What Kind Of Father Is God

How do I become a part of the family of God? How do I become a child of God? How do I get God to be my heavenly Father?

Look at what the Bible says. John 14:6-7 “Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know my Father as well.’” Jesus said, “That’s why I came to earth – to show you the Father so you could get to know God.”

Galatians 3:26 ”We are the children of God through… being religious.” No, that’s not what it says. “We are the children of God by … going to church.” No. “We are the children of God by … keeping the Ten Commandments.” No. “We are the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” That’s the only way you get into God’s family – children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

In human terms there are only two ways you can get into a family. You can be born into it or be adopted into it. There is no other way to get into a family. You’re either born into it or adopted into it. In the Bible, both of those terms are used as explanations of what it means to be a Christian, to be saved, to experience salvation, to become a part of the family of God. By birth –that’s called being born again. Or by adoption – by being adopted into God’s family.

1 Peter 1:3 “God has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family.” When you were physically born you were born into the human family. It’s called the human race. The only way you get into God’s spiritual family is by being spiritually reborn – that’s a change that takes place inside of you when Christ comes into your heart.

Ephesians 1:5 “His [God’s] unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. He did this because He wanted to.”

Either way you’ve got to come to God the same way. Through Jesus. By birth, by adoption – it’s the same way. By faith in Christ. John 1:12 “To those who believed on Him and received Him, He gave them the right to become the children of God.” How do you become a child of God? By believing and receiving. By believing in Christ and receiving Him into your life.

Some of you say, “I believe in Jesus. I believe in God and Jesus. I believe He was who He said He was.” I say, “Congratulations! You’re half way there.” It takes more than believing in Jesus Christ to get into God’s family. You must believe and receive. I must believe Jesus was who He said He was. And I must receive Him into my life and say, “God, You call the shots now. You be my Savior. You be the manager of my life. I’m putting on a sign that says, ‘Under new management.’ God, You’re in charge now from here on out.” When you put your faith in Christ, you believe and you receive Him, then you get into God’s family.

Let me say a word to those of you who are fathers since this is Father’s Day. If you haven’t done this, what are you waiting on? I don’t care if you’re Catholic or Protestant or Jewish or no religious background. No religion will get you into the kingdom of God. No religion will get you into God’s family. No religion will get you to heaven. There’s not one verse in the Bible that says religion is the way. Not one. It says a relationship to your Father is the way, through Jesus Christ. I hope you make that decision today. If you are a father (and I say this to mother’s too), the greatest thing you can do for your children is introduce them to their heavenly Father. That’s the greatest thing you can do. You may teach them to be a Little League All-Star. You may raise them up so they get straight A’s and go to Harvard. They may become famous and make a million bucks and become well know and live a happily ever-after kind of life. But if you don’t introduce them to their heavenly Father, you have failed as a dad. You have failed in the single greatest task and that is to get them to know Christ so they can go to heaven when they die. We’re talking heaven and hell here.