ll men and women are the offspring of God. This is made clear in the 17th Chapter of the book of Acts where Paul addresses the Athenians. The apostle is referring to men as being part of God's creation, and as standing in the relation of creatures to God as Creator. So we all have that relationship with God, whether we believe it or not.
But that’s not enough. We want to know God, more like our Father… our "Daddy". We want a relationship more intimate than the one we already have as created beings. Such an intimate relationship can only bring us to rejoice in the consciousness of that relationship.
In John chapter 1 we read, "As many as received Him (the Lord Jesus) to them gave He power (or right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on His Name."
Matthew 11: 27 tells us that it is impossible to “know” the Father without the Son. Also, in John 14: 6 we get some rather conclusive words: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me". In other words, for us to know God as “Father”, we need to believe in the Person of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way to God as Father. "For through Him (Jesus) we … have access … to the Father" (Eph 2: 18). So to know the Father is one of the greatest precious privileges we can enjoy… It’s open to all. (1 John 2: 12).
"I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father ".
Ok, but what does it really mean? Well, if you have faith in “the Son”, you become a child of “the Father”. At the cross, Jesus, as a man, took upon himself the judgement of God for the redemption of our sins. God had to take away sin. His very nature cannot allow sin in his Presence. He has to get rid of it somehow... judge it. Either God judges the sinners or He finds a Substitute. Jesus was that Substitute. If we believe the work of Jesus on the cross, we are already judged because Jesus took upon Himself the wrath in our stead. That faith gives us Eternal Life and more.
Luke 12 tells us that the Father knows all that we have need of in our pathway through this world. "Every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness". This Father, by the way, is Perfect… unchanging in His constant love… He delights to flood our hearts with the bounty of His heart (so to speak) and his resources are boundless… He is "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort" (1 Cor. 1: 3). No sorrow, no stress, no pain, no anxiety, no pressure, (in our spirit or in our body) escapes Him.
He is also "Father of glory". That has to do with the inheritance He gives us (Eph. 1). In fact, Hebrews 12: 9 and 10 says that if you believe, you will “be made partakers of His holiness".
So there you have it. Faith in Jesus gives you a new relationship with God. He becomes your Daddy, gives you Life and takes care of you daily and in the end, will share with you His Glory. Yes… cool stuff indeed.
