Born again – a son of God

A. By default we are not born children of God

Sonship is defined from whom we have come. (In this case ‘sonship’ is not referring to gender but origin.) As human beings, we have both a physical and spiritual dimension to our being(1). Each dimension has its own origin: in the physical we originate from our earthly dad; in the spirit, unfortunately, our spirit is sinful because our spiritual father is in fact the devil(2-4).

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. [1Co 15:44 ESV]
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. … You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [Jhn 8:42, 44 ESV]
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [Eph 2:1-3 ESV]
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned– … For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, … [Rom 5:12, 19 ESV

B. You can change your spiritual birth certificate and father

God gives us the opportunity to be born in the spirit a second time(1), giving us a new spirit – His spirit – and we are a new creature or creation(2).
In the same way that sperm is the seed of physical birth, what God has said – His word – is the seed of our spiritual birth(3).
A human son receives the DNA from his earthly father, so too do we receive the spiritual DNA of our spiritual Father – this is called the “Spirit of God”(4).
Because we are born from God, we are therefore sons of God(5-6). We have a right in the legal system of heaven to be children of God; He is our Father.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ [Jhn 3:5-7 ESV]
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation or creature. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. [2Co 5:17 ESV]
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, [1Pe 1:23-25 NKJV]
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. [2Co 1:21b-22 NIV]
But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [Jhn 1:12-13 NKJV]
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. [1Jo 3:1a ESV]

C. God wants to father us and us to be His sons

God came to the world as a son with the purpose of revealing himself to us as a Father.
A father-son relationship (taking the gender part out of it) is a unique relationship. It is made of two separate beings, but a part of the father is in the son. In that aspect, there is a union between the two.
The natural father-son relationship gives us insight into the characteristics of the same relationship in the spirit(1):
- The father has a responsibility to the child to offer security and provision;
- The child has a dependency on the father with the purpose of growing up to be like the father in maturity and values, but not necessarily in personality.
When we are born of the spirit of God, we are born of the same spirit as Jesus (the firstborn son), which unites us to the Father(2). We are able to relate to God as Father in exactly the same way as Jesus was able to relate to his father(2). In the same way that a young child would call out to his father: “daddy!”; that same dependent and expectant connection is in our spirit as we say: “our Father …”(3).

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? … If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! [Mat 7:9, 11 ESV]
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [Gal 4:6 ESV]
your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, [Mat 6:8-9 ESV]