How To Be Certain That You Are A Child Of God

Are you certain you are a child of God? Not every person is born His child, but every person can become one. Here is how to know for sure.

Are you certain you are a child of God? Not every person is born a child of God, but every person can become one. God wants all people to be His child, and there is a way to know this with complete certainty. The answer will affect your life here on earth and your eternal destiny.

Are you a child of God? This is one of the most important questions you will ever ask yourself, and it deserves an answer you can hold onto with complete certainty. Not just a feeling, not just a hope, and not just because someone told you so. There is a way to know for sure that you are God’s own beloved child. Let’s look at that together today.

I was not always certain I was a true child of God, and that uncertainty really bothered me. A lot! I thought that if I truly was a child of God, I should know it beyond any doubt. Shouldn’t something this important, this life-changing, be something I could be absolutely sure of? What I did not fully realize at the time was just how much was at stake, including my eternal destination.

Yes, I needed to be certain I was God’s own beloved child, and I hope you do too!

Most of us know who our earthly fathers are. We are born with fathers. And in a very meaningful way, it is the same with God.

God Our Father

God created all things, so every person is a creature of God. But not every person is a child of God. I know that may come as a surprise to some of you, and I understand if it is hard to hear. But I am not saying this because it is my opinion. I am saying this because God says it clearly and repeatedly throughout His Word.

God’s children are born of Him, but in a spiritual sense. And here is what I know for certain: I would not want to simply be a creature of the God of the universe when I could be His very own child. The difference is not small. It is enormous, and it is eternal.

The good news, the most wonderful news, is that we can know for certain that we are a child of God. To find that certainty, we need to go to the Bible, specifically to the book of 1 John.

What a beautiful and powerful little book, packed with some of the most important truths in all of Scripture! And it just so happens that the theme of 1 John is…

“That You May Know That You Are A Child Of God”

I love that God wanted us to know this for certain, too. He did not leave us to wonder or guess. He gave us His Word so we could be sure.

How To Know For Certain

Here is how we can know for certain that we are a child of God. God makes it beautifully clear…

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.” 1 John 5:1

What God is saying through the words of the apostle whom Jesus loved is this…

If you believe that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews, that He came to planet Earth and died on the cross for your sins because you cannot possibly pay your sin debt, then YOU ARE HIS CHILD!

It is through believing in Jesus that everyone can become a child of God. And only through Him. You are a child of God if you believe. And that belief, that saving faith, is the most important thing you will ever embrace in your life.

But what does it really mean to believe? Because true belief is not just agreeing with a fact. It goes much deeper than that.

True Belief

True, saving belief is something that causes you to surrender your life to Jesus as your Lord. It is not just knowing about Jesus. It is knowing Him, trusting Him completely, and giving Him your life.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

Did you catch that? He gave the right to become children of God. Not to some. Not to a chosen few. To all who receive Him and believe in His name. That is an open and beautiful invitation to every single person reading these words right now.

If you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed One of God, that great belief will cause you to confess your sins, ask Jesus to be the Lord and center of your life, and in that moment, you are born of God, and you are His child.

The Love Of The Father

Have you ever stopped to think about how much God loves you? Not just a little. Not just enough. But extravagantly, overwhelmingly, beyond anything we could ever earn or deserve?

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

Read that again and let it sink in. The Father has LAVISHED His love on us. That is not a small, carefully measured love. It is a poured-out, overflowing, breathtaking love. And because of that love, we get to be called children of God. Not just creatures. Not just creations. Children. His very own children.

That truth should make your heart sing!

And here is what flows naturally from that love. When we truly understand how deeply the Father loves us, we cannot help but love Him back. We will love His Word, we will love spending time with Him, and we will love the people He loves, including our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Loving others is the unmistakable mark that we are children of God. It is the sign the whole world can see.

What Love?

Now here is something worth thinking about. God’s idea of love and our idea of love are not the same thing. The world has a very watered-down version of love. God’s love is something altogether different and far greater.

The love that marks a true child of God is not just a warm feeling. It is not just being kind to people we like. It is a love that is patient and sacrificial. It is a love that forgives, serves, and puts others before ourselves. It is a love that looks a lot like Jesus.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

This is the love that sets God’s children apart. It is visible. It is recognizable. And it is only possible because God first loved us and His Spirit lives within us.

When people look at your life, can they see that love? Not a perfect love, because none of us love perfectly this side of heaven. But a growing, genuine, God-centered, and others-centered love that could only come from knowing the Father?

That is the question worth sitting with today.

🌿 TIP BOX: Want to grow in God’s love? Start by spending time in 1 John every day for a week. It is a short book, just five chapters, and it will change the way you see God, yourself, and the people around you.

You Are His

God wants all of us to be His child. Every single person reading these words right now. He is not willing that any should be lost, and He has made the way beautifully clear. Believe in Jesus. Receive Him. And you are born of God.

If your heart is stirring right now, do not brush past that. That stirring is the Holy Spirit drawing you close. Say yes to Him today. There is no better moment, no better decision, and no greater love waiting for you than the love of your heavenly Father.

You were made to be His child. Come home.

You Might Also Like To Read…

These posts were written with you in mind. If today’s post spoke to your heart, I think you will find something meaningful and encouraging in each of these, too.

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What’s So Amazing About Grace

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A Prayer To Become A Child Of God

If you are ready to become a child of God, this prayer is for you. There are no magic words here. What matters is the sincerity of your heart. If these words reflect what you truly believe, pray them and mean them. God hears every word.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come to You today because I want to be Your child. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, the promised Messiah, who came to earth and died on the cross to pay for my sins, rose again, and lives. I know that I cannot save myself. I need Him.

I confess that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins, and I turn away from them. I receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and I give Him my life. I surrender myself to You completely.

Thank You for Your lavish love. Thank You for sending Jesus. Thank You for making a way for me to be called Your child.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Happy Sunday, friends…