Christian music artist Tauren Wells released a song called “All God’s Children” this past December. It’s a beautiful song that brings awareness to the human trafficking that is happening all around the globe and reminds us that no person, and especially no child, deserves this kind of treatment. Every person is created in God’s image and worthy of love and freedom. The song goes,

“We are all God’s children, made in His image. Perfectly loved, worthy of freedom. All God’s children, made in His image. Perfectly loved, worthy of freedom. Held and treasured every soul together. All God’s children, made in His image. Perfectly loved, worthy of freedom.”^[1]

“All God’s Children” really is a great song with a great message. But is it actually biblically and theologically accurate? You may be thinking, “Well, of course it is!” After all, loving people who are created in the image of God is something we are commanded to do in Scripture (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39, Galatians 5:14). But is everyone a child of God?

While it is true that every person is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), not every person is a child of God. The sin nature that we inherited from the Fall separates us from God (Genesis 3). In our natural states, we are not children of God. We are instead children of wrath. Paul writes to the Ephesians,

“And you were once dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Ephesians 2:1-3, ESV

John makes it clear in his first letter that there are two types of people on this earth – children of God and children of the devil (1 John 3:10). And Paul writes in his letter to the Romans that the children of God are not the children of the flesh (all humankind), but the children of the promise (Romans 9:8).

How can we become children of the promise, children of God? It’s simple. All we have to do is believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior-

“But to all who did receive Him, who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

To become children of God we don’t have to follow a certain list of rules or gain enough knowledge and wisdom. All we have to do is have faith in Jesus and the work He did for us on the cross (Galatian 3:26). When we have faith in Jesus, we are saved, redeemed, and adopted by God (Galatians 4:5-6), and God chose to adopt us as His children before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5).

But being a child of God is more than just a nice title. It’s more than just a golden ticket into heaven. Being a child of God comes with an expectation. In one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Paul writes,

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:16-17

As children of God, we will suffer. We will experience persecution. We will be hated by the world. But we must remain faithful to our Father in heaven and steadfast in our obedience of His Word. And as we persevere in our faith, we can be encouraged by the fact that we will one day be glorified and be in the presence of the Father for eternity.

So, is everyone a child of God? No. Only those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus are saved and adopted as children of God. If you have not trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your life is indeed valuable, for you were made in the image of your Creator. However, you are not a daughter or son of God because your sin in separating you from His perfect holiness and righteousness. But if you have repented of your sin and trusted in Jesus, your sins are forgiven, and you are a daughter or son of God. Praise Him today!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” Ephesians 1:3-4

^[1] Tauren Wells, “All God’s Children,” Provident Label Group LLC, track 1 on “All God’s Children – Single,” 2020.