Daily Bread

When Can We Be Called Children of God? – 1 John 2:12

“I am writing to you, dear children because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” – 1 John 2:12

There was this infamous quote that says about the myth of the mindset of people that they believe everyone is a child of God. Where in fact, the truth is that everyone is indeed the creation of God but not everyone is a child of God. Well, many people will feel bad about this or will feel attacked by this statement because in this world, we are brought up into the wrong notion that we are all children of God. We have to understand that indeed God is gracious, loving and merciful but He is also not fake and hypocrite. Therefore, there are many truths that we need to know that could really hurt us. 

One truth is that we are not all children of God for God knows His sheeps and His sheeps follow His voice. If we continue to believe that we are all children of God no matter what, we will then build the lax attitude of saying, “Whatever, even if I am wrong, I am still a child of God.” Well, the sad and scary truth is that Jesus Christ has already identified us, we all know that when He said that His sheep follow Him. When we are following Christ, we will no longer be slaves of sin but a follower of Christ. 

We have to take this painful truth in our hearts, that true follower and children of God does not use that excuse to sin. Indeed God is our creator and that makes us technically His children but since sin and death enter, it severs our relationship and bond with God. Only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that our relationship and bond is restored. Now, as we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we become children of God. Even John 1:12 says that to those who received Him and believed Him, He gave them the right to become children of God. 

John did not say that we are called children of God even before we believe for we are His creation, but we are given the right to be called children of God when we received Christ and believed in His name. Just like our verse today, John was writing to the children of God, the newly changed people. He also even categorized it that he is writing to the children of God, because their sins are forgiven on the account of His name. Thus, this also proves that we are called children of God because of Christ’s name, because of His grace that through faith we believe in Hi salvation. 

Although this is a painful truth to know that we are not all children of God unless we believe in His name and through faith we receive Him, it is still indeed a wonderful message that the right we will receive is not based on our own strength, on our goodness, on our good works but on the account of Christ’s name. Therefore, instead of feeling being attacked because we now know that our adoption into the holy family of God only happens when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must rely on Him and submit to Him and let Him dwell in our hearts richly. 

We must always remember that as John wrote in the Gospel that God has given us the right to be called children of God when we receive and believe in Him, we will also be adopted as legitimate children of God into His holy family. How wonderful it is to know that we are children of God, now that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. May we not only remain as creations of God but may we become fully children of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. 

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