A Fathers Son

1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of aGod! Therefore the world does not know bus, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3: 1 - 2 NKJV

I had a friend growing up whose family I literally became a part of.  Best friends through grade school on through high school, we never seemed to lose that connection.  It was also no coincidence that I was very close with his brothers and the rest of the family through our friendship.  Now, what made this relationship unique was that I myself came from a single parent home.  However, my friends family often took me in and included me in their activities.  Was I a member of that family?  No, but they very often made me feel as if I was.  While genetics kept us apart, our friendship brought us together.  Even though I was not part of the familial relationship, I was treated like I was.  For though my friends father was not my biological dad, I often looked to him as such.  As I reflect on my relationship with this family, I am reminded of a similar situation brought forth by Dennis this afternoon.  Dennis' question was, what is the difference between a child of God and a son of God?  My first thought upon seeing this was of my "adopted" family from my childhood.  In my mind, I was not a child of that family, but they treated me as a son.  There may be many a christian out there in Gods family who have this very same feeling when they first hear that they are children of God.  For they feel a connection and yet see no biological link to our heavenly Father.  They may feel, as I did, that they were just visitors in our Lords family and not really members per se.

13For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8: 13 - 17 NKJV

Imagine my surprise when my doubts about being a true child of God were challanged by Gods word.  There it was in front of me, not only was I indeed a child of God, but an heir of God as well through Christ Jesus.  This indeed played havoc with my emotions as I struggled with my own father issues while growing up.  I admit that this history of mine also plagued my understanding of just who I was in Christ Jesus.  So, for Dennis to pose the very question of the difference between a child of God and a son of God brought me to one conclusion.  That being that there is no difference, for a fathers child is indeed his son by birth.  However, we are not speaking in biological terms here but through the prism of our heavenly Father.  For if we are secure in the knowledge that we are indeed created in our Fathers holy image, then it becomes easier to see ourselves as His offspring, as His children.  This is where I got sidetracked, for I was looking at my relationship with God in human terms, but it is much more than that.  Indeed, my genetic lineage may not be with God, but very spiritual identity lies 100% with Christ Jesus.  It is easier for me now to see myself as a part of Gods holy family.  I AM a son, AND a child of God.

~Scott~