When a person, from their heart, cries out to God for mercy and forgiveness of sins, a miracle takes place! That person is spiritually "born again" (John 3:3-7). They have now become a child of God (I John 3:1). God Almighty is now their Father (Romans 8:15-16). They become a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17) and are immediately added to the only church the Lord is building (Acts 2:47; I Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit of God now indwells them (Romans 5:5; 8:9) while He spiritually applies the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse away their sins (Colossians 1:14, I Corinthians 6:11). The righteousness of Jesus Christ has been imputed to them (II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4th chapter). Their life is now hid in Christ in God (Colossians 3:3) and they are assured to be one day in glory with their Saviour (Colossians 3:4; John 5:24)!
These wonderful aspects of being a child of God may be difficult to immediately comprehend, even as a physical baby does not understand the wonders of its new physical birth.
When a baby is born into this world there is positive proof they are alive. They breathe, cry, wriggle, eat and all the things associated with human physical life. As time passes they grow and perceive more and more of their being and respond accordingly. Even so, when a person becomes a child of God, their new spiritual life is manifest in ways that may be identified as unique to a child of God. Following is a list of such evidence.
A story is told of a young lady who began reading a novel. After a chapter or two she decided the book was rather boring so placed it on a shelf and in a short time forgot about it.
Sometime later she began an acquaintance with a young man. As their relationship developed and deepened, she learned he was an author. One of the names of his books sounded familiar. During an evening at home she searched her bookshelf and discovered the book she had discarded some months before had been written by her new friend. She immediately sat down and now read the entire book, unable to stop until she had finished it.
What made the difference in this young lady's attitude towards the same book? Obviously she was now fascinated by the book because she had an affection for the author. There is a parallel between this story and the experience of a child of God.
To some the Bible may be fables, to others it is dull or confusing and to yet others it may be a little, if ever, read holy book. But, to the one who personally knows the Author, it is fascinating! It speaks to them, describes them, rebukes them, delights them, convicts them and assures them. Within its pages they find solace for troubles, guidance for problems and hope for the future. This is one of the evidences that a person is indeed a child of God.
To one, who really has received the Lord Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour, the scriptures are a letter from the Father to his child. Just as an obedient child grows in his appreciation for his physical father's words of instruction, warning, and comfort, so a child of God thus grows in his appreciation and understanding of God, his Father's words. The more he reads and applies the wisdom of God's word to his life, the more precious it becomes, for indeed it is true and it works.
As the above verses clearly state, there is an automatic love for others who are children of God. In some cases where there may even have been serious animosity between two people, when both are saved there is a marvelous bond of mutual love. It is a miracle performed in the hearts of His children by Almighty God.
There is an immediate bond and heartfelt tie when two children of God become acquainted, even though they may have been complete strangers and from totally different walks of life. Such experience is an evidence of the new spiritual birth of a child of God.
When a person becomes a child of God his horizon is changed. He now has an eternal destiny. Life therefore takes on new meaning. He is no longer bound by the cares of this life. It is not that the Christian no longer experiences pain, fears and heartaches, but rather that now he knows it is only for a short time. He now knows he has One who cares for him, and that One is Almighty and able to rescue him according to His will. The Christian now lives for his eternal hope rather than just obtaining all he can here.
This promise of God is just as available today as it was when the Lord Jesus Christ made it some 2,000 years ago. The true child of God can vouch for it. There is an inner peace and calm of the soul that is the property of every babe in Christ. He now has peace with God! Later, as trials of life come to the Christian, he learns that the peace of God is available to him in the face of sometimes otherwise unbearable circumstances. Just as the presence of a worthy human father calms the fears of his trusting child, so does the presence of the Christian’s heavenly Father as he prays and asks for God’s, guidance and interceding according to His will.
Ever since the fall of our great, great, great grandparents in the garden of Eden, God has instilled a conscience to give guidance to every person. To be sure, men have often seared their consciences so they do not hear this still small voice. A child of God, on the other hand, finds that in addition to his conscience he now has the Spirit of God, Himself, indwelling and directing him. It is as though his conscience has been sharpened. Things that were nominally wrong to him in the past, now become repugnant. He now has a heightened desire to want to please God, not because he has to, but because he wants to.
The child of God finds that he now desires to do good for all people. Whereas before he may have grudgingly done things for others or did so to get self recognition, now he does so in pure love for the other person. Again, these things are not done because he has to, but because now he really wants to. It is the love of God shed abroad in his heart!
Although no child likes to be chastened, it is an evidence of both love and parenthood. As much as the child next door may aggravate us with his disobedience, we do not chasten him. He is not our child. The same holds true with children of God.
Although God has created laws for which there are penalties when broken in the physical and moral realm, He is not at this time chastening the disobedient, unsaved world. He does, however, discipline His children. The severity and form of discipline is Almighty God's prerogative.
In some cases He may simply remove His peace from our hearts causing uneasiness and an awareness of lack of fellowship and communion with Him. In other cases it may be as severe as death (I John 5:6; I Corinthians 5).
As a child of God, His discipline as a loving Father is an evidence of our belonging to Him.
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (Hebrews 12:8)
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