Identity Theft

You hear a lot in the news about identity theft.

You might think it’s a pretty new phenomena particularly with the rise in the use of the internet.

But for Christians, particularly Christians in the west it’s been going on for some time.

Little by little, piece by piece our identity is being stolen.

Liberal theologians - many of them educated beyond their intelligence - deconstruct the Bible asking the question “Did God really say...?”

Trying to demolish even some of the basic Christian doctrines and shaking our confidence that God has spoken through His word.

Campaigning atheists and secularists, seemingly tolerant of everything except Christianity, try to marginalise us from the public square.

And much of the media mocks and ridicules us.

Even church leaders can sometimes undermine us from the pulpit. 

No wonder then that the church in general seems to be losing confidence!

But -  if you are ever persuaded to doubt who you are: read Romans 8:14-16

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  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!”  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

It’s a theme not mentioned before in the book of Romans but here it is. Paul really wants to grab our attention with it.

Bam - Bam - Bam

In every one of these three verses. – children of God in verse 14, adoption as sons in verse 15, and in verse 16 - children of God

We are the children of God.

Now in popular thought – certainly amongst many non Christians and a fair few Christians as well it’s assumed that everyone is a child of God.

But it’s not what the Bible teaches.

Yes everyone is a creation of God and we all bear His image but not everyone is a child of God.

So how do we become children of God.

John 1:12 and 13 says:

to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Jesus says that flesh gives birth to flesh but spirit gives birth to spirit.

You must be born again – He says and on the cross He makes it possible:

Jesus took our sin and endured God’s punishment instead of us and He imputes God’s righteousness to us so that in Him we are accounted as righteous.

When we believe we get our new born again identity.

That’s how we become children of God !

And we can know that its true. And not just know - but know know know know – deep down.

How can we know that we are children of God? How we be certain or assured of our salvation?

It is the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The inner witness of the Spirit. 

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Because – Why is it because? - look back at Romans 8 verse 13.

Because the Spirit leads us to put to death the deeds of the body so that we can live.

He leads us to fight against the sin within us.

Not out of fear – like a slave for his cruel master

but like a child – willingly – for his loving father.

The Spirit we have received is not the spirit of slavery but the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!

The Spirit of adoption

Here's what F. F. Bruce says about this term adoption in Paul's day:

In the Roman world of the first century an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate;

He was in no way inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature, and might well enjoy the father's affection more fully and reproduce the father's character more worthily

the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!

What an amazing amazing thing it is!

Through the Spirit we can know that we are children of God and like Jesus we can call the creator of the universe Abba!

There is no word like it – when the apostles wrote the Scriptures they wrote in Greek but there is no word in Greek like the original Aramaic word that Jesus used himself when he addressed His father in the garden of Gethsemane.

And there’s no word like it in English either.

So the Bible keeps it as Abba.

Intimate and informal yet reverent and respectful it points to a deep, affectionate, personal, authentic experience of God's fatherly love.

We have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry Abba Father.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 

1John 3:1

In Him we have our identity and it cannot be stolen from us.

A prayer:

Heavenly Father we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit that you have promised to all whom you call.

Lord Jesus we thank you that you bore our punishment on the cross so that we might be counted righteous and born again.

We pray Lord that you would send your Holy Spirit upon us in a new and fresh way, that we may truly know that we really are the beloved Children of the Father in Christ by the Spirit.

Thank you Lord

Amen