Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20040218.htm

APPLYING THE CHRISTIAN'S POSITIONAL RICHES IN CHRIST
Part VIII: Applying The Truth That Believers Are Children Of God
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the most debilitating pains one can know is an inferiority complex caused his or her comparing himself with someone else who is perceived to have more advantages. One may think that because he or she was not born into the "right race" or "right line" or was not raised in the "right neighborhood" or if he or she "once committed a really bad sin" or has a physical handicap or is poor that he or she is "less valuable" than someone else who has such things.
    2. One of the Christian's positional riches in Christ that, when applied, counters such a painful inferiority complex is their Biblical identification as a child of God, cf. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. III, "Soteriology," p. 241-242. We view this truth and apply it for our edification as follows:
  2. Applying The Truth That Believers Are Children Of God.
    1. The moment any human being believes in Christ as his or her personal Savior from sin, he or she is unconditionally positioned in Christ as a "son of God," John 1:12-13.
    2. Consequently, various indescribably invaluable characteristics become true of the believer, qualities that reflect his identity as a "son of God" to counter an inferiority complex as follows:
      1. The moment one is justified by faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell him or her and equips that one to view God as his or her Parent in calling God "Father" through the believer, Rom. 8:15-16.
      2. That believer is also led in his Christian life by the Holy Spirit like a parent leads a small child, 8:14.
      3. Accordingly, the believer enjoys indescribably fulfilling identity characteristics that level the "playing field" on an exalted plane along with every other believer as follows:
        1. Being a "son of God," the believer is actually spiritually born anew (anothen) into the family of God Himself, cf. John 3:6 with John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 1:23; Ibid., p. 241.
        2. Being a "son of God," the believer is cleansed in the sense of being forgiven by God of all pre-salvation sins through his being regenerated into God's family, Titus 3:5; Ibid., p. 241-242.
        3. Being a "son of God," the believer is made spiritually alive from a state of spiritual death so that he has an eternal spiritual destiny of spiritual life, Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13.
        4. Being a "son of God," the believer becomes a new creation, 2 Corinthians 5:17; his old, pre-salvation spiritual origin is swallowed up in his new point of spiritual origin in Christ!
        5. Being a "son of God," the believer is destined to live forever as does God, 1 Peter 1:23; any limit to his earthly life can only be temporary in view of his eternal destiny to live forever, 1 Thes. 4:13-14.
        6. Being a "son of God," the believer is by grace a joint-heir with Jesus Christ of all God has created, Romans 8:16-17; believers are not part owners of creation as coheirs -- we are joint heirs, meaning we individually possess ALL that Christ possesses!
Lesson: The moment any human being believes in Christ as his or her personal Savior from sin, he or she becomes a SPIRITUAL "son of God," a position with the following attributes: he or she is equipped by the Holy Spirit Who through the believer relates to God with the endearing term, "Father"; he or she is led by the Holy Spirit through life like a parent leads a child; he or she is spiritually born anew into God's family, is cleansed of all pre-salvation sins, is made eternally spiritually alive, is a new creation, is destined unconditionally to live forever no matter what happens in this earthly life to him or her, and he or she is a joint heir with Christ and thus individually possesses all that God has made!

Application: A believer who feels inferior to someone else due to differences in pedigree, race, station in life, background, history, financial status, etc. need only focus on his or her "sonship" status before God in Christ for deliverance from such inferiority: that one can call God "Father," is led by the Holy Spirit like a parent leads a child; he or she is spiritually born into God's family with the highest pedigree in the universe, is cleansed of all pre-salvation sins, has a new point of origin as a "new creation" in Christ, is destined for a perfect, eternal existence regardless of physical limitations and is owner with Christ of every thing that God has created (including the whole world, Mars, Jupiter, etc.). He can praise God and RELAX in the VALUE God GRACIOUSLY bestows upon him as His "son"!