Ruminating in the Word of God: On being a child of God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 20:35-36,

"Those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the
resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in
marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels.
They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection."

Not all are considered to be one of "God's children" in this passage.
In one sense, because all mankind has his origin in God as his
Creator, all are thought to be "all God's children". But here, in
Jesus' comment, there are a select few who are considered to be God's
children in a specific sense. These are ones who are set apart, who
are considered "worthy of taking part" in the resurrection of life.

How does one become "worthy" of such an honor as becoming a child of
God? We read in John 1:12, "… to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God".
Belief, faith, trust. All who will embrace Jesus Christ in faith gain
the right to become God's children. Anyone can put their faith in him
and our worthiness is not established by living a morally superior
life. The worthiness to become a child of God is what Scripture calls
"righteousness" and it is the very righteousness of Jesus Christ that
becomes ours, what we share in when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith.

It is interesting to speculate as to what life will be like for God's
children when they pass through death's doorway into eternity. We are
told that in that life we will not be married, we will be like the
angels and we will not be able to die again. We read in Revelation
21:4 that, "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away."

Becoming a child of God means we will share in the inheritance of
God's Son, Jesus Christ. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit
that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are
heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…" Romans 8:16-17. For me,
this provides much to consider and muse upon… exciting stuff!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com