In my nearly 14 years as a pastor, I have discovered that most people seem to think the term children of God is a synonym for human being. I'm not sure how this came to be. Perhaps because Christians are referred to as children of God, and because for many years our culture was presumed to be Christian, the moniker children of God came to be thought of as ours by birth, as a biological thing.
The Bible clearly has other thoughts. C.S. Lewis is following biblical thinking when he has the children in his Narnia books called "sons of Adam" or "daughter of Eve." This is our nature by birth, the heirs of rebellion against God. But the Bible also speaks of a change in this nature through Jesus by virtue of being adopted. Jesus claims us as his brothers and sisters, and it is here that we become God's children.
Paul speaks of this in today's reading from Romans 8:12-27. Speaking of the transformation that comes from being "in Christ," he writes, " ...but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
I know that some folks greatly prefer that they be God's children by birthright. But I find it incredibly heartening to realize that I am God's child because God chose me, because God has gone to the trouble to adopt me. It is no accident of biology. A loving God has claimed me, at great cost, to be part of God's family. Now that's good news!
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