Lesson #16 - Becoming A Child Of God

Galatians 3:26-27 (KJV) says, "For you are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." All of us want to be children of God, but it is our faith in Christ that leads us to become children of God. This verse also tells us how our faith leads us to be children of God. It says, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." The word for as used in this scripture is a preposition, which means for the purpose of or in order to be. Therefore, we are baptized for the purpose of or in order to be God's children.

To be a child of God and part of His family, we must be born into His family. Our Lord said in John 3:3, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." Then He tells us how being born again takes place in John 3:5, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." When one is born again by being baptized into Christ he becomes a child of God. The blood of Christ will only forgive the sins of those who are "born of water and the Spirit" when they are baptized.

We might ask the question, "If I had to prove that I was a child of God in order to get into Heaven, could I do it?" Only those who are God's children will inherit Heaven. In 1 Peter 1:4 we read "To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you." Are you eligible for that inheritance? Have you become a child of God by being baptized into Christ? If you haven't then you have no inheritance in Heaven. You will inherit eternal punishment. Why would anyone in their right mind not want to be a child of God?

Has your faith led you to be baptized, so that you can become a child of God? If not then you are not a child of God. To be a child of God, our faith must be a faith that will accept and do all that the Lord tells us to do. It must be an obedient faith, because God says in James 2:17,20 & 24, "Thus also faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." We are not saved by "faith only". If our faith is not one of action, it is a dead faith. A dead faith will do us no good on the Day of Judgment. This is the only place in the Bible that speaks of "faith only". Here it does not commend it, but rather condemns it. It also refers to one who believes in "faith only" as "O foolish man."

Are you a child of God? Have you been baptized into Christ so that you can be a child of God? As Hebrews 2:3 says, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" We know there is no escape. Please don't neglect your salvation.