Who's Your Father?

John 8:37- 47

Okay, so who is your father?

"Abraham is our father"
We can read about the covenant between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham and his wife Sarah were childless, and beyond the time of life to expect the birth of a child between them. Yet God shared this with Abraham, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be." Abraham believed these words from God. Abraham and Sarah did have a child, as God had promised. As time went on Abraham's descendants grew to become a nation, the men speaking with Jesus were truly descendants of Abraham. Jesus confirms thier claim, "I know you are Abraham's descendants."

Physically from the same line as Abraham, spiritually, though they couldn't make this claim. Why? Because Abraham believed God when He spoke to him, and many of his physical descendants did not. In fact they wanted to kill Jesus, "You are ready to kill me because you have no room for my word." Abraham gladly received God's word, so Abraham is not thier spiritual father, but they are from the the family of thier father Satan. "You do what you have heard from your father", Jesus tells them, and, "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning..."

"You are doing the things your own father does."
Satan is the adversary against God and Jesus. Many of the religious leaders were adversaries against Christ when they set themselves in opposition against Him. Rather than believe God's Word as Abraham did, they resisted Christ's teaching to the point of wanting Him dead. In this respect they became spiritual children of Satan, doing the things he did.

"The only Father we have is God Himself".
Jesus has pointed out that they are not true sons of Abraham, because they will not listen to His what He is telling them. The people then point out that they are not illegitimate, they are the people that God chose to be His own. God is thier Father. What they don't see is that it's more than a label, it's what's in thier hearts.

Now the same holds true for us. Perhaps your parents believe in Jesus Christ. Thier belief doesn't make you a Christian. Becoming a believer is a relationship between you and Christ and involves a change in your own heart. Or maybe you joined a church at some point in your life and identify with that denomination. Joining a church doesn't take the place of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a fine thing to attend church, but a commitment to Christ is what's necessary.

Do you oppose Christ, like Satan, or do you believe what He says, like Abraham?

Who is your Father?