SOMETIMES when things give us a deep fuzzy feeling, it is hard to disentangle ourselves from them, especially if the deep fuzzy feeling is part of a belief system we desperately hold to be true. One of these “beliefs” may be found in the oft-repeated phrase regarding the supposed Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.

Like the proverbial security blanket, many are afraid to let go of this concept because it may force them to admit something to themselves they are determined not to admit. And what exactly are they afraid to admit to themselves? Let me tell you. You see, the very same people who believe in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of all mankind, are the very same people who hold to the “better place” theory. Which theory is based on the assumption that, when they die, they all automatically qualify to be taken to a “better place”. Except, of course, those who, in their eyes, have crossed the line with their misbehavior and misdeeds so much so that they are definitely going to hell.

These are those unfortunate souls that the better place crowd keep in the back of their minds for comparison purposes as proof that they, being clearly better people, are going to a better place. Here is how the comparison works, They retain a mental storehouse of “bad” people who have, in their estimation, done some very horrible things. Then they console themselves by telling themselves that, “At least I’m not a _________ (and you can fill in the blanks with the name of a known criminal). I have never done (such and such).” And by this defective comparison method, they lull themselves into a state of self-righteous stupor not realizing that the issue is not based on deeds, but death.

Let me explain. God is not looking at your deeds to see if you qualify for heaven. He is looking at whether you are alive or dead. All of the natural descendants of Adam and Eve are born spiritually dead. And Jesus warns us not to confuse the issue and associate the Living God with the spiritually dead. Speaking of the Father, he said,

He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. - Matthew 12:27

Do you understand the predicament? The phrase Fatherhood of God applies only to those who are spiritually alive. To be spiritually alive means that you must be born again. You may say that your church does not teach the need to be born again. Well then, change churches because here is what Jesus said:

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. - John 3:7

Please note the word “must“. This is a must. Not a religious option. To become a member of the family of God, you must be born into the family of God. This is true of all families. Besides marriage, in order to be a member of a family, you either have to be born into that family or be adopted. Everyone knows this. The fact that you were born only proves that you are a member of the sinful family of Adam.

But misinformation is like a virus, it spreads from one mind to another. Because it is right here that Satan has set yet another trap for the unwary, the unlearned, and the misinformed. It is right here that so many confidently assert that they are already born again because they were baptized as babies and were the recipients of baptismal regeneration.

This is another deception. Water baptism does not cause you to be born again or else Jesus would have simply said so. Being baptized in water is not the same as being baptized with the Spirit. Water baptism is not the cause of anything. It is an outward sign of an inward grace. It is an external sign of an internal spiritual work. The water spoken of is the “washing of the water by the word” of God. (Eph 5:26).

So, in Christianity, both conditions have to be met. You have to be born into the family subsequent to being born of Adam. Then, you have to be adopted into the family. Let’s take a look at Ephesians 1:3-5 –

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Notice carefully how the persons made a Christian by being brought “unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ”. Has all mankind been adopted by God through Christ Jesus? If there was such a thing as the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, why would anyone need to be adopted into God’s family in order to be part of that family? Doesn’t make sense.

The other thing is that not all people have eternal life. To have eternal life, you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. But why would you, or anyone, have to do that if we are all going to a better place after we die? Jesus and his work become irrelevant. But what does the Scripture say?

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

Remember that verse? Ever noticed the phrase “only begotten Son?” I mean the angels, at times, are called the sons of God (Job 2:1; 38:7) but they are not sons of God in the same way that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God. For instance, there is an innumerable company of angels (Heb 12:22) but only one Jesus.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: - John 1:12

In the above quote, ever noticed the [hrase “power to become”? The word translated as “power” is the Greek word exousia, which means, right, privilege or authority. The sons of God are part of the family of God. But in order to be part of that family, you have to obtain authorization from on high. The fact that your Momma and your Poppa got frisky some time ago, is no proof that you belong to the family of God. You may belong to their family now, but what gives you the “right” to be called a child of God? It is part of fallen human nature to want something for nothing. We want all the benefits and recognition of being part of God’s family but we do not want to be bothered with what he has to say in his word.

Believe it or not, the whole Fatherhood of God thing is really an expression of human hostility towards God. It is a refusal to see things God’s way. Such folks do not read God’s book (except for a few Psalms if the weather is terrible on a dark and stormy night); they pay lip service to the death of Christ on Calvary. In fact, they consider his death to be irrelevant. The death of Christ was on behalf of sinners and the “better place” crowd do not really see themselves as sinners, because they confuse being sinful with being a menace to society and, seeing they have never committed any crimes against society, then, magically, they qualify for heaven.

So, for instance, the barber goes to that big barbershop in the sky. Friends and relatives comment that he is probably cutting God’s hair as we speak. Just so, every profession is thought to have its counterpart “in the sky”, including the baker, the butcher and the candlestick maker. I wonder where the banker is going, or the solar panel maker.

You see, the whole rigmarole is an expression of human hostility and rebellion against God. God says to believe on his Son for the remission of sins if you want o get to heaven, but the “better place crowd” says that God has it wrong, and anyone with a message that contradicts their version and opinion of themselves as being basically good, is immediately branded as being a self-righteous fanatic who has no respect for another person’s religion.

So what do they attempt to do? Hijack the narrative. Like the builders of the tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-4), if God will not see things their way, they will simply ignore him and seek to climb up some other way (John 10:1). Friends, there is no other way. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes unto the Father but by him. Believe the gospel. Repent of your sin, and God will give you the right to be called a child of God.