It took the love of God, to send the Son of God, to die and be resurrected so that we could become the children of God as we read in the Word of God as witnessed to by the Spirit of God.
John, the beloved apostle, simply said “of God.” “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
How did we come to be “of God?” John wrote, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
We are the sons of God by virtue of a second birth. For we know that we were all born of the flesh, but those of us who are sons of God were born of the Spirit as well (ref. John 3:5-6).
If we then are the sons of God, the children of God, then let us live in such a way as to honor our Father with our lives.
The Word of God always endorses children to be in subjection to their parents. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1) .
The passage also says, “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3).
Therefore we are to Honour God also, as our heavenly Father, and the church, who is our mother (ref. Galatians 4:26, Psalm 87:5, Isaiah 66:7-11).
Now I suggest to you that, the Love of God, sent the Son of God, to make us children of God, as explained in the Word of God, as revealed by the Spirit of God, how hard is it to believe that the church also is of God?
Well that’s what it says in Acts 20:28 and throughout the Word of God.
In fact, if you read it’s all “of God.” The kingdom of God, the city of God, the house of God, the temple of God, the people of God. The Word of God is full of that phrase of God.
Jesus said, “if any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). Even the doctrine is of God.
And this is no suprise, let’s look at the words of John again in 1 John 4. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Now, what are some ways to know what is “of God” and what is not? John gives us several ways, but look at one he emphasizes.
1 John 3:16-17 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
Now some will say what they do for charity or what they’ve done for this one or that one… but we’re not talking about your giving or your efforts on another’s behalf, we’re talking about a 1 Corinthians 13 type of love and not just for other saints. The Word of God let’s us know we must also love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us as well (ref. Matthew 5:43-45).
We have to love like God loved. It says the love of God, not the love of man. The same love that prompted God to send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for those who had turned their backs on Him; a world full of lost sinners, for the lowest and vilest of us.
Jesus said,”if you love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:46). Everyone gets along with those that love them back, but who treats the person who has done them wrong with that 1 Corinthians 13 love? Who loves that one that’s trying to get them fired? Who loves that one that’s mistreated their child? Who loves the one who’s stole something from them, or ran off with thier wife or husband, or has hurt them in some way? I’m not talking about just tolerates when they come around, but if they hunger, feed them; if they thirst, give them drink (ref. Romans 12:20)… not with a bad attitude (“I hope they choke on it”), but with love which thinketh no evil, which suffereth long and is still kind. Which endureth all things… which seeketh not her own. In other words you’re not just seeing what you can get out of it, or hoping to be repaid in kind, but you’re doing it out of heartfelt love.
The Word of God lets us know that “…though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, an though I give our body to be burned, and have not charity, it profited me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).
How can we do this? How is this possible? How can anyone expect this to be manifest in someone’s life? Romans 5:5 says, “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
We can’t do it in our own strength. We’ll kill ourselves (or somebody) if we try to do it within our own strength, but “the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost…”
Now just because you’re not sanctified doesn’t mean you can fall short. The Holy Ghost is not in you, but He is with you and will guide you (ref. John 14:17). Yet the Spirit empowers us and enables us to go beyond what you can do of yourself, therefore it is necessary to go on to perfection, that ye may be, “made perfect in love” (ref. 1 John 4:17-18).
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