Are all people the children of God?

1 John 5:12 He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Some have objected to the studies in resurrection of the past 20 or more years. Most of the objections have come from a holding of vain traditions of men. Some hold to the theory that all men are the children of God, and that God is Father of all. From this they reason that all men are responsible to God for all they do, seeing that they belong to His family. If the theory be true, then it would naturally follow that all men would have to give an account of their works before God, or face the record, as some say. To do so they would have to have a resurrection of some sort. They would again see life.

But do all men belong to the family of God? If not, then are men responsible to a family in which they have no membership? Is there even a record kept of those who are not members? Much of this vain philosophy stems from the fleshly notion (or wish?) that there must be a retribution for all who do wrong, especially those who have wronged us. But what good is retribution, either for the victim or for the spectator who hopes to see it? Another objection is that it would make it too easy for the suicide. That is true that it is easy for the suicide. Some day many will realise this, and so there will be those who will seek death but cannot find it (Rev 6:15-17; Rev 9:6).

They will be reserved for the second death which will be their first. Perishing is the hope of the suicide. The unbeliever who ends his own life has forever cut off all hope of receiving everlasting life and the resurrection which follows (John 6:40, John 6:54). John 3:16 gives us just two ways, and therefore two classes of men today. The one class receives everlasting life by believing and is eventually raised from the dead. The other class does not believe and receive everlasting life and therefore is perishing and finally perishes. Whether wilfully or in ignorance makes no difference. Those that do not have life do perish and never will see life (Job 3:36).

Tradition has robbed us of the glory of the resurrection. It has dimmed the glory of the name of Christ. It has made His grand and glorious resurrection as nothing. Men talk about redemption from sins; but that is for this life only. What they need is the redemption from the claims of death and the grave (hell). This redemption is available, but only on the terms of faith.

Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Man has invented other ways, but they are useless. The one who redeems must be a kinsman. Christ is the Kinsman Redeemer set forth in the types of the OT. To be a child of God, one must receive Christ (John 1:12). The question that we face is how that one who is not of the family of God can claim Christ as a Kinsman.