Part Four: What it Means to Be a Child of God
Children of God are Forgiven, Free of Judgement, Under God’s Protection, and Part of God’s Plan.
In this fourth and final installment of What it Means to Be a Child of God, we will examine how Children of God are forgiven and forever free from Judgment, not an accident of birth, and under the Father’s divine protection.
In part one, we discussed that being a Child of God results from believing in Jesus, receiving Him as Lord of your life, and repenting.
In part two, we studied how God's adoption restores us to sonship, makes us heirs, and strengthens our relationship with God.
Part three examined how, as heirs to God and Co-heir with Jesus, we have the Father's provision for all our needs, forgiveness, redemption, assurance of love and Compassion, and finally, healing.
Now, let’s explore the concepts of forgiveness equaling freedom from Judgment, being part of God’s plan, and dwelling in the shadow of his protection.
Forgiveness Equals Freedom From Judgement
If you think you’ve heard this before, it's because you have, and it bears repeating again (2 Peter 1:12-13). Why? Taking hold of the truth that once you are in Christ, you are forgiven, washed free of sin, and righteous in God’s eyes forever is crucial.
In a lifelong walk with Jesus, circumstances will no doubt challenge your beliefs in Jesus. Enemy attacks that challenge your forgiveness and Salvation will be part of those challenges.
Why? Because the devil hates you and wants to rob you of your intimacy with God that he lost forever when he fell.
The certainty of your forgiveness and security of your Salvation is assured throughout God’s word. Paul illustrates how your slate was wiped clean and the powers that war against you were definitively defeated at the cross in the following verse,
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13–15)
Your Debt of sin has been paid in full at the cross. Past, present, and future sins have been forgiven and washed away. God cannot punish you for sins that have already been paid for. The Father now sees you through Jesus’ sacrifice. You are now the Righteousness of God in Christ.
It’s imperative to grasp that future sins have been forgiven and paid for at the cross. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the blood of bulls and goats only temporarily covered sin. But the blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice who exists outside of time, covered every sin ever committed.
The writer of Hebrews makes the point that, unlike the temple priest sacrifices, Jesus’ sacrifice makes holy for all time those who are being perfected:
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:11-14
by one sacrifice, death on the cross, Jesus has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.(10:11-14)
In chapter ten of John’s gospel, we find this statement from Jesus assuring the security of his disciple’s Salvation,
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30
The assured Salvation of a child of God isn’t exclusive to the New Testament. We find this notion coupled with the inference of adoption and sonship in Isaiah 43:1-2, 12-13,
But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
…I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?
We can take several important lessons from these three passages.
First, because of Jesus's one-time sacrifice for sin, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Who is being being made holy? The children of God. (Hebrews 10:11-14)
Second, children of God are secure in God’s hand. (John 10:27-29)
The Greek word for never used here is “ou me.” This double negative absolutely emphasizes the meaning of “never, certainly not, not at all, by no means.” In other words, once you are saved, you will never, by no means, ever perish/lose your Salvation!
Third, a paraphrase of Isaiah 43:1-2, 12-13 summarizes the message of this passage. The God who formed, created, saved, and redeemed declared you his witness and called you by name. Fear not; you are under his protection; no one or thing can take you from his hand.
This passage does more than assure the security of a child of God’s Salvation. It introduces the truth that children of God are not mistakes but intentional parts of God’s plan under His divine protection.
The overarching principle here is that the sin of the first Adam brought sin and death into the world. But the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the second Adam, covered that sin and every other sin, purchasing the forgiveness and redemption of those who Believe and receive Jesus as Lord for eternity.
To say that we lose Salvation if we fail to confess a sin after being saved is to say that the sin of Adam is more powerful than Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Hebrews 10:11-14 promises otherwise.
Finally, we can rest on the truth that the children of God are “Once saved, always saved!”
You Are Not A Mistake
“Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it.” Rick Warren — The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?
