For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 NABRE
Paul writing a treatise to the community formed in Rome, a community not of his own creation, likely a community founded by Peter, speaks about being formed in the image of God’s son. The church sees Jesus Christ as this image, calling Him a first born son. The first born, first fruits were always significant in the eyes of ancient people, they gave to God these firsts to say thank you for the blessing of a son or rich harvest. So the church would have us be live like Christ, God’s firstborn. This is a good idea, Christ is the creator of all and is with God in the beginning.
But suppose we take this to mean we are all sons and daughters of God. We elevate Jesus to God but God wants us all to be elevated. Saint Augustine says God became human so we may become god. We are made in God’s image and we are predestined to be children of God. We don’t need to be something we are not, we can be precisely who we are meant to be, God’s. We get pulled into the world and forget our lineage, but God is always present and ready to glorify us, as Paul writes in the next sentence. The glory we see in Christ is our glory as well. Don’t live as a small person of the world but live big as the daughter or son of God.
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Do you accept your destiny as a child of God? Do you live big as God’s child?
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