The little book Children of the Living God was first published in 1989 and seems to be slowly and steadily growing in popularity ever since, having been reprinted three more times in the past 12 years. It's no wonder because in it Pastor Sinclair Ferguson teaches us who we really are from the pages of the New Testament. He tells us who we are by pointing out what great privileges we possess because of our close, loving relationship with the very best loving Father there ever was, is, or ever will be, and what it means to be part of His family.

This is a constant theme of the New Testament. Ferguson notes that with the coming of Jesus Christ to bring salvation to his people through the gospel, the idea of God as our Father, while rare in the Old Testament, is referenced over 200 times in the New. The emphasis in the New Testament is that by grace alone, we have been saved through faith alone, in Christ alone, and so our relationship to the Father has changed too, “for through him (Christ), we have access to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). For it is through Christ that we have been made sons and daughters of God!

This relationship is based not on what we have done, but on what Jesus Christ has done for us. In John 10:27-29, we are told that Jesus and our Father, both have us by the hand, and will not let us go. No longer fearful of God’s judgment, we are objects of the Father’s special love and grace, and as sons and daughters we have great and wonderful privileges that we are often blind to, but are the fruit of the gospel in our lives, and provide comfort and strength, particularly in the midst of hard times and trials.

As a shepherd of God's people, Ferguson explores the practical depths of this simple but important truth: God is our Father, we are His children and part of His family, and that will never change. It will, however, change the way you think about God, and about yourself, in ways you will never forget. I highly recommend it. It is available in the OBC bookstore at the bargain price of $6.90.