Through all our lessons on the creation, we have seen how His eternal power and Divinity are seen in the things that God has made. The light, the air, the sky, the grass and trees, the sun, moon and stars, the birds, beasts and fishes, all are telling us of God.

“All things that on earth I see
Seem to have a voice for me;
Ceaselessly, by night and day,
‘Learn the truth we teach,’ they say.”

The voice that they all have is the voice of God speaking, for they are His living Word in all these different forms.

But in God’s crowning work He meant to make Himself the most clearly to be seen, “so God made man in His own image.” Adam was the son of God, a perfect likeness of God his Father. He was a king, for he ruled over the whole earth and everything in it; but he did not have a crown of gold to put on, and robes of state to wear, like the kings and queens of the earth wear now. His royal robe was a garment of light, and his crown was a crown of glory, for God “crowned him with glory and honour.”

He did not have to put on any glory, but it shone right out from him, because he was the son of God and his character was like the character of God. Think how this beautiful light shining about Adam and Eve would light up everything that they came near, and how they would shine as lights in the world.

But when they listened to the voice of Satan and fell into sin, they lost their holy character, and the light all faded away. Their beautiful crowns, their royal robes of light, were gone. But we have been learning lately how God is going to “restore all things,” to bring back to man everything he has lost through sin. It was for this that Jesus, the Son of God, became man, to make men again the sons of God, kings of the earth, and lightbearers. For we read that “as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” [John 1:12]

When the Son of God, the Light of the world, is received into our hearts, and dwells there, we become the children of God and shine as lights in this dark world. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” [Matt. 5:16] His light will now shine forth in our actions, which will show us to be the children of our Heavenly Father. And if we become like Him now in character, by and by He will change our bodies, and make them just like His own glorious body.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him.” “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”—the beautiful new earth about which we have been learning,—and “shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” [1 John 3:2; Matt. 13:43; 1 Peter 5:4]

The Present Truth – November 17, 1898
E. J. Waggoner

Story in pdf  Children of God