The Greatest Privilege in Life

In 1 Peter 1:3 I read, “God . . . has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God's own family.” (TLB)

A church is not a place I go, and it’s not an event I attend. The church is a spiritual family I belong to, and it’s the most important thing on earth.

Why is the church so important? Because it is God’s family. In fact, the greatest privilege in life is to be part of God’s family, to be able to say, “I’m a member of God’s family. I’m a child of God.”

The Bible says, “God . . . has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family” (1 Peter 1:3 TLB).

When born physically, we immediately became part of the human race. That wasn’t our choice. But I do have a choice about my spiritual family. When I choose to accept Jesus as my Savior, I am born spiritually, and I become a member of God’s own family.

One of the benefits of being born into God’s family is found in 1 Timothy 3:15: “[God’s] family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth” (NCV). Living in an area where there are earthquakes, I know the value of having a good foundation. In the same way, when I have the support of a church family, I won’t crumble when life’s earthquakes happen.

Everything on earth will eventually crumble, except the church. No business, school, government, or nation will last forever. Only the church will last forever, because it is built by Jesus, and he’s focused on building his family.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (NLT).

In a world that’s full of uncertainty, I need to choose to build my life on the only foundation that is guaranteed to last: the secure foundation of God’s family.

In summary, God has given me the privilege of being born again so that I become a member of God's own family. A church is not a place I go, and it’s not an event I attend. The church is a spiritual family I belong to, and it’s the most important thing on earth, because it is God’s family. It is the greatest privilege in life, to be part of God’s family, a child of God.” When born physically, we became part of the human race. That wasn’t our choice. But I do have a choice about my spiritual family. When I choose to accept Jesus as my Savior, I am born spiritually, and I become a member of God’s own family. There is value in having a good foundation. When I have the support of a church family, I won’t crumble when life’s earthquakes happen. Everything on earth will eventually crumble, except the church. Only the church will last forever, because it is built by Jesus, and he’s focused on building his family. In a world that’s full of uncertainty, I need to choose to build my life on the only foundation that is guaranteed to last: the secure foundation of God’s family.

Peter's words offer joy and hope in times of trouble, and he bases his confidence on what God has done for me in Christ Jesus. I can live with the wonderful expectation of eternal life. My hope is for the future. My eternal life began when I trusted Christ and joined God's family. God will help me remain true to my faith through whatever difficult times I will face. No matter what trials or persecution I may face, my soul cannot be harmed if I have accepted Christ's gift of salvation. I will receive the promised rewards. It’s because of his great mercy that I have been born again. I can now live with a great expectation of my future because I have a priceless inheritance that is guaranteed. Confidence in this is found in what God has done through Jesus. No matter what trials or persecution I may face, I cannot lose this inheritance. I can place my trust in it.