Is Everyone a Child of God?

The politically correct answer to this question is all-inclusive: that everyone is a child of God and that we all worship the same God. But is that true? Or are there certain criteria that must be fulfilled to actually “become” a child of God?

The answer to our question is both yes and no. However, to understand who can claim the status of being children of God we must inspect who can rightfully claim God as their Father.

In a Limited Sense, All People Are Children of God

Jesus spoke to his disciples before they were born again using this terminology:

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Jesus spoke to large groups of people (both Jews and Gentiles) with statements like the following:

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32)

So, we see that all people are, in a limited sense, children of God after the creation.

People Become Either Children of God or of Satan in a Spiritual, Supernatural Way

However, Jesus spoke to his detractors in a negative way, saying, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44a; see John 8:38-44).

So those who come under Satan’s domination and influence become children of the devil—in a spiritual, supernatural sense.

In an opposite and positive sense, those who surrender to God’s authority become children of God in a spiritual, supernatural way:

“Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed 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” (John 1:12-13).

The Distinction Between Children of Darkness and Children of Light

Jesus was “the firstborn among many brothers”—people who become children of God in a supernatural sense.

“For those whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom. 8:29).

So there is a distinction between children of darkness and children of light, vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy, children of the devil and those who are the children of God eternally.

For more on the characteristics and qualifiers of the children of God, listen to the full episode of Revealing the True Light on the Charisma Podcast Network here. {eoa}

Subscribe to Mike Shreve’s other CPN podcast on comparative religion called Discover Your Spiritual Identity.