Are You An Orphan or a Child?
In his classic book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer writes, “What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father…If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father…For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. ‘Father’ is the Christian name for God.”
Of all the benefits of the gospel offers, none is higher than this truth of the Fatherhood of God. That sounds like an overstatement, but even though justification sets us right with God, it’s the Fatherhood of God that brings us into the family. As Packer says, “To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.”
This privilege is not for just anyone. The Apostle John opened his gospel by saying, “To all who did receive [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12-13). Only those who’ve accepted Jesus can claim to be God’s children. And only those to whom God has come can accept Jesus. So it’s a gift of God that makes us children of God. The Bible’s word for this new reality is adoption. Paul says in Galatians 4:4-5, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” We become children of God through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, makes us his brothers through his propitiating death.
Adoption does not—certainly, should not—label one as “less-than.” It describes the way we come into the family, not who we are in the family. As Russell Moore says, “There is no such thing in God’s economy as an ‘adopted child,’ only a child who was adopted into the family. ‘Adopted’ defines how you came into the household, but it doesn’t define you as some other sort of family member. In the Book of Romans, Paul defines all Christians, both Jew and Gentile, as having received a common ‘spirit of adoption’ (Rom. 8:15; 9:4).”
But how do we know God is our Father? Is this just some vague hope or is there proof? Well, here is just a sampling of verses from the Bible.
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. (Galatians 3:26)
But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (1 John 3:1)
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:14-16)
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
Even if we believe those verses, which I hope we all do, we can still have a wrong view of the kind of Father God is. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus tells a parable that we know as The Parable of the Prodigal Son, but perhaps it could also be called The Parable of the Father’s Love.
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
Both sons in the parable orphaned themselves. They didn’t see how good their father was. This is not an uncommon occurrence. So many of our problems result from forgetting that we are children of God. Pastor Jack Miller put together a chart to help us diagnose ourselves.
The Orphan
Feels alone. Lacks a vital daily intimacy with God. Is full of self-concern.
Is anxious over felt needs: relationships, money, health. “I’m all alone and nobody cares.”
Lives on a succeed/fail basis. Needs to “look good” and “be right.” Is Performance-oriented.
Feels condemned, guilty, and unworthy before God and others.
Has little faith, lots of fear, lots of faith in himself: “I’ve got to fix it.”
The Child
Has a growing assurance that “God is really my loving heavenly Father.”
Trusts the Father and has a growing confidence in his loving care. Is being freed up from worry.
Learns to live in daily, conscious partnership with God. Is not fearful.
Feels loved, forgiven, and totally accepted because Christ’s merit really clothes him.
Has a daily working trust in God’s sovereign plan for their life as loving, wise, and best. Believes God is good.
What kind of Father is God? He’s the kind of father who runs to meet his wayward children who squandered it all. He’s the kind of father who comes to the self-righteous child who refuses to celebrate. He’s the kind of father we all need, no matter what our personal story is.
The overwhelming biblical evidence is that, if you’re in Christ, God relates to you not like a king to a servant or a boss to an employee but as a father to a child, with warmth and depth, tenderness and care, attention and intention. You’re not an orphan! You’re a child of God! Jesus knew this would be a hard truth to accept, so on his way to the cross, he made a promise: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Why did he say that? Because we fear he’ll leave us. So Jesus promised the Father would send the Holy Spirit to be and abide with us, to tell us we are children of God. He’s not just the Father. He’s your Father. And he wants you to feel his massive heart of love for you. He sent Jesus to show it, and he gives his Spirit to seal it. The triune God is at work right now to communicate his love to you! The Puritan Thomas Goodwin understood this so well. In his book The Heart of Christ, he comments on John 16, where Jesus says that whatever the Spirit hears he will speak.
“All his speech in your hearts will be to advance me, and to greaten my worth and love unto you, and it will be his delight to do it. And he can come from heaven in an instant when he will, and bring you fresh tidings of my mind, and tell you the thoughts I last had of you, even at that very minute when I am thinking of them…So that you shall have my heart as surely and as speedily as if I were with you.”
In other words, those moments when you believe the word of God, when you feel loved by him, those moments are not just coincidental. They are not merely emotional. Those moments when you think, “my Father loves me,” are the precise moments when your Father is thinking of you, and he’s communicating his love to your heart by his Spirit who dwells within you. So if you believe God’s fatherly love for you right now it’s not because I’m telling you it’s true, it’s because he’s telling you it’s true!
