This is another doctrine I learned from the Christians that I’ve been pondering.
If God isn’t a relatable man with a family, what’s our relationship to Him?
Why does He even care about us?
What does it mean to be children of God?
The Christians told me only the believers are Children of God. At first this sounded so backward to me. Of course God loves everyone! Jesus died for everyone!
But then I started to see that God loves everyone, and God invites everyone to repent and receive His grace. But maybe we aren’t literal offspring. maybe the natural relationship is one thing, and then it shifts to a new thing when we accept Jesus.
I had been pondering this for a few weeks, when one morning as I was waking up — no dream, nothing on my mind — when a voice suddenly came into my mind quoting a familiar verse in the Book of Mormon:
“This day He hath spiritually begotten you.” (Mosiah 5:7)
This day? They weren’t already?
They are now his children!
And what just happened in the verses prior? These people heard a (very beautiful, moving) sermon about Christ. They then repented of their sins, their hearts are changed, and they are willing to do the Lord’s will the rest of their lives.
In other words, they were born again.
When we are born again, who is the new parent?
We become the children of Christ.
Hence, we take upon ourselves the name of Christ. Because He is our father, we have a new name (Mosiah 5:8).
(This is the real, Biblical meaning of “new name.”)
Since pondering this concept, I’ve been noticing it more throughout the scriptures:
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven” (3 Nephi 12:44-45; see also Matt 5:44-45)
How many times have I read the sermon on the Mount — in either book of scripture — and never noticed this?! It literally says there’s something we need to do in order to become children of Heavenly Father!
This is mind blowing for Mormons.
Again, all I’m doing is taking their own book of scripture and using it to prove Christian doctrines.
Here’s more from the Bible:
Acts 13:33 “God has fulfilled this for us, by raising up Jesus: ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father’” (Psalm 2:7 is the reference for what he is quoting). Note that we needed Jesus to die for us, in order to become the children of God.
1 John 2:29-3:1 “Everyone who does what is right is born of Him. See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!”
Romans 8:14-15 “For all those led by God’s spirit are God’s sons…you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out ‘Abba, Father!’”
I’m sure there’s more, but I’ve literally only been reading and indexing my Bible for a month. Stick with me and I’ll share all the juicy stuff I come across.
But aren’t scriptures amazing?!
Turns out you can know whether the doctrines you’ve been taught are true, just by reading your scriptures!! Who’da thunk!?
We need to spend more time in the word, ya’ll. And no, I’m not talking about lessons and talks about General Conference. Read your scriptures with fresh eyes and take a look at what they actually say.
Here’s one last verse to consider: John 5:18 “This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him…he was calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.”
Now, we all know in Jesus’s case, He was correct. He really was the literal, biological son of God! But what this is showing is how appalling and blasphemous this idea was to the Jews, that someone could just be God’s literal child, and how that would be making ourselves equal to Him.
Something to consider.
I am adopted
I am beloved
It’s my inheritance
I’m a child of god
So when the liar
Starts mouthing off
I’ll sing in confidence
My adoption song
All I Possess 