JANUARY 18
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 amazing passage of Scripture 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 pagan Greek philosophers when he makes this declaration about the one and only true God.
It is brilliant how He uses their pagan statue dedicated to the 'unknown god' to relevantly declare the gospel's good news 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 pagan poets and makes a declaration that might rattle some of our evangelical foundations when Paul says... 'For we are also his offspring.' This passage says that everyone 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 was there the day we were born (Psalm 71:6).
The more we can grasp that God lovingly created all humanity, the more 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 been 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)
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 amazing passage of Scripture 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 pagan Greek philosophers when he makes this declaration about the one and only true God.
It is brilliant how He uses their pagan statue dedicated to the 'unknown god' to relevantly declare the gospel's good news 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 pagan poets and makes a declaration that might rattle some of our evangelical foundations when Paul says... 'For we are also his offspring.' This passage says that everyone 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 was there the day we were born (Psalm 71:6).
The more we can grasp that God lovingly created all humanity, the more 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 been 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)