Believers are family. When we trusted in Jesus for forgiveness and accepted his leadership we gave expression to the fact that we had been born of God and adopted into His family. We all know how families work. That is often a problem, because God’s family does not run like the ones we are familiar with.
Here are four key attributes of God’s family.
- Hand-me-downs are not to be rejected. We are to be clothed in Jesus. We are to wear his hand-me-downs. His character, values and priorities are to become ours. In other words our conduct and choices are to be what he would do and choose if He were living our lives, facing our circumstances with our challenges.
- God has no favourite adopted sons or daughters. God loves each believer unconditionally and equally. Ethnicity, social class, gender and other status markers are never grounds for greater access to God’s grace and goodness. Yes, there are real differences among God’s kids, but those distinctions never should justify disparity or prejudice.
- Selfless solidarity is how His kids relate to each other. Sibling rivalries and jockeying for preferred positions is set aside. Instead of trying to be “number one”, we understand that we are one in Christ. We do the “one-anothers”. We bear with each other, care for each other, restore each other, and advance God’s true good in each others lives.
- Our family inheritance is sure. We don’t have to worry that we will be left out, or that God’s blessings are limited and might run out. We already have a foretaste of our future riches: we are forgiven, filled with the Spirit and recipients of grace-gifts. We are co-heirs with Jesus, not so we can indulge ourselves but so that we like Abraham can be a blessing to our neighbours and the nations beyond.
Welcome to the family! How can we live it better?
Audio sermon here.
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