Loved, set free, accepted

 No fear, no pressure to perform, no struggle for love: when we understand our own relationship with God, we can deal with guilt, suffering, and the future in a completely different way.

Where do I come from? Where am I going? Am I loved? “Perhaps these are questions that live within each of us,” said Chief Apostle Helge Mutschler during a divine service on 12 July 2026 in Nürtingen, Germany. 

Behind these questions lies a longing to be loved and to have a place where we belong. “And that, ultimately, is heaven. This most beautiful of all relationships—the closeness, the trust, the love between God and humankind, and between humankind and God.

Under compulsion or completely at home

“What kind of relationship can this be between God and humankind?” In Romans 8: 15, Paul contrasted two models: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”

On the one hand, the slave: a slave must remain silent, fears punishment, lives under coercion, and has neither rights nor possessions. On the other hand, the child: a child may speak freely, need not be afraid, bears the family name, and will later inherit everything.

The path to freedom

“One characteristic of a slave is that he cannot free himself,” explained the Chief Apostle. But two thousand years ago, there was a way out. “A new master could come and declare himself the slave’s father. He had to pay a considerable sum of money. And then he accepted the slave as his son or daughter and took them into his house. And then the child was free.”‌

“We were all slaves of sin.” But: “Then Jesus Christ came and redeemed us. With His blood, with everything He had, and ultimately with all His love.” What is more: “He has welcomed us, taken us in as children into the Father’s house.” And that means: “You are a free child who may live before God without fear. A free child who may ask anything. A free child who will ultimately inherit everything.”

A foretaste of heaven already today

“Sometimes we ask ourselves: is this too good to be true?” However, one verse later in Romans it says: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Chief Apostle encouraged: “You may listen to that inner voice of the Holy Spirit, which reassures you. It is a reality. And this reality changes everything.”

• It changes the way we deal with our own sins: “You are a child, and may you remember that, with all your sins, you may go to this Father and receive forgiveness, comfort, and courage.”
• It changes the pressure of our having to prove ourselves in faith: “You do not need to earn God’s love. God’s love is there. God loves just you as you are.”
• It changes our awareness in suffering: “He is with you. He is your Father. You are not alone in the struggle for survival, and His love is greater than all principalities and powers.”
• It changes our outlook on life: “Dear child of God, you will inherit—and you already receive a foretaste of heaven. But the day will come when Jesus Christ returns and you will see Him as He is.”

“That is why we may already call out ‘Abba’ today.” This is how Jesus Christ addressed the almighty, powerful God in heaven. “Abba” translates roughly as “dear father”, “daddy”, or “papa”!