You Can Know You Are God's Child Series

Romans Series # 36 May 01, 2002

Title: You Can Know You Are God’s Child

Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info

Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com

Introduction: Welcome to New Life in Christ. We are currently in Chapter 8 of Romans as we continue with message #36 of our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Romans. Romans Chapter 8 is written to give assurance and certainty to the Christian about life’s most important issues: forgiveness, approval of God, eternal life, etc.

Tonight we will discuss the issue of being a member of God’s family. The Bible text tonight will answer two questions. First, “How can you be sure or certain that you are a child of God?” Second, “What does it mean to be a child of God?”

Read Romans 8:12-17

Opening Prayer

Paul’s main emphasis in this passage is on giving the Christian assurance about their relationship with God. In summary he wants the believer to know that...

When You Are Trusting In Christ You Can Be Certain That You Are God’s Child.

This is a vitally important assurance to have because that knowledge or security in our relationship with God affects our present confidence and intimacy with God, and it also affects our hopeful expectancy for the future. Knowing who we are in Christ impacts every part of your life. When you know that you are God’s child you will relate to him without fear or distance (Romans 8:15.) When you know that you are a child of God you will have a hope for the future they cannot be diminished by present suffering (Romans 8:17-22)

So we see that it is vitally important to know that you are God’s child but how can you know? The Bible clearly teaches that some people are not God’s children! In John Chapter 8 Jesus clearly taught that some people are children of Satan and some people are children of God. While it is clear that God is the creator of all people, it is also clear that not everyone is in a Father/child type of relationship with Him. How can you know for certain that you are God’s child? Paul gives us to ways we can know that we are God’s children. The first of these is found in verses 12-14.

Read Verses 12-14

What is Paul’s basic point in these three verses? We can summarize his basic point as follows:

1. You Can Know That You Are A Child Of God By Your Life Direction.

In other words, if you are a child of God your life will give evidence of that fact. Please note that Paul is not telling people to try hard to do the right thing in order to be a child of God. He is not giving instructions on becoming a child of God but rather he is giving a test for determining if you are a child of God.

Illustration: In our society there have been a few cases were infants have allegedly been given to the wrong parents in the hospital shortly after birth. When there is a dispute about the paternity of a child, we do not do depend on the word of the people involved in the dispute, or the word of the child involved, or the “feelings” of anyone involved concerning the truth about paternity. No, we rather do a blood test, which will determine with certainty the relationship and paternity of that child. In other words we look at the evidence for confidence and assurance.

It is the same way for a child of God. If you are His child, you will have the evidence of that fact. What is the evidence? A new direction in life.

1. You Can Know That You Are A Child Of God By Your Life Direction.

Before we became children of God we demonstrated that we were the "children of the Devil" by our general life direction, which was turned toward sin. (Ephesians 4:17-19) We lived in this way because we were indebted to or slaves of the flesh. When we are born again as children of God we possess the Spirit of God and therefore we have "an obligation but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it."(Verse 12)

If we practiced a lifestyle like the rest of the world we would be demonstrating that we are still controlled by or obligated to the flesh. Those controlled by the flesh do not have the Spirit at all. (Romans 8:9) Those without the Spirit are not the children of God.

Read Verse 13

This verse is not written to scare genuine Christians who may be struggling with sin and therefore believe that they may not be right with God. Paul’s whole purpose in this chapter is to give certainty about our relationship with God, not uncertainty. Keep in mind that Paul was also speaking to those who had not entered into a relationship with God through Jesus. Many of them still felt confident in themselves and the Law so Paul reminds them and us that those who “live according to the sinful nature will die.” (Verse 13)