Salvation
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25. Are all men children of God? |
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No, they
aren’t because the Bible does not teach such a thing. For the Bible states
that only those who believe in the name of the Son of God are sons of God, as
it is written: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13 – NKJV), and
again: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians
3:26 – NKJV). |
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Therefore
all unbelievers (and many are unbelievers even though they believe that God
exists, because they don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who
died on the cross for our sins and rose again for out justification) are not
children of God. God is the Father only of those who were begotten by Him
through the Word of truth. As in the natural sphere you are called ‘the son
of Tom’ if you were begotten by Tom, so in the spiritual sphere you are a son
of God only if you were begotten by Him, that is to say, if you were born of Him.
And one is born of God or regenerated by Him when he recognizes before God
that he is a sinner, he repents of his sins and he believes in the atoning
death of Jesus Christ and in His resurrection. That’s the moment when a man
is born of God and God sends forth His Spirit into his heart, by whom he
cries out, ‘Abba, Father!’ as it is written: “And because you are sons, God
has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba,
Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an
heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:6-7 – NKJV). It is the Spirit of God
who bears witness that we are children of God (Romans |