WE ARE HIS OFFSPRING

Acts 17:24-28
24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, 25 neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. 26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ (WEB)

This is an amazing passage of Scripture that gives us a great example of how to relate to those in the world  around us. Paul the Apostle is on Mars Hill debating with some of the pagan Greek philosophers when he makes this declaration about the one and only true God.

It is brilliant how He uses their own pagan statue dedicated to the 'unknown god' to relevantly declare the good news of the gospel to all who were listening. Note how Paul tells these pagans that God is not far from them, and if they would only reach out their hands, they would find Him... For in Him (God) we live and move and have our being.

Paul then goes on to quote one of their own pagan poets and makes a declaration that might rattle some of our own evangelical foundations when Paul says... 'For we are also his offspring'. In my opinion, this passage clearly says that every one who was every created is considered the offspring of the living God because our Heavenly Father is the source of all creation. He knit us all in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) and He was there the day all of us were born (Psalm 71:6).

The more that we can grasp that all humanity was lovingly created by God, the more that we will be able to feel the pain in our Father's heart for everyone who is still outside of His house. Every person who has ever born, is the offspring of the living God. It is our Father's heart to transform every person from simply being His offspring by creation into becoming His children through the redemptive work of our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. 

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (WEB)