The God and His Family Series consists of 16 episodes. In the New Testament, one of the most common descriptions of God and his people is that of a family. This series is designed to talk about that relationship in detail.
Jesus introduced the concept that God is three spirits in one – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From that terminology, God is a family.
Jesus and the New Testament writers often use family terms to describe the relationship between God and his people. They draw on relationships such as: father, children, sons and daughters, and adopted sons and daughters. These relationships not only imbue privileges, but also confer responsibilities.
It’s hard to see in English but Jesus sometimes refers to God as his Father and sometimes as “Daddy.” Part of the Good News of Jesus is that God can also be our Father and Daddy.
What did Jesus command the rich young ruler to do? Carefully read the account in Matthew 19:16-30 and you might find a surprise. He did not command the man to do anything!
In the story of the rich young ruler, Jesus answers the man’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Finally, Jesus observes the man must sell everything he has, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Jesus. The man goes away sad because he is unwilling to pay that price for eternal life.
In God’s family, obedience takes different forms. The most obvious is to do or not do the things God has specifically commanded in the Bible. Another form is to follow the teachings of Jesus and be obedient to the meaning of them. Loving God and all mankind might be an example of this. If you know God forbids you to do something, then don’t do things like that.
Perhaps the highest form of obedience is to have complete trust in God and his nature…know him so well that you know what he approves of and doesn’t approve of, and you do or don’t do those things, or be or don’t be that way. This is one reason why the Scriptures often advise you to know God.