Pastor Warren’s teaching impacted countless lives by helping them find value and self-worth, but it’s not an original thought; it’s a beautiful paraphrase of Psalm 139:13–16,
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Regardless of the circumstances around your birth, you were part of God’s plan from before the beginning of time. The true wonder is that the Father didn’t stop with your birth. He remains integrally involved in your life. Consider some of these assurances found in Psalm 139:
He has searched your entire being, body, mind, heart, and soul. He knows your secrets before you do — and still loves you unconditionally.
He knows when you sleep, wake, sit, stand, go out, or come home.
Before you do, he knows your words and thoughts, is with you in your joyful mountaintop experiences, and carries you through life’s darkest, lowest points.
The Father is omnipresent — and with you in the heavens or depths of the seas, on the dawn’s wings and at the sun’s setting.
In the darkest night, when the enemy whispers his lies, He is there to shine His light and reveal the truth.
As a child of God, you are part of His eternal plan and always sheltered under his wing. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, God remains involved in your daily affairs. John 16:13 details the Holy Spirit’s influence in our lives,
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
What's more, Philippians 1:6 promises that God the Holy Spirit will remain involved in our lives and spiritual growth until we are called home to be with Jesus.
…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
You are not a mistake or some random occurrence!
You are a child of God with a purpose, meaning you are predestined, chosen, a royal priest, and a unique possession of The Creator God. Your purpose is to know God and to make him known to the world.
Under The Shadow Of His Wings
In Matthew 23:37, we see Jesus lamenting that many Jewish people were unwilling to come to Him and live under the wings of God’s protection. It is, always was, and always will be the Father’s will for all people to come to redemption and live under His protection. ( 2 Peter 3:9, Eziekel 18:23)
God’s word, especially the Psalms, is bursting with promises of divine protection for God’s Children. In Psalm 23, King David writes of sitting at a banquet in peace while his enemies are before him. Why? because his shepherd, the Lord, is with him. David stood before Goliath because he knew God was with him.
Psalm 91 begins with this declaration: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. It goes on to promise protection from attacks, sickness, night terrors, and more. Why? We find the answer in the closing verses;
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Your heavenly Father, God, is ready and able to protect you because you have trusted in His Son and live for Him. For the child of God, all areas of life are included: Health, finances, provision, and relationships.
Last and most important is the promise of Salvation. As we saw in Isaiah 43:11-14 above, no one can snatch you from his hand when the Lord acts and declares you as His own.
I expect some will ask, “Why do bad things still happen to children of God?” That is an article in itself, and I will address it in my next article.
Although we’ve barely scratched the surface of what it Means to Be a Child of God, it’s time to bring our study to an end. So, what similarities do the Children of God share, and what are their traits?
First, we learned that while we are all part of God’s creation, only those who have believed in his name have the right to become children of God. Children not born of natural descent, human decision, or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13
being a Child of God means embracing a belief in Jesus that penetrates your soul, moves you to repentance, and allows you to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
You are now a new creation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who empowers you to overcome sin and become more like Jesus.
In Part Two, we learned that through our Adoption into Sonship, we receive forgiveness and are cleansed of our sins and shame through God’s unconditional Love and Grace.
In addition, our identities in Christ are restored, establishing us as Sons and Daughters of God.
In Part Three, we understood that as heirs to God and Co-heirs with Jesus, we can expect God the Father's provision on this side of heaven: forgiveness, redemption, love, Compassion, and healing.
Finally, in the last installment, we discovered that our Debt of sin has been paid in full at the cross. God cannot punish you for sins Jesus already suffered and paid for. The Father now sees you through Jesus’ sacrifice. You are now the Righteousness of God in Christ.
You are not a mistake or some random occurrence! You are an intentional and predestined child of God with a purpose, a chosen royal priest, and a unique possession of The Creator God. Your purpose is to know God and to make him known to a broken world.
Because you have trusted in His Son, your heavenly Father, God, is ready and able to protect all areas of life. Last and most importantly, none can snatch you from His hand.
Join me for my next post on Why Children of God Still Suffer Bad Things.