Now Are We The Sons Of God Series

Now Are We the Sons of God

1 John 3:2

Intro

All people are the creatures of God. Only those who by faith receive Christ as Savior can truthfully call themselves the children of God. There is no more blessed fact revealed in Scriptures or experienced by human souls than that man, created by the merciful hand of God, can become a loving child of God through the miracle of divine regeneration. Sonship is established in the new birth, and it is a nearer and closer relationship to God than that established by god’s creative act. This new relationship is tender, affectionate, and glorious, and it is the fundamental basis for all of the sacred, holy, and far-reaching obligations and responsibilities devoted on man.

I. The blessed fact of Sonship

“Now are we the sons of God.”

a. There are many good, bur timid people who have never ventured to say, “I know that I am a child of God.” This hesitation could be due to a number of different factors.

i. Some believe that salvation is a result of God’s grace plus human effort.

ii. Others would hesitate because of the lack of an outstanding conversion experience.

iii. Others would hesitate because they do not understand what the Bible teaches about their relationship to God.

b. John speaks of Sonship with great confidence (1 John 5:13)

This things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

i. God wants his children to have the assurance of their salvation

ii. Those who have been saved can be assured that eternal life is a present possession.

c. Paul believed that the Holy Spirit provided assurance of Sonship (Romans 8:14-16)

For all who are belong led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba Father! The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.

i. Assurance of Sonship should give comfort and security

ii. Assurance of Sonship should inspire love and gratitude

iii. Assurance of Sonship equips one with a Christian witness.

II. The nature of our Sonship

a. Our Sonship is spiritual.

i. It is a result of the creative activity of God’s Holy Spirit, when we receive Christ into our hearts.

b. Our Sonship is divine

i. We become partakers of the divine nature.

ii. The nature of God is planted at the life center of our soul, and man becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.

c. Our Sonship is eternal, never ending in its nature

i. It is the impartation of eternal life to the soul (John 10:28)

“and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

III. The privilege of this Sonship

a. God becomes our Father

i. He is in heaven above and knows the past, present, and future

ii. He knows our needs

iii. He is eager to supply our needs

iv. He loves us

v. He understands us

vi. He is impartial

b. Jesus becomes our Elder Brother

i. He is our Savior

ii. He is preparing a place for us.

c. We become a member of the great family of God

i. We are united to those who have gone on.

ii. We are united to those who now life

iii. We have a relationship to those who will follow.

IV. The obligations of this Sonship

a. The first obligation is that of love to God and to our fellow humans.

b. Absolute, loving obedience is implied in this relationship.

i. Obedience should rise our of love rather than fear.

c. A child of god is to walk worthy of the name he or she bears. (1 Thess. 2:11-12)

“just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

Closing

The new birth established the blessed fact of Sonship. We become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The faith that saves is much more then mental assent. It accepts Jesus Christ to be all that the Bible claims him to be and trusts him to do all that he has promised to do.

The new birth is mysterious, even as the physical birth is mysterious. While we cannot perfectly and completely understand either, the Scriptures would assure us that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. “That whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-15). Let today be your spiritual birthday.