DISCOVER YOUR IDENTITY IN HIM

You Are A Son

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." ( Gal. 3: 26)

Our theme verse today says you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Please, the sons used here does not refer to male gender . It is a term used to describe our status and relationship with God. It's for everyone both male and female so you don't exclude yourself. Following our theme verse, is it possible we can also be called God's sons after Christ? Could God have given birth to other sons apart from Christ? The answer is right there before you. There are people who wish they could even be given the position of gatemen just to be in heaven. This is laughable and at same time, pathetic. The position they crave for is that of a slave or servant. The reason is that they are suffering from identity crisis. They are yet to receive the gift of salvation to put them in their proper place. Can a prince be his father's gateman? Can a son to the king be a servant in his father's house? You know the answers to those questions.

    When God sent Jesus Christ his son to save you from sin, he did not send him to bring you back to himself as a slave or servant but as a son; his very own son. This is something we should be thankful for , that he has made us worthy to be called his sons and daughters. Now that you know you are his son, what kind of attitude Should that put in you? FEAR OR BOLDNESS?  Should you always go into his presence with fear that he is angry at you perhaps for the wrong(s) you committed or should you always go before him in an attitude of confidence and boldness that he is your father? Ephesians 3:12 says " in union with Christ and through our faith in him we have the boldness to go into God's presence with all confidence." It is only slaves and servants that approach a king in fear not a son. A son is always bold to talk to his father about anything. This is because he knows who he is and is aware of his identity.

    Before Christ saved you from sin, you were a slave to sin therefore an enemy of God. So that time you had to approach God from the standpoint of slave. You go before God in prayer in fear for the wrongs you have committed. Each time you wanted to pray or ask for a thing, the sins you committed recently would be staring at you right there at your face as you close your eyes to pray. Then you would say to yourself, let me confess and ask for forgiveness over these sins so that He can answer my prayers. At that point, you start confessing your sins. My dear, you will only have a temporal relieve of those sins but it doesn't last because next time they would still disturb your prayers. Sin is the only thing that can make you Come before God full of fear instead of boldness. However, after Christ died for you and everyone else , he totally dealt with your sins achieving forgiveness over them all forever so you can always step into his presence in boldness at any time.

   Fear comes from the devil not God and results from sin. But Jesus won the victory over sin and has set us free from sin's slavery and brought us back to God . 2 cor. 5:18 says "and all things are of God who hath RECONCILED us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation " . So we are now God's children not enemies.  But I want you to know that one thing is certain here; you cannot be among the sons of God if you have not accepted Christ redemption. For to accept Christ is to believe he has saved you from sin and has therefore, achieved forgiveness over all of them forever for that was the very reason he came; TO TAKE AWAY SIN. Rom.8:3 says" what the law could not do Because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own son who came with the nature like sinful human nature TO DO AWAY WITH SIN.".  So if you believe in Jesus but don't believe in the outcome of his redemption which is forgiveness of your sins once and for all, then you don't believe at all in him. You can't say you believe in a saviour when you don't believe in the outcome of his saving power. But if you have believed, then, you have no reason to think of hell again for a saved person cannot go to hell. There was never a time God made hell for human beings. He purposely designed it for devil and his followers(some angles that followed devil) who planned a coup to usurp the throne of God. But devil swore to take along side him we human beings that God has created in his image and thereby tricked human to disobey God which brought sin to us separating man from God. This very act of disobedience made us victims of hell. But God's love for us to be his children is greater than his anger over sin. He cherishes to have an intimate relationship with us as father and sons and to always come before him in boldness. As a result, He had to on his own, do what has never been done just to make sure our relationship with him does not go sour. To this end, He on his own will reduced and limited himself within the confinement of a human being to be able to pay the wages of the sin we committed and set us free. He satisfied the demand/ consequence of sin which is death by facing death on our behalf that through Your faith in his redemption you will have full rights as his own . That way, he destroyed the works and plans of devil over us. Sin has been paid it's full wage. God paid off sin to purchase you back. He handsomely paid sin our debt. Sin no longer has right over you except you give it chance. If you give devil chance to accuse you after God has paid him off then that is your own problem. When you do wrong even after being saved, devil would always come to accuse and condemn you through your thoughts. He would say to you, see you, you claim to be saved and forgiven yet you did this or that. Can't you see you are still a sinner? How do you think God would forgive you again? 

      When you buy those lies of the devil, you will shrink back in fear not wanting to approach God or even pray because you think God is angry with you. But beloved, be smart enough to remind him that your father has paid him handsomely even in advance and has therefore no right to accuse or condemn you and he would run from you. When you do this, approach your father thanking him for the forgiveness of your sins and ask him to help you live righteously. God can never throw you away henceforth because he bought you with a costly price--- the blood of Jesus except you do not believe. Your being God's son is your choice now not even God's, for he has done everything for you to put you right with himself by giving you Jesus. You have to key in into his saving grace(Jesus) by believing in Jesus and the outcome of his redemption.

   As for me, I live each day in Thanksgiving. I thank him for forgiving me my sins, for making me righteous, for making me his son, for saving me from eternal death and for giving me eternal life etc. What do you thank him for? Do you thank him for redeeming you or otherwise? Be wise, about your salvation, You have been made His Son. That is your true identity. SEE YOU SOON! LOVE YOU DEEPLY.