(Not) Everyone is a Child of God
In my sermon “Love Is Our Testimony,” someone pointed out to me that I said something in my conclusion that probably needs more explanation. “It’s possible to know what God says and still fail to show people who God is.” In other words, we can know the Bible really well, know the right things to say, know what God expects of us, and even be able to tell other people what God says. And yet, sometimes we still fail to actually reflect God in the way we live. That’s because there is a difference between knowing about God and showing people what God is like.
That thought brought me to a statement I’ve heard a lot, including from the late, great Ms. Dolly Parton. Famously, she said, “We’re all God’s children. We all have a place in this world. We all need to be loved and respected.” I don't mean to disparage Dolly in any way. I will always love you, Dolly (pun intended). But biblically, two of her statements are absolutely right. The third is often a misunderstanding of Scripture. And it’s so common that I think it is worth talking about.
It’s true that we all have a place in this world. All life matters and deserves to be loved and respected. Every human being has value and dignity, regardless of what they have accomplished, what they believe, or how they have lived their lives. The Christian understanding of human worth doesn't begin with what we do; rather, it begins with what God did when he created us.
From the beginning in Genesis, humanity was created in the imago Dei, the image of God. And every person carries something of our Creator's image. God didn't create some people in his image and then create others as lesser versions. Being created in the image of God is actually part of what it means to be human. It’s His breathing of life into our humanity. There is something deeply personal about that picture. That we aren't simply products that came off an assembly line. We are God's prized creation.
Paul expands on this idea in Colossians when he writes, “...for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16, NRSV). All of us are God's creation. And there’s very little doubt that God loves his creation. John does one better, giving us the most universally recognized verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world...” (John 3:16). And notice here that he says the world. He didn’t say the church or people who already believe or people he likes because they cleaned up their lives and started doing everything right. He says: The world.
God has spent thousands of years loving people who don't love him back. That’s part of what makes God's love so amazing and impossible for us to fully comprehend. So the leap from there to “We're all God's children” makes sense. If God created everyone and loves everyone, then obviously everyone is his child. Except that's not quite what the Scripture says.
The Scriptures make a distinction between being God's creation and being God's child. And that distinction actually begins with Jesus. The New Testament is pretty clear that God has one unique Son: Jesus. And the rest of us are able to become God’s children through him. As John says, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12, NRSV). The distinction here is that His creation has to actually believe it. This is further realized through the important word: become. If everyone is inevitably a child of God, there’s no need to actually become one.
Paul uses a different word for the same idea. In Ephesians, he writes that God “destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5, NRSV). Adoption only makes sense if there is a difference between being outside the family and then being brought into it. God's love does come first, and doesn’t start when we become his children. He created us, and He loves us. But He also pursues us, and through Christ, He invites us into His family. That is a very different message than saying we’re all already God's children simply because we exist. And Jesus himself made this distinction.
There is a strange little episode in the Gospels where Jesus’ family comes to speak to him. He was taking a lot of time to teach a crowd near the sea, so then after what felt like an eternity, one of his family members grabbed a man’s arm and said, “Get word to Jesus and tell him his mother and brothers are standing outside waiting for him.” The man obediently worked his way through the crowd. Once Jesus knew they were there, surely he would turn the crowd away for the moment and listen to them, wouldn’t he?
The man must have returned to them and sheepishly hung his head toward the ground. “He said…he said…” “What? What did he say?” they demanded, seething through clenched teeth. “He asked the crowd, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Those who do what I say are my brothers, sisters, and mother.”’ Mary and all the brothers must have been stunned into silence (Matthew 12:48–50).
There is no record that Jesus ever actually came out to see them. Instead, he went out and sat by the sea and told a few more parables. Which makes me wonder what happened to Jesus’ family after that. He taught about marriage once but didn’t directly have a lesson about family. By today’s standards, he was not following the “family first” model we so strongly hold to. Ironically, he often taught the opposite. “Let the dead bury the dead…Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”
Jesus wasn't saying that Mary didn't matter or that his biological family was unimportant. He was doing something much bigger. He was redefining family, namely, that the family of God isn't based on biology. It is based on relationship. And relationship with Father God.
