The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-02-21
Bv REV. BERT ATCHISON

as received him to them gave iI
power to become the children OF
God. even to them that believe OH
his name" o,,,o.
The title of Sonship, or Children
of God, we find applied in the Old
Testament to the Angels. IN the
New Testament it is applied hfSI
to Jesus. who was the only begot-
ten Son of the Father, and later
to all those who believe IN the
Lord Jesus Christ and are re-
deemed through His blood;
The subject, Glow to Become
Children of God" naturally I'M
plies that we were not always chil-
dren of God and that certain con-
ditions are necessary before any,
one can claim this distinction ana
enjoy such fellowship. The so,
called Doctrine Of the Universal
Fatherhood of God may be very
popular one but is not based upon
the Scriptures as you will see by
this text, as well as many other
passages from the Word of God.
God is the Creator Of all men,
and in that sense we are His OFT
spring., but God is not the Father
of all and therefore all men are
not children of the living God.
Some of the Scribes and Phall-
sees in our Lords day prided
themselves upon the fact that they
could trace their genealogy back
TO Abraham, saying, 1--WE are OF
Abraham's seed" and because OF
this fact they came to the conclu-
sion that God also was their Fa-
Their. In reply to this the Saviour
said, aye are of your father the
. Devil, and the lusts of your father
We will do" The Lord here teaches
I that God is not the Father OF all
mankind but that some possess the
very nature of Satan and receive
their life-giving energy from INN;
/ in other words, they are the chill
dren of the devil.
Perhaps someone might ask,
Does not the Lords Prayer teach
the Fatherhood Of God?" In reply
to this question l would say yes,
but not the "Univel sal Father
hood of God" In fact, no man
can truly and consistently pray
! the Lords Prayer who is not al
ready Christian. Anyone can
/ verify this statement who will re-
! fleet for a few moments upon
, some of the petitions of that
prayer. How can any man or wo-
( man who is still rejecting the Lord
Jesus Christ as their Saviour con-
sistently say, "Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done"--while at the
! same time they are deliberately
setting the will of God aside and
rejecting Jesus Christ as their
Saviour and Lord and thus griev-
! ing Gods Holy Spirit? Surely it
is very inconsistent, if not mock
cry, for the unsaved to pray
/ this prayer. The so-called Lords
Prayer was not given for the I'M
saved but to the disciples of our
Lord who were already protesting
children of God.
1t is true God is the Creator of
us all and therefore we are all
responsible unto Him as our God
and Creator, but nowhere IN the
! Scriptures are we taught that God
is the Father Of all mankind. He
is, however, the Father Of all that
receive Jesus Christ as their per-
sonal Saviour.
The Importance of this subject,
allow to Become Children of
Cod" is brought out when we con-
sider-frst, Who is the Father,
and then, who are the children!
What is their present condition
and standing before God? Also,
what they were before becoming
Gods children. The Father is the
Creator of the Universe, the Heav-
ems declare His glory and the
/ armament sheweth His handlwork.
Anyone would consider it a great
honor to be related to George
Washington OF Abraham Lincoln,
and yet this relationship would be
as nothing in comparison with the
privilege and honor of becoming
a child of the living God. To
whom is this privilege and honor
given? Not to the Holy Angels
of Heaven but to lost sinners who
are saved bv His grace, redeemed
by His precious blood, regenerat-
ed and born again by the Holy
Spirit. All such are adopted into
the Divine family and can truly
say. Abba Father Although
they were once spiritually dead in
trespasses and sin, trey are now
uuickened and made alive by the
Holy Spirit. also indwelt and
sealed by the same HOLY Spirit
until the redemption of the pur-
chased possession which will be
the resurrected and i;iorified body.
The Importance of the subject
under consideration is also mag
nified when we consider the be-
levers inheritance in Christ and
the eternal glory that awaits the
Lords coming. GAS He is, so are
We" is recorded in Johns Epistle /;
Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with
Jesus Christ. The Epistle of Ro.
mans begins with, "No condemna-
ton to those that are in Jesus
/ Christ" and closes with the assur-
ance there will be no separation,
and in the middle of that wonder
full eighth chapter, "All things
working together for good to those
that love God" What more can a
person ask for? Saved with an
everlasting salvation, justified
from all things, sanctifed through
the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all, predestinated
to be conformed to the divine i'm
! ,,,o nf u;S Gov, and r,hap He shall