5/22/2022 Children of God ~Rev. Bernie Chung
To be called children of God means that we should earnestly seek God and receive His redemption—but this is not the only reason we are called children of God. If we help others to be justified by faith and saved by God’s salvation, we are worthy of being called children of God as well. In Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Jesus says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Therefore, if the people of the kingdom of heaven can live out the heavenly likeness and exhibit the spiritual qualities that belong to the children of God, then those around them will recognize them as the children of God and
the disciples of the Lord Jesus. This is how we help with the justification of others, by them seeing God’s likeness through God’s children.
The ninth chapter of Isaiah describes the Lord Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the "Prince of Peace." The redemptive power from the "Prince of Peace" restores the relationships between God and man, between humans, and man with himself. The best way to promote reconciliation is to do our best in every way possible to spread the "Gospel of Peace". The Lord Jesus says that we are called children of God because we are also the peacemakers of God with man, man with man, and man with himself.
Being able to call God our heavenly Abba Father is a great comfort and a redeeming affirmation to many believers. When our friends, brothers and sisters in Christ have difficult relationships with their earthly fathers or have quarrels with their children, their relationship and understanding of God suffers as a result. To better understand who
God is, we need only look and direct the gave of our friends to the Bible to find many of His attributes: Holy, Glorious, Compassionate, Gracious, and Never-changing.
“And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:3).
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalms 103:8).
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
To be children of God is to have a close relationship with Him. This is accomplished when we seek and find out more about God the Father and take up the role of peacemaker to help others to become children of God as well. Let’s pray to the Holy Spirit to help us remove all hindrances that may have kept us all away from God. May we call God our Abba Father as we seek out His glories day by day. Amen!