Family Traits

Tuesday, August 06, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

John 8:42–44

If you see a picture of three or four generations of a family together, you can usually identify common traits and characteristics. They may all be tall, or all short. They may all have the same hair or eye color. They may all look like the oldest person in the picture. The reason for that is one we all know well—they are related to each other. They have the same genetic heritage, and therefore they often look and act alike.

The same thing is true in the spiritual world. Despite what we often hear, man is not basically good. In fact the Bible tells us that the sin problem starts at birth: “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies” (Psalm 58:3). We got that sinful nature the same way we get our physical traits. They are passed down to us and we inherit them. Those who are apart from God do not display His nature.

This is not a problem that can be addressed through our devotion, worship, giving, or good deeds. The only way we can get a new nature is to come to Jesus Christ and accept His offer of salvation by grace through faith. Only He can place us into the family of God.

Today's Growth Principle: 

The only way we can of enter God’s family is by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.