There are two groups of God’s chosen people.
First, the physically chosen people—those selected by blood and flesh, the descendants of Abraham—referring to the nation of Israel, the people of the Old Covenant.
Second, the chosen people of the New Covenant are no longer selected by blood or flesh, but by faith from every nation on earth. Therefore, the chosen people of the New Covenant are often referred to as spiritual Israel. A person born as an Israelite automatically becomes part of God’s chosen people. Whether they like it or not, from birth they already bear the status of being chosen—without having to make a choice. However, it is different for the people of the New Covenant—they must make a choice.
Unfortunately, many Christians today fall into the same mindset as the Israelites. Because they were born into Christian families, they assume they automatically become true Christians. Worse still, many feel entitled to the status of being God’s children and are confident they will indeed enter heaven. Yet, the chosen people of the New Covenant are determined by faith, not by lineage—and faith demands choice and action. So many Christians will never become God’s true chosen people, never become members of the Kingdom of Heaven, and never be glorified with Jesus, because they do not actually possess genuine faith.
This happens because of much false teaching in churches. Many Christians are made to believe that as long as they confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, they automatically become God’s children and are guaranteed heaven. It’s as if the only difference between Christians and non-Christians is a verbal confession: Christians say “Jesus is Lord,” while non-Christians don’t. Consequently, those who make that confession feel spiritually superior and secure in their salvation. But true faith does not stop at verbal confession—it must be expressed in real choices and actions.
Faith cannot be inherited or automatically possessed simply because someone is born to Christian parents. Faith requires a personal decision and a conscious act of surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Covenant, one became God’s chosen people automatically by birth. In the New Covenant, one must choose—consciously—to put faith in Jesus. Faith is not merely belief; it is the total surrender of oneself to God’s will. True faith inspires a person to act, choose, and live in accordance with God’s desires.
Christian parents must indeed pass on a spiritual legacy to their children, but they can only give what they themselves possess. No one can truly have God without possessing His character. Therefore, parents must first have the character of Christ before they can impart it to their children. Without Christlike character, there is no spiritual legacy to impart, for faith is not a doctrine taught by words, but a life demonstrated by example.
Secondly, those who genuinely have God live in heavenly peace and joy, not in worldly pleasures. Those who base their happiness on worldly things cannot belong to God, and cannot have God. Only those who live in the peace and joy of the Lord can impart that divine atmosphere to their children. Yet even then, the children do not automatically receive this spiritual inheritance. They must go through their own personal journey, for the world constantly tries to influence, distract, and mislead human hearts.
Thirdly, those who genuinely belong to God live entirely for His purposes.
A person cannot belong to God if they still live for themselves. This is the essence of faith. In Greek, the word “faith” is translated from pisteuō, which means “to entrust oneself to the object of one’s belief.” The object of our faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, to have faith in Him means to surrender ourselves to follow in His footsteps completely.
To follow Christ’s footsteps means to have His character—His “food” was to do the will of the Father and finish His work. His joy did not come from the world, and His entire life was dedicated to the glory of God the Father. So, it must be with us. If our faith is genuine, that faith will demand that we choose, act, and live only for God.