There Is No Third Option
Many times in Scripture, God calls us his kids, as in children of God. In only a few places, however, does the Bible talk about children of the devil. Yet we must be aware of both.
Two Choices
John writes that there are children of God and children of the Devil (1 John 3:10). He doesn’t state a third condition. Implicitly there isn’t one. We are either God’s children or the devil’s. There is no middle ground.
From God’s perspective, there is no continuum of existence between these two extremes. We are either one or the other. Spiritually speaking, we are a child of God or a child of his enemy; there is no in between space.
This means we’re either in or out.
Children of God
Though God only has one Son, we can all be children of God through Jesus. It’s a beautiful thing. All we need to do is believe in Jesus’s name (John 1:12-13).
Then he sends us the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us (John 14:26 and John 20:22). When we let God’s Spirit lead us, we prove that we are God’s children (Romans 8:14).
As God’s children, we become his heirs (Romans 8:17). We are heirs of all he has. What a great inheritance we will receive, one with eternal consequences. We will live forever with Father God and Jesus, his Son.
We become his children through adoption (Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:4-5) and through our spiritual marriage to his Son (2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 19:6-9), who gave himself to us to make us pure (Ephesians 5:25-27).
In these ways we become part of the family of God. And we are to love God’s family (1 Thessalonians 4:10 and 1 Peter 2:17).
Children of the Devil
The opposite of being children of God is being children of the devil. If the thought makes you shudder, that’s good. It should. This is because everyone who is not a child of God is a child of Satan.
John teaches us that everyone who does not do what is right are children of the devil. So too are all who don’t love their brothers and sisters (1 John 3:10).
In contrast, we prove we are children of God by loving him and obeying his commands (1 John 5:2).
But this doesn’t mean we can work to achieve our position in God’s family (Ephesians 2:8-9). One of God’s instructions is to believe in Jesus (Romans 10:9). Then, because of our salvation, we show our appreciation to God by loving him and doing what he says to do, just as good children should.
Elymas the Sorcerer
We see a tangible example of being a child of the devil in the book of Acts (Acts 13:6-12). On the island of Paphos, Paul talks to the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, about Jesus.
The proconsul’s attendant is Elymas (that is, Bar-Jesus), a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet.
Elymas opposes Paul and tries to keep his boss from putting his faith in Jesus.
Under the Holy Spirit’s direction, Paul proclaims that Elymas is a child of the devil, an enemy of all that’s right. Furthermore, Paul confirms that Elymas is full of deceit and trickery, perverting God’s ways.
To show the power of God, Paul proclaims that Elymas will go blind for a time. Immediately he loses his sight and needs someone to lead him. When Sergius Paulus sees this, he believes.
While we might be quick to condemn Elymas and insist we aren’t at all like him, consider what Paul proclaims about him.
First, he is the enemy of what is right. The Bible tells us what is right. If we reject some of what Scripture teaches, we also are an enemy of what is right—just like Elymas.
Next, Elymas deceives and tricks people. When we say things about God that the Bible doesn’t support, we likewise deceive people—just like Elymas.
Third, he distorts God’s righteous ways. If we twist God’s standards of righteousness into something contrary to what he wants for us, we likewise pervert his ways—just like Elymas.
May we never be like Elymas, a child of the devil. Instead, may we believe in Jesus and be a child of God.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.