The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children – Romans 8:16
Let’s start by looking at the word “Spirit”. “Spirit” is referring to the Holy Spirit or Spirit of God. God puts His Spirit inside of us when we repent of our sins and accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour (Acts 2:38).
Now, let’s look at the phrase, “our spirit”. Our spirit is the part of us that is born again when we accept Jesus (John 3:3 to 6 – note verse 6). It is the part that will go to heaven if we have a relationship with Him (Acts 7:59). The Holy Spirit communicates with our spirit when He teaches us, brings to remembrance scripture (John 14:26), or tells us what to pray for (Romans 8:26). It is our spirit that connects with God because He is spirit (John 4:24).
When we say, “Father God”, “Heavenly Father” or “Abba”, as we pray; we are essentially claiming to be children of God because we are calling Him our Father. Although we are speaking with our mouth, our spirit is the part that is calling out to God. If we are born-again, the Holy Spirit then supports our claim, to be God’s children. He testifies to this because He was present when we accepted Jesus. The Holy Spirit was a witness to our acceptance of Christ when God put Him inside of us (Ezekiel 36:27, 1 Corinthians 3:16).
So, what does it mean to be a child of God?… To be a child of God means:
- To have a Father that loves us unconditionally (Romans 5:8). But keep in mind that whilst God loves us, it does not mean that He loves our sins (Proverbs 6:16-19, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). God loves the hair, the eyes, the complexion, the smile, the laugh, that He gave us, but He doesn’t love the hurt that we carry because of unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, jealousy, or addiction for example.
- To have a Father that we can approach at any time, regardless of our location or circumstances. A couple of years back, I was in a car accident. Because I had a head injury, I had to be immobilized. Whilst I was on the hospital bed in a head and neck brace, I was praying for healing.
- To have a Father that will provide for all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Note the word needs. There is a difference between needs, wants and whims. It took me a while to understand this. God knows exactly what we need and provides accordingly, but this does not mean that He caters to our wants and whims.
- To live under the Lord’s protection (Psalm 91). But this does not exempt us from the dangers of unnecessary risks or irresponsible actions. Look at what happened to Samson when he messed around with Delilah (Judges 16).
- To have an inheritance (1 Peter 1:4, Ephesians 1:11). There are many good things that our Heavenly Father wants to give us, but we have to live according to His ways to come into this inheritance. King Saul did not live according to God’s ways. This cost him his inheritance – he lost his kingdom and ultimately his life (1 Samuel 13:8-14, 1 Samuel 28:3-19).
- To have love, honour and reverence for the Lord (Matthew 22:37, Malachi 1:6, Hebrews 12:28)
As children of God, we must endeavour to develop a very close (or intimate) relationship with Him by spending time in prayer and reading His word (our bibles). When we are able to talk to the Lord like a very close friend and share with Him everything that is on our hearts, from hopes and dreams to deep hurts and disappointments, we enter into a deeper level of trust. When we read the book of Psalms, we see a beautiful illustration of this kind of relationship through David.
When we are sincere with God, He responds to us, and we begin to hear from Him. The more we trust (believe or have faith in God) and obey God, the more He can entrust to us. An intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father is vital if we are to fulfil the plans and purposes that He has for us.