Christians presumptively refer to themselves as children of God, assuming the continuation of a relationship with him that all have severed and very few have reestablished. You are here to establish a
relationship with God, not to maintain or grow one you already have.1 Every person alive today chose to use the agency God gave them to rebel against him, and in that rebellion severed their title as his children.2
Human nature uniformly opposes God. You were born as an individual with desires so strongly opposed to the character and purpose of God that it is not an embellishment to describe you as his enemy.3 The gospel is an elaborate process designed to remediate and reverse your nature,4 but it is neither quick nor easy.
The gospel provides a means for you to traverse from being an enemy to God to being his servant, friend, and son.5 Each type of relationship with God is characterized by a different level of knowledge about God and obedience to him. A servant is primarily defined by a role or function of obedience to specific commands, a friend by their intimate knowledge of God, and a son by similarity to God6 and their right of inheritance from him. Servants do not need to understand the commandments they receive or the purpose of the master they serve. A friend knows everything he needs to be a son, but has not yet achieved the dedication required to become a son. Friends understand the purpose of the master they serve, and are expected to obey him,7 but their fidelity to God can be intermittent.8 Sons of God search out his will, develop a model of his character, and proactively apply it to advance his purpose. Sons of God always live as they believe Jesus would live in their place.1154
Each type of relationship with God differs in the degree of interaction with God. Servants of God interact with God when God reaches out to them. Friends are invited to dwell with God,1155 but sometimes choose to leave him.1156 Sons of God seek to continuously dwell in his presence.1157
Footnotes
- 1. Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state. (Alma 42:10) ↩
- 2. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) ...because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. (2 Nephi 9:6) ↩
- 3. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19) ↩
- 4. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2) ↩
- 5. The last section of this chapter addresses daughters of God. ↩
- 6. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. (Ephesians 5:1, NLT) ↩
- 7. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you (John 15:14) ↩
- 8. And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless (Matthew 22:12) ↩