“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”
1 John 3:1
God is our Father.
In Jesus Christ, God revealed Himself to humankind as their Father. This does not mean that God is male. God is above human nature, neither man nor woman. He cares for His own as both a father and a mother (Ps 27:10).
God is the Father of all humankind:
- He is the Creator, who has authority over His creatures;
- every person can speak to Him as to a father (Mt 6:9). God knows their needs and provides for them. He makes the sun rise on the good and bad, and sends rain on the just and unjust (Mt 5:45);
- in the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus shows that God is a Father full of compassion for sinners.
Those who reject the teachings of Jesus Christ have a different vision of God and people. They see God as a judge whose purpose is to punish sinners. They think God wants to put this world in order. Jesus made it clear that His kingdom was not of this world. But some people believe they have been given a mandate by Him to rule the world. Others behave towards God in a way that is more idolatry than filial love. They think they can win His favor by bringing Him praise and offerings…
They do not accept the idea that God loves all people with the same love. They are convinced that God’s love for humankind depends on their origin, their belonging to this or that group, their behavior or their religion. They measure God’s love for a person by their well-being. The rich are blessed because they have behaved well, the poor are not blessed because they have behaved badly toward God. Convinced that God wants to punish sinners, some even assume the right to do so in His name and place.
The term “child of God” also has a spiritual dimension. Children of God are those who are reborn out of water and the Spirit—they have received godly life and become heirs of eternal life, joint heirs with Christ. Our filiation is not the result of a human choice but of a godly decision. It was God Himself who chose those called to become His children. He chose them from among sinners of all nations. The term “children of God” refers to those who have received all the sacraments, who believe in the true proclamation of the gospel and who focus their lives on Christ’s return. They absolutely trust and obey their Father (Mt 6:32-35). They bear the name of the Father and the Son and strive to be worthy of it by imitating Christ (Rev 14:1-5). They live in the freedom of God’s children (Gal 4:22-31). Their behaviour is not dictated by material requirements, nor by those around them, but by the Holy Spirit. Faith alone counts for them and it becomes active in love (Gal 5:6).
Christ’s adversary wants to make us doubt our godly filiation. He proceeds with us as he did with Jesus in the desert: if you are the Son of God… (Mt 4:3-11). He encourages us to give more importance to our earthly existence than to our godly filiation. Let us not fall into his trap! Our priority is to become like Christ, not to promote ourselves and our opinions.
These days, many people tend to define themselves by their differences. They insist on being different from others and want to be recognized for who they are. In this context, it is not surprising that society is increasingly divided and shows less and less solidarity. Would it not be better for people to focus on what they have in common? Christ teaches us that God loves us and wants us to be one. The Church is the place where we can overcome our differences and build our unity. In Christ, there is no longer Jew or Greek, nor slave or free, nor male or female—all are one in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:28). Let us recognize and resist the spirit of division!
God is the Father of all people, He loves them with the same love and wants to save them. Believers reborn out of water and the Spirit who focus their lives on Christ’s return will inherit eternal life. We give priority to our godly filiation and the unity of the Church.
The notion of godly filiation is explained in our Catechism, particularly in 3.3 and 8.3.9. God’s love is for the salvation of all people. He will see to it that everyone has access to salvation. But only those who believe in Christ and follow Him can obtain it (Acts 4:12).