jdglmg
01-20-2004, 08:39 PM
Billy Graham's answer (http://www.billygraham.org/qna/qna.asp?i=3666&s=130)
I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say that we become children of God when we give our lives to Christ. Aren't we all God's children, and isn't He our Heavenly Father, whether we believe in Him or not? After all, He created us, didn't He? -- G.B.
Dear G.B.:
Yes, God did create us, and in fact everything in the entire universe came from Him. As the Bible says, "Through him all things were made" (John 1:3). In that sense, therefore, you are right -- God is the Father (or originator) of everything, including us.
But God becomes our Father in a special sense when we come by faith to Christ, because at that point we become members of His family. You see, before we commit our lives to Christ, we are separated and alienated from God because of our sins. We aren't part of His family because we have turned away from Him. As the Bible says, "at that time you were separate from Christ ... without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).
When we come to Christ, however, God forgives all our sins and makes us part of His family forever. In fact, the Bible says God adopts us and makes us His children. The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
Think of it: When you know Christ, you have a Heavenly Father to whom you can go at any moment. And far greater than any earthly father, He watches over you with a parent's loving care. Are you a child of God? You can become one today, by asking Christ to come into your life.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say that we become children of God when we give our lives to Christ. Aren't we all God's children, and isn't He our Heavenly Father, whether we believe in Him or not? After all, He created us, didn't He? -- G.B.
Dear G.B.:
Yes, God did create us, and in fact everything in the entire universe came from Him. As the Bible says, "Through him all things were made" (John 1:3). In that sense, therefore, you are right -- God is the Father (or originator) of everything, including us.
But God becomes our Father in a special sense when we come by faith to Christ, because at that point we become members of His family. You see, before we commit our lives to Christ, we are separated and alienated from God because of our sins. We aren't part of His family because we have turned away from Him. As the Bible says, "at that time you were separate from Christ ... without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).
When we come to Christ, however, God forgives all our sins and makes us part of His family forever. In fact, the Bible says God adopts us and makes us His children. The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
Think of it: When you know Christ, you have a Heavenly Father to whom you can go at any moment. And far greater than any earthly father, He watches over you with a parent's loving care. Are you a child of God? You can become one today, by asking Christ to come into your life.