, so also God sets boundaries for us. God's boundary for Adam and Eve came in the form of a command and a warning (Genesis 2:17): “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

ccc Many people would criticize God for putting this dangerous tree in the Garden of Eden, but I believe it was necessary. You see, God wanted us to have free will. He didn't want us to be robots, programmed to do His will, but rather people with the freedom to chose. Because of the presence of the tree and God's command not to eat of it, Adam and Eve had the option of disobeying God. Without options, we have no choices to make and there is no free will. Without options, we are slaves by virtue of the fact that our circumstances are fixed and we do not have it in our power to change them.

ccc Anyone who relates to other people should understand this concept of choice. When you love someone, you want to be with them and you want them to love you back. But you don't want them to be with you because they have no other choice. Nor would you want to force them to be with you. But what if you could give them a love potion to make them love you? No, even that would take away the sweetness of love. Love does not enslave people, it sets them free—free to make their own choices. In the same way, God loved us so much that—in spite of the mistakes He knew we would make—He gave us the freedom to choose for ourselves whether or not to give our love to Him in return. In many cases, God's story is a story of unrequited love. It's a story of how He so loved the world (John 3:16), but how the people of that world have rejected Him time and time again.

The Land of the Lost [Children]

There is an analogy to be made between what happened in the Garden of Eden and what happened between Jacob and Esau. Just as Jacob tricked his older brother Esau into selling him his birthright (Genesis 25:29-33), so also the devil tricked Adam and Eve into disobeying God. They essentially did what Paul describes in the following verse: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). The created thing that they served was first of all themselves. Satan's false promise to Adam and Eve was “you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). By eating of the tree, Adam and Eve sought to serve themselves by elevating their position. But Satan's “promise” was far from the truth. Humanity was much more like God before the fall. The second created thing that Adam and Eve served was the serpent—Satan. They believed his lie and acted upon it, just as we Christians are to believe the truth of God's gospel and act upon that (James 2:17, Titus 1:16). In acting upon the lie, Adam and Eve made themselves obedient to Satan. Essentially, in that one act, Adam and Eve—like Esau—sold their birthright to Satan for a meal (Genesis 3:6).

ccc By rebelling against God, Adam and Eve inadvertently gave up their God-given rights. They lost their status as children of God and, through their sin of disobedience, they gave Satan a new foothold over humanity (Ephesians 4:27). On that day, they also lost their right to eternal life (Genesis 3:22). In one day, humanity's great inheritance was lost. Therefore, although God created all people, we are no longer His children by birth. Adam and Eve's birthright came from God, but our birthright comes from Adam and Eve. Through them, we are born into slavery. But, unlike the Israelites' physical slavery in Egypt, ours is a slavery to sin. Through Adam and Eve we have inherited a world of sin and a life plagued by the power and influence of the devil.

ccc In spite of the rotten inheritance that Adam and Eve left for us, we still have a choice. Because of Adam and Eve's sin—and the authority that Satan gained over the world through that sin—perfection is no longer attainable (1 John 1:8). However, we can still chose who we want to obey (see Romans 1:5, 6:16). The Bible makes it clear that there are two options: obedience to God or obedience to the devil (Romans 6:16, James 4:7). There are two fathers: the Father of truth (Psalm 31:5, John 14:6, 16:13, 17:17) and the father of lies (John 8:44). There are two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:12-13)... Truth or lies, light or darkness, sons or slaves, life or death...

Two Fathers—Two Kingdoms

When Jesus was being tempted, the devil “led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to [Jesus], 'I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to'” (Luke 4:5-6). In this passage, the devil is claiming authority over the earth. Jesus Himself confirms this reality by referring to Satan as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11) and by making reference to Satan's kingdom (Matthew 12:26, Luke 11:18). Within this kingdom Satan has power over all those who have been made subject to him. As 1 John 5:19 says, “We know that... the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” And in Ephesians 2:2 we read that “the ways of this world” are governed by “the ruler of the kingdom of the air [Satan], the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient [to God].” So we see that Satan's kingdom is a worldly kingdom—a kingdom that has power over those who are disobedient to God.

ccc After Jesus was arrested, He was interviewed by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. John 18:33-37 reveals a conversation that took place between them regarding Jesus' kingdom: “Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Is that your own idea,' Jesus asked, 'or did others talk to you about me?' 'Am I a Jew?' Pilate replied. 'It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?' Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'” So we see that Jesus' kingdom—also referred to as the “kingdom of God” (e.g., Mark 1:14-15)—is “not of this world.” Instead, it is—at present—a heavenly kingdom (e.g., Matthew 4:17, 6:9-10). And yet this kingdom is coming to earth right now through those who live in obedience to God's will (Matthew 6:10). We also see that Jesus' kingdom stands for truth. In contrast, the enemy's kingdom is based upon lies. This is what Jesus is talking about in John 8:43-47:

“Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

These may seem like harsh words, but Jesus is simply expressing the true nature of things. “Why is my language not clear to you? ...If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?” Jesus poses these questions in order to explain to the people the truth of their reality. And this is the truth: Because of our fallen state (Romans 3:23), we belonged to the devil and were, therefore, unable to accept the truth on our own. We have been deluded by Satan's lies. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Captives of the kingdom of darkness

In 2 Timothy 2:26, Paul indicates that Satan's kingdom is like a trap. Those belonging to this kingdom have been taken captive to do Satan's will and are therefore enslaved by him. This is what Jesus means in John 8:34-36 when He says, “...everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Paul adds an extra dimension to this concept in Romans 6:16: “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” What does Paul mean in saying that you “are slaves to the one whom you obey?” Whom do we obey when we sin? Satan. Whom do we obey when we do what is right? God! We are slaves to the one whom we obey.

ccc There is, I believe, a basic principle in this passage. Sin is submission to Satan and disobedience towards God. When we sin, we make ourselves subject to Satan's will. In other words, by our sinful actions, we show ourselves to be subjects of the “prince of this world” (e.g., John 12:31) and slaves of his “dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). This is why sin is so damaging to the Christian life. Through sin, we are showing Satan—rather than Jesus—to be our true master because, as the Scripture says, we are slaves to the one whom we obey. Although we (as Christians) claim Christ as our Lord, Master, and King, when we sin, we are essentially handing the reins of our life over to Satan and giving him the authority to once again reign over our lives! Our sins give Satan renewed influence over us. This is why in Ephesians 4:27 Paul warns the believers: “...do not give the devil a foothold.” What is a foothold? It is something for Satan to stand on as he accuses us (Zechariah 3:1, Revelation 12:10). Our sins give Satan a foothold! The title of this section is “captives of the kingdom of darkness.” This is what we would be without God's intervention.

Final Thoughts

Let me be clear. What I have said in this devotion is only part of the story. My purpose in writing it is (1) to help you understand why we are no longer God's children by birth and (2) to set the stage for next week's devotion. It is also important to recognize that the loss of our status as God's children was not because of anything God did, but rather, it was the result of our own rebellion against Him. As I have tried to show in this devotion, sin is not only rebellion against God but also submission to the devil. As such, our rebellion against God has given Satan the authority to rule over our lives. Make no mistake! There are two kingdoms, and we all belong to one or the other. We either submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7) or we submit to the devil and resist God. One of these kingdoms is ruled by a King of love, life, truth, and peace (Jesus). The other kingdom is ruled by a tyrant who represents hate, death, lies, and torment (Satan). Understanding the helplessness of our situation gives us an appreciation for what God has done for us. And this is what He has done (Colossians 1:12-13): (1) He “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” and (2) He “has qualified [us] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” This is what we will talk about in next week's devotion.