Romans 1:5-6 declares
It is through Him that we have received grace and our apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the Gentiles, and you also are among those who are called of Jesus Christ to belong to Him.
Many in today’s world claim that they belong to God yet their actions, lifestyles, passions, goals and their fruits do not show such allegiance to God. The Bible teaches us that in this age and time (last days), we must all be careful and discern who truly belong to God and who truly belong to Satan and this fallen world. Apostle John and Jesus Christ (himself) teaches us in the following scriptures to not only listen to the words that people speak (because people can skillfully lie and manipulate) but to also discern their spirits and examine their fruits (actions).
1 John 4:1 declares
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God or not for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Mathew 7:15-18 also declares
Beware of false prophets and fake Christians and friends, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
But who truly belongs to Jesus Christ in this day and age? How do we recognize such children of God? Let us carefully examine the scriptures to learn how and what to look for. Those that truly belong to Jesus Christ will show the following traits in their lives:
- Those that have denied and died to their sinful nature (acquired) belong to God. These children of God consistently and daily walk in the Holy Spirit and do not fulfill or give heed to the evil desires of their body.
Galatians 5:24 declares
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.
Galatians 5:16 also declares
But I say walk habitually in the Holy Spirit, seek Him and be responsive to His guidance, and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts.
- Those who continually abide and remain in Jesus Christ maintaining an unbroken fellowship with Him belong to God (Please read my previous post or message on Facebook titled “Remaining in Jesus Christ” to gain a better understanding on this topic)
Galatians 3:29 declares
And if you belong to Christ -if you truly are in Him, then you are Abraham’s descendants, and spiritual heirs according to God’s promise.
- Those that have overcome all the lies and deceit in doctrine & in the message of the gospel introduced by Satan belong to God. They have held on to the true gospel that preaches and promotes Jesus Christ crucified and the denial and death of the sinful nature. They have resisted the doctrine of being “gods” themselves (which promotes independence rather then dependence on the one true God). This false doctrine enables those that are trapped in it to redefine what right and wrong is, serving the self and the god of this world through deceit, profit and gain introduced by Satan in the garden of eden (Genesis 3:4-6)
1 John 4:4 declares
Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have already overcome them the agents of the antichrist;because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world of sinful mankind.
- Those that have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (fullness of God) belong to God.
Romans 8:9-10 declares
However, you are not living in the flesh controlled by the sinful nature but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you directing and guiding you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him and is not a child of God.
- Those that have surrendered their bodies to God, offering it as a living sacrifice to Him (where He eternally dwells) belong to God. These people have emptied their vessels and have rid from their body, mind and souls every foolish false doctrine, man-made rules, false knowledge, humanistic wisdom that glorifies the self/man but not God. They are transformed by the power of God to be the Holy habitation of God forever (This is the absolute truth and the true gospel/message/purpose for us designed and willed by our creator in heaven)
1 Corinthians 3:16-23 declares
Do you not know and understand that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells permanently in you collectively and individually? If anyone destroys the temple of God corrupting it with false doctrine], God will destroy the destroyer; for the temple of God is holy and sacred, and that is what you are. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become truly] wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness (absurdity, stupidity) before God; for it is written in Scripture. “He is The one who catches the wise and clever in their craftiness;” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the humanly]p wise, that they are useless.”So let no one boast in men [about their wisdom, or of having this or that one as a leader]. For all things are yours,whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter) or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things are yours,and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.
Romans 12:1 also declares
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship
Ephesians 2:22 also declares
In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
- Those that have received the words and teachings of Jesus Christ and have written them in their hearts and minds and walk daily in them through the power of the Holy Spirit belong to God.
John 17:6-10 declares
“I have manifested Your name and revealed Your very self, Your real self to the people whom You have given Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept and obeyed Your word. Now at last they know with confident assurance that all You have given Me is from You [it is really and truly Yours]. For the words which You gave Me I have given them; and they received and accepted them and truly understood with confident assurance that I came from You from Your presence, and they believed without any doubt that You sent Me.I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and [all things that are] Yours are Mine; and I am glorified in them.
- Those that are the children of the day/light (righteousness) producing godly fruits;not fruits of darkness or flesh belong to God. They are awake to the plans and purposes of God, wise, calm, self-controlled, sober, spiritually alert;Not spiritually indifferent, spiritually blind, spiritually asleep, spiritually lazy, children that do not grow but backslide often and are tossed to and fro by Satan and the world.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 declares
But you, believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God’s Son are not in spiritual darkness nor held by its power, that the day [of judgment] would overtake you by surprise like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness.So then let us not sleep in spiritual indifference as the rest of the world does, but let us keep wide awake alert and cautious and let us be sober self-controlled, calm, and wise. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.But since we believers belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope and confident assurance of salvation.
Godly fruits/ fruits of the day include and reflect the image and nature of God (Psalms 89:14, Galatians 5:22):
But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love-unselfish concern for others, joy, inner peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control, righteousness, truth, justice.
Fruits of darkness or sinful nature that reflect the nature of Satan and this fallen world include (Galatians 5:17-21):
Now the practices/Fruits/results or evidence of sin in you or of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control),idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies],envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 4:14-15 also declares
Let us grow spiritually (properly attaining the stature of Jesus Christ) So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth like ships on a stormy sea and carried about by every wind of shifting doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of unscrupulous men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything for personal profit.But speaking the truth in love in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him following His example who is the Head—Christ.
-Evg.Samuel Meesala