Who is included in God’s family?

Often in Christian circles, we’ll toss around the idea of being a “child of God” or being included in God’s family. What does this mean? While God made everyone in his image, is everyone a child of God? Are some included and others excluded? If so, who?

Sons of Abraham

God has always desired a relationship with all people. However, we have the tendency not to reciprocate, preferring our own way. From the time of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3) through the rebellion at Babel (Genesis 11), people distanced themselves from God. As a result, God chose one family line, Abraham, for himself, giving the other nations over to lesser spiritual beings (Deuteronomy 32:8-9).

God promised Abraham descendants who would be the start of God’s special family on earth. God cut a covenant with Abraham as a blessing to the whole world (Genesis 12:1-3). However, God would fulfill this promise through the line of Isaac, even though Abraham had other sons.

Generations later, God continued to partner with the descendants of Abraham, namely the tribes of Israel. After rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, he “married” them with a covenant at Sinai, strengthening the family bond further. The definition of who was in and out of God’s family may have seemed obvious: only Israel had a special relationship with God. You needed to be an heir of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God told the Israelites that they would be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6), representing God to all people. Abraham’s descendants were to live in ways that showed how great their God was, to draw the non-Israelites back into a relationship with him.

Born again

As a result, many Gentiles were drawn to God and became Jewish to become part of God’s family. In fact, some of Jesus’ lineage included former Gentiles, like Rahab the Caananite and Ruth the Moabitess.

The options to become Jewish in the first century were threefold. One be born a Jew, become a proselyte (convert) to Judaism, or marry into a Jewish family. After performing certain rites, including repentance and ritual cleansing (baptism), a non-Jew could be “born again” as a Jew. Through this process, an individual gained all the privileges and benefits of being a Jew, as well as all the responsibilities of God’s covenant with Israel.

However, those not willing to go the whole way (including circumcision) could still serve God as “God-fearers”. They could participate in synagogue worship and teaching, but they were not generally considered fully-fledged members of God’s family. Jews welcomed them, but only as second-class citizens or distant relatives. They could not participate in temple practices or fully integrate into the community.

Children of God

With this context in mind, John 1 asserts this radial statement:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 1:12-13 (NIV)

Who is in God’s family? According to the gospels, it’s not simply people born Jewish (“natural descent”), proselytes who decided to convert (“human decision”), or people who married into the family (“husband’s will”). All who repent and believe in God through Jesus, including Gentile God-fearers, are welcome in God’s family as his children and heirs. As Paul puts it, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29).

This helps us understand Nicodemus’ confusion in John 3:4. Jesus had asked him to be “born again”, but he was already Jewish! Jesus welcomed into his family anyone who would repent and believe in him, the promised son of Abraham. You did not need to be born again as a child of Abraham, but spiritually as a child of God.

God includes in his family some we might consider as outsiders, like tax collectors and “sinners” (Matthew 9:10-13). But some we assume as insiders, like the religious, may actually be out of God’s family if they only rely on their heritage or status to be justified (Luke 3:8; Romans 9:6-7).

One God, one family

This is one of the main points Paul conveys in his letters. The good news is that even Gentiles who trust in the Jewish Messiah are full members of God’s family, without the need to become culturally Jewish. Likewise, Jews need not give up their covenantal and cultural identity to follow Christ. There are cultural differences between Jews and Gentiles, just as there are physical differences between men and women. But we are united in one blended family of God (Galatians 3:28).

During the times of Paul, there was a physical dividing wall that forbade Gentiles from accessing the temple. Paul uses this as a metaphor, that Jesus has torn down the cultural divide between Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:13-16). By removing the cultural hostility between these two groups fueled by religious devotion, Christ has united them into one body that follows God.

Jesus welcomes all who put their trust in him into his family. He has adopted us as heirs alongside Israel (Ephesians 1:5, 3:6). May we welcome warmly our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world as one diverse but unified family of God.

For more examples of Jesus’ radial inclusion into God’s family, as demonstrated by table fellowship, watch episode 7 of our Communal Culture video series.