Are children of God born or created? Surely it can't be both

Question

Why does Bible says a child of God is born of God

“who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” ‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ ‭

“Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭

and also says he was created

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭

Isn't that a contradiction? How can the child you gave birth to be your own creation or handiwork? It appears to me that birth and creation are mutually exclusive.

Answer 1

You are confusing spiritual with physical. Your question has a similar nature those asked by Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and even the apostles.

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4, ESV)

From Jesus' answer:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6, ESV)

The woman at the well:

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? (John 4:11, ESV)

The physical meaning of living water is running water.

Jesus' answer:

Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13–14, ESV)

Jesus wasn't saying that the person wouldn't be physically thirsty again, but that one's spiritual thirst would be quenched.

Example among the apostles:

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:5–9, ESV)

Thus, in a sense born and created are metaphors, using the physical to explain the spiritual. As seen in the above examples, getting caught up with the physical used to illustrate the spiritual leads to misunderstanding the meaning.

Answer 2

"a new creation". That is what they are. 2 Cor 5:17 "a new creation/kaine ktisis"

"born... of God". That is how they became what they are.

In Romans 8:39 "nor any other 'created thing/ktisis'". NKJV. This does not tell us how the thing was created, other verses may do. Here a created thing is simply a created thing without any explanation of what method God used to create.

"kaine". 2 Cor 5:17. "If anyone is a new[kaine] creation". A new creation here is different in quality. A born again Christian [John 3:3] is qualitatively different from a person whose father is the devil. [John 8:44]. The born again, born of God child has "received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba,! Father!". Romans 8:15.

The method, or system, by which a person is placed in Christ is by being "born again" [John 3:3] or "born.. of God" [John 1:13].

"adoption/huiothesias" Ro 8:15. huio/son; thesias/to place.

We are placed in Christ through birth to become a new creation.

Answer 3

No contradiction whatsoever!

The reality is one and the same, just expressed in two ways, two terms. If I say that a) “Aristotle through his tutorship gave birth to the first cosmopolitan Emperor - Alexander”, or b) “in Alexander was created the first cosmopolitan Emperor through tutorship of Aristotle” - the very same reality is conveyed, so where is the problem?

Does not David say in his penitential psalm “create in me a pure heart” (Psalm 50 (51):10)? Does he not already have a heart when saying it? Yes, he has, and in “create in me pure heart” he means that Lord may clean his heart from sins and make it His dwelling-place, together with the Logos and H. Spirit. And is not it the same as being “born in Spirit”?

The same reality can be expressed with different metaphoric expressions both in Bible and generally in literature.

Answer 4

Why does Bible says a child of God is born of God … and also says he was created — isn't that a contradiction?

My own children were created at conception.
They were also born of my wife.
I see no contradiction there.

So why should anyone think there is a contradiction between the creation of a child of God (at baptism) and its birth (at resurrection)?

Answer 5

Adam was directly created by God, and he made the woman (who later was named Eve) from the man. Thereafter, God gave the privilege of procreation to the man and the woman.

Adam and Eve did not create their unnumbered offspring. They procreated them.

When the apostle John, and Jesus himself later spoke of God willing certain ones to become his sons, the point was made by them both that this had nothing to do with human endeavour, to procreate children. Nicodemus (in John chapter 3) just didn't get it at the time, because he couldn't get the ridiculous idea out of his head of a full grown man going back into his mother's womb to be reborn. Hopefully, he might have read John's gospel years later and then exclaimed, "Eureka!"

John chapters 1 and 3 speak of a spiritual miracle wrought entirely by God, when he wills that miracle of the new birth to take place. It is a spiritual new creation that is brought into existence, on a par with his physical creation - perhaps even greater. A spiritually dead person is brought to spiritual newness of life by God. The event is not seen visibly. But a transformation of grace takes place with an individual becoming part of God's spiritual family. Note how Paul uses the analogy of such ones being "babes in Christ", needing to mature from "the milk of the word" to "solid meat"? See 1 Peter 2:2-3. As the scriptures you quote say:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭ Also, "“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭

This agrees entirely with what John chapters 1 and 3 state about the spiritual new birth. There is no contradiction. The 'new creation' requires a spiritual 'new birth'. The 'new birth' requires a spiritual 'new creation'. Only God can both will and do this.