Then we get to John 3, which is where this becomes especially interesting. We tend to remember John 3:16 as a verse that stands by itself, but it is actually part of a larger conversation Jesus is having with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night, and Jesus tells him that he must be “born again.” That must have sounded strange to Nicodemus. He was already a religious man. He already knew the Scriptures inside and out, as a leader in the Jewish community. Yet Jesus tells him that something new has to happen in him. Jesus tells him that being born isn’t enough. He needs new life. He needs to be born again.
In other words, being born physically into this world doesn't automatically make us children of God. Though Scripture does use the language of being God’s children in more than one way, the New Testament reserves “children of God” in a more specific sense for those brought into relationship with God through Christ. This is what Jesus is talking about when he tells Nicodemus that he must be born again.
It sounds wonderful, and in one sense I understand why we want to use it. We want to tell people that they matter, that they are important and that God loves them. We want to reject the idea that some people are somehow more valuable than others. And though we should do all of these things, we can’t change what Scripture says in order to do them. So again, every single one of us is created in the image of God and has an inherent dignity. We are created and loved by God, and have a place in this world. We deserve to be treated with love and respect. But according to Scripture, not everyone is a child of God.
That might be difficult to hear, but the gospel is actually better than that. The gospel is that God invites us into his family. We don't have to pretend that we're already there or earn our way in to make ourselves worthy of adoption. God has already made the way through Jesus.
So this brings me back to where I started. It is possible to know what God says and still fail to show people who God is. In fact, I think that's one of the great dangers for those of us who spend a lot of time around church. We can become very familiar with what God says while becoming less and less familiar with what God is like. We might defend truth while being unkind. We can quote Scripture while treating people without dignity. We can use phrases like “God is love” while making people feel as though they are way beyond his reach. We can be right about God and still give people the wrong picture of God.
That is why the distinction between God's creation and God's children matters. We don't have to believe that everyone is already a child of God in order to love everyone. In fact, the biblical picture gives us an even greater reason to love them. And that’s because we are God's creation, bear His image and He loves each of us so much, He was willing to send His own child to us. And if we have been adopted into God's family through Christ, then we have been given the privilege, and the responsibility, of showing people what our Father is like. That's what I was really getting at in my sermon. Our testimony isn't simply what we say about God. It is also what our lives tell people about God. If we call ourselves children of God, then somewhere in the way we love, forgive, listen, serve, disagree, welcome, and treat people, they need to catch a glimpse of the Father who adopted us. We won't always do it perfectly. I certainly don't. But that's the calling: To know what God says, and then, by the way we live, help people see who God is.
That thought brought me to a statement I’ve heard a lot, including from the late, great Ms. Dolly Parton. Famously, she said, “We’re all God’s children. We all have a place in this world. We all need to be loved and respected.” I don't mean to disparage Dolly in any way. I will always love you, Dolly (pun intended). But biblically, two of her statements are absolutely right. The third is often a misunderstanding of Scripture. And it’s so common that I think it is worth talking about.
It’s true that we all have a place in this world. All life matters and deserves to be loved and respected. Every human being has value and dignity, regardless of what they have accomplished, what they believe, or how they have lived their lives. The Christian understanding of human worth doesn't begin with what we do; rather, it begins with what God did when he created us.
From the beginning in Genesis, humanity was created in the imago Dei, the image of God. And every person carries something of our Creator's image. God didn't create some people in his image and then create others as lesser versions. Being created in the image of God is actually part of what it means to be human. It’s His breathing of life into our humanity. There is something deeply personal about that picture. That we aren't simply products that came off an assembly line. We are God's prized creation.
Paul expands on this idea in Colossians when he writes, “...for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16, NRSV). All of us are God's creation. And there’s very little doubt that God loves his creation. John does one better, giving us the most universally recognized verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world...” (John 3:16). And notice here that he says the world. He didn’t say the church or people who already believe or people he likes because they cleaned up their lives and started doing everything right. He says: The world.
God has spent thousands of years loving people who don't love him back. That’s part of what makes God's love so amazing and impossible for us to fully comprehend. So the leap from there to “We're all God's children” makes sense. If God created everyone and loves everyone, then obviously everyone is his child. Except that's not quite what the Scripture says.
The Scriptures make a distinction between being God's creation and being God's child. And that distinction actually begins with Jesus. The New Testament is pretty clear that God has one unique Son: Jesus. And the rest of us are able to become God’s children through him. As John says, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12, NRSV). The distinction here is that His creation has to actually believe it. This is further realized through the important word: become. If everyone is inevitably a child of God, there’s no need to actually become one.
