8th Sunday after Pentecost 22.7.12 Child of God
We understand that there is a connection between how a person is brought up and the way he is likely to behave in adult life.
If someone has no stable family life, no role modelling or formation it is likely he will be violent or do destructive things. Alternatively, if he is well brought up and taught to respect self and others then he is not likely to be out vandalising at night.
The same sort of understanding would apply to our knowledge of God. If we have no concept of being loved by God then we are more likely to ‘run riot’ and ignore God’s will, or any laws He has in place.
If, on the other hand, we are fully secure in the knowledge of God’s love we are more likely to keep God’s laws as we do not need to look elsewhere for happiness.
This is our position. We know that God loves us; we are His children. The epistle today reinforces this. We are children of God and heirs to His promise.
Recall the Prodigal Son parable. When the son returned he was not just forgiven and told to start again at the bottom. He was dressed in the best robes, befitting his true status.
He had forgotten who he was. He was prepared to start life again as a slave, but the father would not let him do that. Nor will He let us.
We are children of the King, royal children.
It is not a false pride to assert this, and we do not do it for reasons of pride, but rather to restore our lost self-esteem.
We are embarrassed by our past sins and feel unworthy; yet if we allow the truth to sink in we will be more able to resist future sin as unworthy behaviour of someone who has ‘royal’ blood.
We come to see God as Father, to whom we are intimately connected, rather than as a distant law-maker somewhere out there in the cosmos.
If laws are seen as impersonal it is very easy to break them; but if they are seen as a sacred family tradition they become a lot harder to ignore.
A lot of sin comes from a ‘Who cares anyway?’ sort of mentality; a sense of self-abandon: what does it matter if I sink a bit lower?
The royal child approach makes this very different. How can one who is an heir to the throne behave in such a manner?
Also sin is often an acting out of a sense of grievance that I have been overlooked or not properly treated. Realizing I am a child of God, and have been all along, corrects this.
Sin comes to be seen as irrational behaviour, right out of line; instead of (as presently) seen as normal.
How can we all be royal? This is a foretaste of heaven. It is not necessary that there be winners and losers; everyone can be a winner in this scheme.
On earth we have developed ways of lifting some people up and putting other people down. This is not God’s way and never should have happened here. The arrogant have simply taken over. All that is now reversed. (He has taken the proud from their thrones and raised up the lowly.)
In the Kingdom of God everyone’s true dignity is respected. Some may still be higher than others (as in more glorious) but there is no trace of envy or arrogance.
We are reclaiming the true view of reality - what people are; what they are capable of; what should be happening.
We become free of sin and grow in holiness as we come to know our true identity.
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