Are We All Children of God? Part 1

Last Updated on December 4, 2022 5:41 PM by herald

Among some of those who do believe in God, it is popular to think that everyone is a child of God.  For some, that concept simply means that we are “alright” or “cool” with God.  Some take this to another level and say we are all “gods” or even “God”.  Is this really true? 

According to Wai H. Tsang “when a person truly experiences herself or himself as God, then this is not some illusion. Rather the experience of becoming God is to see things as they really are”.  (http://www.iawwai.com/EveryoneIsGod.htm).

Interesting so far. Like you, I am itching to hear more, so let’s see what else the author has to say:

“It is the discovery of our true nature and the realization that it is material physical existence that is really illusory. When we see beyond the appearances of ‘normal’ physical reality then we are no longer trapped in the delusion that we are our physical bodies.

I am in full agreement with that last sentence. Why? Because it helps us to address the question we asked: Are we all children of God? 

It is true that what we can see in the mirror is not all there is to us!  There is an immaterial part of us that is referred to as the “soul ” or the “spirit”. We will leave any discussion on the difference between these two for another time.

But how does having a soul or spirit relate to whether or not we are all children of God?  Let’s address that.

In the dictionary, one of the meanings given for child is “creation”.  So, we are all children of God in the sense that we are his creation or offspring by descent from the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.   Nothing surprising there.

But we use the concept of child in many different ways. For example, an architect may describe some high-tech building project is his or her “baby” or  a teacher may describe a class of children with whom she has particularly good relationship as “her children”. 

I doubt whether anyone would argue that the building and the architect are one and the same, let alone the building itself! Neither would the students in our second example think, in any seriousness, that the teacher is their biological mother!

So to say that we are all God because we are his creation is accurate in only one sense.

This question we are studying shows up in metaphysics as the foundation question, “Who am I?” For those interested in such things, metaphysics is “the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space”.

The Nicodemus Dilemma

In the Christian Bible, Jesus addressed this question several times. In this article, we look at is treatment in the story of Nicodemus. We suggest you do a quick read do the story which can be found here.

Jesus, being who he is, recognized that Nicodemus was “beating around the bush” and “buttering him up” so to speak.  So Jesus got straight to the point and answered his unasked question. 

“Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” 

Jesus preached frequently and consistently about the kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven.   So what Nicodemus really wanted to ask was “How can I become a member of the kingdom of God?  

Jesus’ answer threw him.  We know this because the next thing Nicodemus asked was:

How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?” John 3:4 BSB

For background, it should be noted that the religious sect to which Nicodemus belonged was distinguished by its strict observance of the traditional and written Mosaic law of what we have come to call Judaism, one of  the major religions of the world widely regarded as the forerunner of Christianity.   

Because of their adherence to Judaic “code”, members of the sect felt themselves superior. If there was anyone who should be considered the children of God it ought to be them. At least that was their view.  Those interested in more details on the Pharisees can find resource material here.

But it is Jesus’ next answer to Nicodemus that should begin to connect the dots in this discussion.   

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. John 3: 5-6. BSB

Awakening the Dead

The immaterial or spiritual aspect to our existence is capable of a life of its own. When individuals are born naturally, that spiritual aspect is to all intents and purposes is dormant or dead. 

It is the understood goal of most religions and metaphysical enterprises to help individuals awaken or quicken that dead or dormant side of our being. Different religions and metaphysical enterprises will give different explanations for the death or dormancy of the spirit in the natural man. They will also give different explanations for how the spirit can be awakened or quickened (made alive) again.

For example, some will argue that the spirit is trapped in the body. To liberate it therefore, one has to inflict pain on the body or fast for an extensive period of time or totally deny worldly or physical pursuits by becoming a monk or a nun.

Other religions and metaphysical projects will argue that the spirit must be enlightened. To enlighten the spirit, the individual must go through certain ancient metaphysical teachings or embark on a long journey.  The latter was the method supposedly taken by the individual who became the Buddha.

Christianity claims to be unique in awakening that “dead” part of self. It is that claim which we shall discuss in detail Part 2 which is now available by clicking the image below:

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Article by Aldon D. Tull who can be reached at herald@thekingiscoming.net  or on Whatsapp 246-846-3191

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