In Scripture, “children of God” ordinarily refers to those who belong to God through faith in Christ, having received new birth and adoption into His family. The phrase must still be read in context, since related wording is sometimes used more broadly or in different covenant settings.
A covenant and family term for those who belong to God; in the New Testament it most fully describes believers in Jesus Christ.
“Children of God” is a biblical expression that most commonly refers to people who belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ and who are received into His family by adoption and new birth. In the New Testament, the phrase underscores both privilege and transformation: believers are loved by the Father, led by the Holy Spirit, and called to live in a way that reflects God’s character. The expression is closely related to themes of sonship, inheritance, and final glorification. In some passages, however, similar wording is used in broader covenant or contextual senses, so each occurrence should be interpreted by its literary setting rather than by a single proof text alone. A sound dictionary definition therefore identifies the phrase primarily with redeemed people in Christ, while recognizing that Scripture may use related language more broadly in certain contexts.
The theme begins in the Old Testament with Israel described as God’s son or children in a covenant sense, stressing election, rescue, discipline, and belonging. In the New Testament, the focus narrows and deepens around union with Christ: believers become God’s children through receiving Christ, being born of God, and being led by the Spirit. The phrase often appears alongside adoption, new birth, and inheritance language.
Early Christian teaching on sonship and adoption strongly emphasized the believer’s new standing before God, especially in contrast to slavery, fear, and mere external religion. The church has commonly read the phrase as expressing both grace received and family likeness pursued.
In Jewish Scripture and Second Temple Jewish thought, covenant belonging was often expressed in family terms. Israel could be called God’s son or children, and the Messiah’s people were expected to belong to God in a distinct, obedient relationship. The New Testament draws on this background while grounding the status of God’s children in Christ and the gift of the Spirit.
The phrase commonly translates Greek huios and tekna in the New Testament, with “children” often reflecting the family emphasis of tekna. The exact nuance depends on the passage and related sonship/adoption language.
The phrase expresses divine grace, covenant belonging, adoption, regeneration, and future inheritance. It also supports sanctification, since children should resemble their Father. In the New Testament, sonship is rooted in Christ and mediated by the Spirit, not in ethnicity or mere external profession.
The term is relational rather than merely legal. It denotes more than a label: to be God’s child is to belong to Him, to share in His care and discipline, and to be ordered toward likeness to Him. The biblical idea unites status, identity, and moral formation.
Do not flatten every occurrence into the same meaning. Some passages speak of Israel corporately, some of believers in Christ, and some use related wording in a broader contextual sense. Avoid using the phrase to override the clearer distinctions between creation, covenant privilege, and saving adoption.
Most evangelical interpreters understand the New Testament phrase primarily of believers who are adopted and born of God. Some discussions note broader covenant uses in the Old Testament and occasional wider usage in context, but these do not negate the central redemptive meaning in Christ.
The phrase should not be used to teach universal salvation, automatic divine fatherhood of all humanity in the saving sense, or ethnic privilege apart from faith in Christ. Belonging to God as a child is tied to His saving work, not merely to human status or ancestry.
This identity gives believers assurance, dignity, and motive for holiness. It encourages prayer, obedience, brotherly love, perseverance, and hope, since God’s children are cared for by their Father and destined for final glory.
