“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

I’ve heard this verse over and over for years, as I’m sure you have as well. But during a recent Bible Study, I was struck by the word begotten. It means to be sired or to be born of the father’s seed. In essence, it means Jesus was flesh of God’s flesh (if God had flesh), and bone of His bone. It’s just like with a natural father and son. The son carries his father’s genetic traits, and as a result, also carries some of his grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s as well. So he could inherit dark brown hair (though perhaps not curly) and big brown eyes, an aptitude for mathematics and engineering, athletic abilities, be fiercely protective of his family and loved ones, have plenty of machismo but with a gentle spirit that loves deeply, and be a worshipper who quickly senses the presence of God and bows in humility. Sound like any father/son duo we know?
 

It’s the same way with Jesus. He was the manifestation of His Father’s traits, too. That’s what He meant when He said that when you saw Him, you saw the Father. The Bible also says that when we become born again, we also become the sons of God. Although we’re not begotten of God (Jesus is the only begotten son of God), we have been adopted by God into His royal family. That’s why He calls Jesus the firstborn among many brethren. When Jesus died for us on Calvary, He made the way for us to become sons of God right along with Him. And the “ping” from last Wednesday night was that as adopted sons and daughters, we have been given all the rights and inheritance of the begotten Son.
 

 One of our church sisters told me that when a husband adopts a child by a previous marriage, the court tears up the original birth certificate and reissues a new one replacing the entire original father’s information with the new father’s information, erasing all trace of a previous father. The surname is officially changed to the new name, giving the child all the rights of a birth child, and giving the new father all the responsibilities of a birth father. So it is with us. All signs of our previous life was destroyed, and we became the responsibility of our new Father, and gained all rights (and responsibilities) of the begotten Son. We just have to KNOW it. And that’s our struggle. For example:
 

I recently returned to my hometown for my stepmother’s funeral. You can imagine how tenuous my position felt as I walked in with the rest of my father’s children to lay their mother to rest beside our father’s grave. I had come to support them in their time of bereavement, but not to be noticed or included in that bereavement. So when they escorted the family to the seats reserved for her children, I stammered. I wasn’t hers; I was their sister, but not her daughter. I wasn’t sure where to go or where to stand. I was stumped. As I stood there trying to figure out where I belonged, what protocol to follow, and how not to offend anyone, my sister-in-law noticed my struggle and simply said “Sit.” I sat, and everything fell into place. I realized that the struggle had been mine and mine alone. I was the one who didn’t know where I belonged. Because of the rejection I had felt as a child, I had denied them access to my heart as an adult. “Courteous, but not close,” was the rule I had learned to live by. But I realized anew that I was their sister, and as such, had rights and responsibilities to this family. I looked around at nieces, nephews, cousins and others I hardly knew, and I saw pieces of myself in them - my chin, my lips, my freckles, my sandy brown hair, my golden brown skin, my mannerisms, my speech - all familiar - and I knew I belonged.
 

This uncertainty of our identity affords Satan one of his greatest advantages. If we only knew who we were, beyond all shadow of doubt like Jesus did, we would realize the power we have. We would be like Peter, who was suddenly emboldened and spoke eloquently and convincingly to thousands at a time without fear because he suddenly knew who he was and in Whom he believed. We would be like Paul, who knew no fear of the viper that attached itself to his hand, but merely shook it off into the fire. We would be like Jesus who told Satan to “get thee behind me” rather than continue useless arguments. We would be like the 1^st century church that “turned a world upside down” for Christ. We would be unstoppable, unmovable, “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” We would understand what Christ meant when he said “these things and greater things shall you do…”
 

In worship we sing, “I know who I am. I am yours, and you are mine.” But do we? Our adoption into the family of God solidifies our identity. We are His, and He is ours. So don’t let the enemy continue to make you unsure of your place in Christ. Don’t let him continue to shake your identity. You belong to God, and have all the rights and benefits of the Son. So, from now on, know who you are. And walk like it!