SUNDAY CHOICE – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation – by Charles Schokman
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Being a child
Everyone understands what it means to be a child – we have been born from a mother and father. As babies and toddlers we are completely dependent on our parents – to love us feed us, teach us and help us to grow into responsible adults.
God created us all and so we are all children of God. But sadly we have all rebelled and sin has broken our relationship with the Father. God is continually calling out to his children to return to Him, so that the father/child relationship can be restored.
John 3:3
says “unless you are born again you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven”. Nicodemus, the man to whom Jesus said this, immediately thought, how can I be born again? Can I enter my mother’s womb and be born again? No, Jesus was talking about becoming a child of God, a spiritual birth, being included into God’s spiritual family.
God went to great lengths so that everyone throughout the world would have the opportunity to be born again.
Jesus Christ made this possible
Jesus Christ left his home in heaven to come to earth for the very purpose of dying on a cross. The Bible teaches us that everyone has sinned, rebelled against God, and the penalty for that is death. We also learn that if someone who is without sin takes the punishment for us, then we can be forgiven. This is exactly what Jesus did – He took our punishment for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For God made Christ, Who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
How do I become a child of God?
Everyone who believes and accepts this fact, that Jesus Christ died to take their punishment, and then asks for God’s forgiveness, will be accepted into his family.
John 1:12-13 explains: “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God”.
Conclusion: What does it mean to be a child of God?
- Being a child of child of God, means we have been born a second time into God’s family
- God loves me, and proved this by allowing Jesus to take the punishment for my sin
- God is my father in heaven
- God will look after me as his child
- He will provide for me, teach me, discipline me and help me to grow and become a mature Christian
- I will obey him and give my whole life to him so that He can use me however He wishes and will be pleased with me
- I have a responsibility to tell this message to others, so that those who have not yet heard his invitation to come and be accepted into his family may do so.——Courtesy of Eunice Burden.
Pray this hymn will be a Blessing to you.
