God’s children

According to the Bible, while all human beings are created by God, not everyone is considered a child of God in the same sense. The Bible teaches that there are different ways in which people can be referred to as children of God:

1. Creation: In a general sense, all human beings are considered children of God by virtue of being created by Him. Acts 17:28 says, “For in him we live and move and have our being,” indicating that our existence is dependent on God.

2. Believers in Christ: The Bible teaches that those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith are referred to as children of God. John 1:12 states, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

3. Adoption: The concept of adoption is used in the New Testament to describe believers’ relationship with God. Through faith in Jesus, believers are adopted into God’s family and become His children. Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'”

It is important to note that the Bible distinguishes between the general sense of being created by God and the specific sense of being a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. While God loves all people and desires a relationship with everyone, the status of being a child of God is reserved for those who have embraced Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.