Paul uses a different word for the same idea. In Ephesians, he writes that God “destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5, NRSV). Adoption only makes sense if there is a difference between being outside the family and then being brought into it. God's love does come first, and doesn’t start when we become his children. He created us, and He loves us. But He also pursues us, and through Christ, He invites us into His family. That is a very different message than saying we’re all already God's children simply because we exist. And Jesus himself made this distinction.
There is a strange little episode in the Gospels where Jesus’ family comes to speak to him. He was taking a lot of time to teach a crowd near the sea, so then after what felt like an eternity, one of his family members grabbed a man’s arm and said, “Get word to Jesus and tell him his mother and brothers are standing outside waiting for him.” The man obediently worked his way through the crowd. Once Jesus knew they were there, surely he would turn the crowd away for the moment and listen to them, wouldn’t he?
The man must have returned to them and sheepishly hung his head toward the ground. “He said…he said…” “What? What did he say?” they demanded, seething through clenched teeth. “He asked the crowd, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Those who do what I say are my brothers, sisters, and mother.”’ Mary and all the brothers must have been stunned into silence (Matthew 12:48–50).
There is no record that Jesus ever actually came out to see them. Instead, he went out and sat by the sea and told a few more parables. Which makes me wonder what happened to Jesus’ family after that. He taught about marriage once but didn’t directly have a lesson about family. By today’s standards, he was not following the “family first” model we so strongly hold to. Ironically, he often taught the opposite. “Let the dead bury the dead…Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”
Jesus wasn't saying that Mary didn't matter or that his biological family was unimportant. He was doing something much bigger. He was redefining family, namely, that the family of God isn't based on biology. It is based on relationship. And relationship with Father God.
Then we get to John 3, which is where this becomes especially interesting. We tend to remember John 3:16 as a verse that stands by itself, but it is actually part of a larger conversation Jesus is having with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night, and Jesus tells him that he must be “born again.” That must have sounded strange to Nicodemus. He was already a religious man. He already knew the Scriptures inside and out, as a leader in the Jewish community. Yet Jesus tells him that something new has to happen in him. Jesus tells him that being born isn’t enough. He needs new life. He needs to be born again.
In other words, being born physically into this world doesn't automatically make us children of God. Though Scripture does use the language of being God’s children in more than one way, the New Testament reserves “children of God” in a more specific sense for those brought into relationship with God through Christ. This is what Jesus is talking about when he tells Nicodemus that he must be born again.
It sounds wonderful, and in one sense I understand why we want to use it. We want to tell people that they matter, that they are important and that God loves them. We want to reject the idea that some people are somehow more valuable than others. And though we should do all of these things, we can’t change what Scripture says in order to do them. So again, every single one of us is created in the image of God and has an inherent dignity. We are created and loved by God, and have a place in this world. We deserve to be treated with love and respect. But according to Scripture, not everyone is a child of God.
That might be difficult to hear, but the gospel is actually better than that. The gospel is that God invites us into his family. We don't have to pretend that we're already there or earn our way in to make ourselves worthy of adoption. God has already made the way through Jesus.
So this brings me back to where I started. It is possible to know what God says and still fail to show people who God is. In fact, I think that's one of the great dangers for those of us who spend a lot of time around church. We can become very familiar with what God says while becoming less and less familiar with what God is like. We might defend truth while being unkind. We can quote Scripture while treating people without dignity. We can use phrases like “God is love” while making people feel as though they are way beyond his reach. We can be right about God and still give people the wrong picture of God.
That is why the distinction between God's creation and God's children matters. We don't have to believe that everyone is already a child of God in order to love everyone. In fact, the biblical picture gives us an even greater reason to love them. And that’s because we are God's creation, bear His image and He loves each of us so much, He was willing to send His own child to us. And if we have been adopted into God's family through Christ, then we have been given the privilege, and the responsibility, of showing people what our Father is like. That's what I was really getting at in my sermon. Our testimony isn't simply what we say about God. It is also what our lives tell people about God. If we call ourselves children of God, then somewhere in the way we love, forgive, listen, serve, disagree, welcome, and treat people, they need to catch a glimpse of the Father who adopted us. We won't always do it perfectly. I certainly don't. But that's the calling: To know what God says, and then, by the way we live, help people see who God is.
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