We Are the Children of God

Paul wrote to the Romans these words very common to Latter-day Saints: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16).  This verse has often been used in the Church to teach the principle that we are all children of our Heavenly Father in the same sense that the Primary Song “I Am a Child of God” teaches.  For example, in this last April general conference, Elder Brian Taylor said, “I invite each of us to open our hearts to the Holy Ghost, who ‘beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ President Boyd K. Packer’s words are plain and precious: ‘You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven.’”  Sister Rosemary Wixom similarly said in general conference, “We are His. Paul said, ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’  Often the first Primary song we learn is ‘I Am a Child of God.’”  As an apostle, Elder Howard W. Hunter stated, “As children of God, we learn in our young years to know our Heavenly Father in a childlike way, and if we follow the right course, the time comes when we understand the larger meaning of this relationship to our Heavenly Parent. We realize that we are made in his spiritual image as well as his physical image. In our more spiritual maturity, a whole new vista of reality opens to as; and we commence to understand the statement of Paul, who said, ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’”  All of these references use this scripture from Paul to teach the correct principle that all human beings are spirit children of our Father in Heaven. 

               That said, I don’t believe that was the original intent of Paul’s statement.  Read in context, Paul suggested that being a child of God was actually not a given fact but conditional on us.  For example, just two verses earlier he wrote, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”  This would seem to mean that there are some who are not led by the Spirit, and that these are, in some sense, not the sons of God.  Verse 17 also says that if we are “children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”  Again, these are conditional—not everyone is an heir and joint-heir with Christ but only those who “suffer with him” will receive of that glory.  This would imply that not all are really children of God in the sense that Paul here used the term.  In the next chapter to the Romans Paul also said, “They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God” (Romans 9:8).  Here he was suggesting that there are at least two classes of people: children of the flesh and children of God, indicating that by his use of the term all are not “children of God.”  Later in the same chapter he quoted Hosea and said, “And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God” (Romans 9:26). 

               This last verse helps us I believe to see what “children of God” meant here in Paul’s writings: to be the children of God is to be the people of God.  Mormon wrote about the people of Alma who at the waters of Mormon made covenants with God: “And thus they became the children of God” (Mosiah 18:22).  Yes, they were already the children of God in the sense that their spirits were begotten by the Father, but they became the children of Christ as they accepted Him and covenanted to follow Him.  King Benjamin used similar language to his people who accepted his teachings of the Savior: “And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you” (Mosiah 5:7).  Paul taught it this way the Galatians, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).  We become a child of Christ to the extent that we have faith in Him, are baptized, and work to become like Him by seeking to put on His attributes.  All the posterity of Adam all children of the Father in our creation as spirits in the pre-mortal realm, but we must seek on earth to become spiritual children of Christ so we can indeed return back to the Father.