What Exactly is a Child?

Ephesians 6:1 NIV Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Colossians 3:20 NIV Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

So what exactly is a child?

Τέκνον "téknon"
"It is used both literally, to denote biological children, and metaphorically, to describe spiritual children or followers…'teknon' often conveys a sense of endearment and close relationship, highlighting the bond between believers and God, as well as between spiritual leaders and their disciples." https://biblehub.com/greek/5043.htm

If we look at the disciples, they were children, but they were obedient not to their actual parents, but to Jesus, who was their spiritual master, or Father. The disciples were all under the age of 20 except for Peter who needed to pay the temple tax which was designated for all males over 20 to pay. See Exodus 30:14 and Matthew 17:24-27. Note that none of the other disciples paid the temple tax, therefore 11 of the 12 were under the age of 20.

So at what age do you stop listening to parents and start following God?

My wife had a spiritual mom who claimed her when she initially became a Christian and she was in her late 20s. It was someone who helped raise her up in the faith.

And when we're born again into God's family through baptism of the Holy Spirit, we're children.

At all times if you belong to God, you're a child of God

How do you know you're a child of God? According to my prophet wife, we are birthed by the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit

My wife had the experience of being overcome by the Holy Spirit, and she fell out on the floor after getting baptized in water. So she received the Spirit of God right after water baptism.

I've had lots of baptisms of the Holy Spirit. I recall going to a house church, and we were worshipping and then the Spirit of God hit me and I collapsed to my hands and knees and I was basically issuing forth a constant groan that was just flowing up out of me.

Romans 8:26 NIV In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

God at this moment also gave me a map in my mind and basically I followed direction and a person came to Jesus by the end of it all.

There was another time I was living in Washington, DC and I prayed for the Holy Spirit and then it hit me and I felt drunk for like 3 days and felt the presence of God. And I also kept seeing numbers in repeating orders.

I can't say that I've ever been unconscious and controlled by God like my wife, but God constantly has me see the word "SON" randomly, and highlights it with the Holy Spirit, like tingles or just an overwhelming sense that what I'm seeing is from God, and that he's calling me his son.

When I initially came to know Jesus at the age of 4, and I called out to Jesus in my dreams, when I awoke I felt someone rocking me. I think that was my Holy Spirit birth. Like, as a 4 year old, there's nothing much that God has to do to birth you, it's not like you're repugnant, you're an innocent. So I don't really think it takes much for the Holy Spirit to birth you. And then over the course of days hence, I would like act like a pastor at school. Like if anybody was isolated or shunned by the group, I would always find ways to include them in the larger group of kids.

Romans 8:14 Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children.

At one point my biological dad told me that I wasn't his son, but that's not what God does.

John 6:37 NLT However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

I do things that are considered sin at times, but I always feel convicted and I turn from it.

1 John 3:9 NLT Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

I never keep on sinning, once I realize I've done something wrong, I feel convicted and I turn from it. And that's the tough part, because you think to yourself, if I were God's kid, I wouldn't sin. But think about kids growing up. They do stupid stuff sometimes, and you have to correct them. I get severely corrected by God.

Hebrews 12:6 KJV For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

The severe correction is like flogging, and doesn't feel good, but keeps me on the straight and narrow.

My correction may take years, but I always learn something about God through it all.

Like I had a broken heart for 7 years, and by the end of it all, I was following God, and learning about him and he literally spoke to me and said that he loved me. God is love, so anything you learn is going to be about his love for you.

1 John 4:8 NIV Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Something else, just note that you can Honor your parents by following God, even if they don't consider it honor. If you're honored by God for following after him head over heels then it may not look like honor to your parents. Think about what Jesus' parents did, they thought he was absolutely nuts.

Mark 3:21 NLT When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

When you follow God, really follow him, what you do isn't going to make any sense to people that are in the world.

James 4:4 NLT You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

Acts 5:29 NIV Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

If you belong to God, and follow God, you're a child of God

So then, obey your parent.