Contrary to popular opinion, no one becomes a Christian just because
they were born into a Christian family. In fact in some ways, the
Gospel can be even more difficult to receive for people of a Christian
family.
I encounter unbelievers from Christian backgrounds all
the time; most recently a young man named David who grew up in a
Pentecostal home, and who drifted away from church and faith during
college. David is now full of doubts and questions, though he really
seems to be seeking God through it all.
How can this be? Shouldn’t children of Christian upbringing automatically be Christian themselves?
I’ve
heard it said that “God has no grandchildren”. What this means is that
no one can be “grandfathered in” as a child of God on the basis of
their parent’s faith. No one is born into this world as a child of God.
Instead, in our sin we were enemies of God as we read in Colossians
1:21: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds
because of your evil behavior.”
Christian home or not, each of us need our own faith relationship with God through faith in Jesus. None of us can rely on our family heritage or credentials; we all have equal need of a Savior. Fortunately, we are told in Galatians 4:4-6, that “…when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
Each of us needs our own adoption into the family of God. It’s not enough to be born into a Christian family; each of us needs to be born again into God’s family, take ownership of our new relationship with God for ourselves, and not just ride on the coattails of our parents.
Thanks for allowing me to record our conversation David! It can be seen at https://youtu.be/XXx9iIvw2R0 on my YouTube channel.
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