Answer 6

One of the characteristics of John's Gospel is the two-fold choice of:

• no parables
• much metaphor that confused the listeners. See appendix below.

While the use of metaphors is not unique to John, John uses and records them far more that other writers.

In the particular instance pointed out by the OP, Jesus is making a clear distinction between those "born of God" or "born from above" vs those who are "born of the devil". Both appear in John.

Born of God

• John 1:12, 13 - But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
• John 3:3-8 - Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again/from above”. “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again/from above.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Jesus is here distinguishing between natural birth (of the flesh) and being re-born spiritually, "of water", "of Spirit", "from above/again" which, here, are all equivalent.

Born of the Devil

• John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Thus, Jesus teaching is again about our spiritual life - are we born of God and so are "children of God" (1 John 3:1, 2, 10, 5:2, Rom 8:16, 9:8, Phil 2:15, etc), or children of the devil? It is our spiritual life that shows this distinction.

Paul makes the same distinction in 2 Cor 5:17 -

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.a The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

APPENDIX - Metaphors in John

Here is a partial list of the many metaphors used in the Gospel of John, some of which were questioned by authorities:

• 1:1-5 – Jesus is the “Word”, life and light. (See Gen 1:1-4)
• 1:1-14 – Jesus is the “Word” (Greek: “logos” means idea or principle)
• 1:29, 36 – Jesus is the Lamb of God (see Gen 22:8)
• 1:51 – Jesus is the ladder between earth and heaven (Gen 28:12)
• 2:19-21 – Jesus’ body is the temple that was to be destroyed and raised in 3 days
• 3:3-12 – Jesus’ disciples must be born from above
• 3:13, 14 – Jesus is the bronze serpent in the wilderness (also 8:27, 12:34 & Num 21:9)
• 4:13, 14, 7:38 – Jesus’ message becomes a fountain/river of living water flowing out of His disciples. (See Eze 47:1-12, Rev 22:1, 2)
• 4:32 – Jesus’ food was not of this world, ie, conversions to discipleship (recall Manna of Ex 16)
• 4:35-38 – Jesus’ disciples must reap the “harvest” of the Gospel
• 5:13, 14 – Our work is to labour for “manna” or “food” that endures (also, 6:27)
• 5:35 – John the Baptist was a lamp preparing for the greater light
• 6:35, 41, 48, 50, 51 – Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (See Ex 16 about Manna)
• 6:53-58 – we must eat Jesus’ flesh and drink His blood
• 8:12 (and 1:4, 9, 12:46) – Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (see Ps 27:1, 18:28, Micah 7:8, Isa 60:19)
• 8:38-47 – Jesus’ disciples are Abraham’s children and children of God, whereas, His enemies are children of the devil.
• 9:39-41 – converted disciples are not blind but those who will not see are blind
• 10:1-18 – Jesus said, “I am the good Shepherd” (v11, 14) and the disciples are sheep (see Psalm 23:1; Eze 34:11ff, Isa 40:11)
• 10:8 – Jesus said, “I am the gate/door to the sheep”
• 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.” – appears to evoke the Shema in Deut 6:4 but expands upon it. Jesus was then accused of blasphemy.
• 11:25 – Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and life”
• 12:24 – Jesus compares his life to a seed that must die to produce more life
• 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life”
• 14:26 – Holy Spirit is called an advocate (Greek: “parakletos”) (see also 15:26ff)
• 15:1-5 – Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches” (see Isa 5:1ff, Jer 12:10)
• 16:21, 22 – troubles of this life compared to child birth
• 18:11 – Jesus’ trials likened to a “cup”
• 21:15-17 – Jesus’ followers likened to lambs and sheep (see also 10:1-18)