Information Related to "The Family of God"
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God is a family, indeed a growing family, presently comprising two divine beings, the Father and Christ the firstborn, yet ultimately to be joined by a vast multitude of others.
The Father and Jesus have, from the beginning, planned to increase Their kind. The "God kind" is a family! It is headed by the Father and now consists of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:14-15 mentions "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named."
The Father and Christ existed from the beginning and always will exist. It is Their plan and desire to add to Their kind-"bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10). Just as all life was made to reproduce after its own kind as stated throughout Genesis 1, so God patterned man after the God kind. This is the ultimate meaning of verse 26, where God says, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness."
This is a two-stage process. First, God made man physical, of the dust of the earth. Then, through conversion and faith in Christ and obedience to God's spiritual law of love, each person becomes spiritually a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24). This leads to the final birth of new children into the divine family, who are then "like" Christ, Himself the firstborn Son of God (Romans 8:29; Galatians 4:19; 1 John 3:2).
Indeed, just as human children are the same kind of beings as their parents (that is, human beings), so will God's children be the same kind of beings as the Father and Christ (that is, divine beings). This is the awesome destiny of mankind! The God family will expand through God's wonderful plan as revealed in His Word.
All children of this family-including Christ, who has always been with the One whom Christ revealed as "the Father" (John 1:18; Matthew 11:27)-will forever in the future willingly be under the ultimate sovereignty and leadership of the Father (1 Corinthians 15:28). Led by the Father and Christ, the members of this divine family will share a glorious and righteous eternity into the future.
This, then, is the sense in which God is a family-indeed a growing family, presently comprising two divine beings, the Father and Christ the firstborn, yet ultimately to be joined by a vast multitude of others.
For more details on God's intention to make human beings part of His divine family, read our free booklet What Is Your Destiny?
©1995-2022 United Church of God, an International AssociationRelated Information:
Sidebar to A Family Relationship
Origin of article "The Family of God"
Re-published from an earlier version
Keywords: God, family of conversion spiritual creation faith divine family divine beings purpose of life destiny of mankind human potential human destiny
Spirit life: