Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love:
Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him.
The translation of Romans 8:15 may be revised slightly. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit of bondage leading us again into fear. Rather, the Spirit that we received is the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”
But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all;
But is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father.
So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world:
But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
That He might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
So that thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
Father, we thank You from the bottom of our hearts, because Your love toward us is so deep. We thank You that Your calling of us is most glorious.
We thank You that the work which You accomplished on the cross is most perfect. We thank You that You sent Your Son into this world to accomplish Your will.
We approach You this morning. We give ourselves at Your feet.
We ask that, by the Spirit, You would free Your word and accomplish what You desire to accomplish today. In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.
When we seek spiritual maturity, we receive much grace. The motive for seeking maturity is not for self.
The reason why we rise up, serve, and seek to be mature is because we know that it is God’s will for us. In the matter of spiritual seeking, we must place God at the center.
If we seek anything outside of God Himself, we will face much danger and may be deceived. So, when we share on this matter of spiritual maturity, we must be very clear within ourselves: we seek not for ourselves; we seek because we are going to glorify Him.
If this is why we seek, then the Lord will protect the way in which we seek Him.
This morning, we would like to share on this matter of sonship. In Scripture, we clearly see that there are two classes among God’s people: some are children, and some are sons.
Children refer to those who are not mature. Sons refer to those who are mature.
We know that the original New Testament was written in Greek, and Greek is a very accurate language. In the New Testament, the difference between children and sons is very distinct.
One Greek word is teknon. This word has to do with birth. The moment we are born, we are born as children.
Another word is huios. This word has reference to the relationship between a son and the father. It has to do with character. Thus, the word children has to do with birth, while the word sons has to do with character.
Consider John 1:12:
But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name.
Some English translations render this as “sons of God,” but that translation is questionable. This verse has to do with our initial birth. Those who receive Him, those who believe in His name, are given the right to become children of God.
How can we become children of God? It is not of blood. It is not a natural birth, as though our parents were Christians and therefore we were born Christians.
Many Christians are traditional Christians. They inherit Christianity from their parents. Such people may not be born again, and therefore they are not qualified to become children of God.
It is not of the will of the flesh, and it is not of the will of man. Some people try by their own effort to become children of God. But you cannot will yourself into becoming a child of God.
Even though our friends, husband, wife, or family may desire that we become Christians, it is not because of their will that we are born again. It is not of the will of man.
How, then, can we become children of God? We are born of God. It is God who gives birth to us.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus, God does the work of regeneration within us. He puts His life within us, and by birth we become children of God.
This is all God’s grace. Human effort is useless. We cannot do it. Man cannot do it.
We cannot become children of God by obeying the law, by cultivating ourselves, or by education. This is all pure grace.
It is because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross that, when we believe in Him, we receive mercy and grace from God and become His children.
But to be sons of God is quite different. Let us consider Matthew 5:9:
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.
The verse does not say, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” It says that they shall be called sons of God.
Why can they become sons of God? Because in their character they are like their Father. God is the God of peace. The Lord Jesus is the One who makes peace between us and God. He is the Prince of Peace.
When we have that character, we do not cause people to fight or create conflict. We are here to harmonize. If we do that, we exhibit our heavenly Father’s character.
We are not only His children, born of Him; we also share in His character. Then we can be called sons of God.
Matthew also teaches that if we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we may be called sons of God. Why? Because our God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
When we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we manifest our heavenly Father’s character. This sonship, therefore, has to do with character.
Let us return to Romans 8.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote Romans up to this point and then said, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” Thank God, we are now found in Christ Jesus.
In Romans 1, we were outside of Christ and were in sin. Because of the blood of the Lord Jesus, we are cleansed from all sin.
In the first part of Romans, we discover that we were in the old Adam, and that we were crucified with Christ. In Christ, the old creation has been done away with. Now we are in Christ.
For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. The Greek word for condemnation has two shades of meaning. One is judicial: a person is sentenced in court after being indicted for a crime.
The other is the common meaning of being helpless or powerless. In other words, those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer helpless.
Not only are we justified, but we are no longer helpless. We can now overcome the power of sin because the Spirit of life dwells within us. We can overcome sin and death, and we do not need to follow the flesh within us.
Then we come to Romans 8:14:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Let us first consider verse 15. The Spirit we received is not a spirit of bondage, so that we should be in fear. The Spirit we received is the Spirit of sonship.
The original text reads, “the Spirit of sonship.” Therefore, we can cry, “Abba, Father.”
When we were born from above, the Spirit we received was the Spirit of sonship. Because of the Spirit of sonship within us, we can cry, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:16 says:
The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God.
Here is the word children. In verse 14, however, we have the word sons.
Before we believed in the Lord Jesus, our spirit was dead. Our spirit still existed, but as far as God was concerned, the relationship between God and us was cut off.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit works within us. He quickens our spirit. In John 3, we read, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The first “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit, while the second refers to our human spirit.
The Holy Spirit quickens and makes alive our human spirit. He dwells in our quickened spirit and bears witness in our spirit that we are children of God because we have been born of God.
Before we were born again, we might have been surrounded by Christian education. We might have mentally received the gospel. We might even have believed that there is a God. Yet our spirit was still dead, and God was beyond us.
There was no real communication or relationship. We might even pray and call God “Father,” but it could be unnatural.
A brother once testified that when a person who is not truly delivered calls God “Father,” the tone can sound as though he is calling his father-in-law. When he calls “Father,” it is unnatural.
But after he has been born again, the Holy Spirit bears witness within his spirit that he is a child of God. Then the Spirit of sonship within him cries out, “Abba, Father.” It is very clear. This is evidence that we are children of God.
Romans 8:17 continues:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.
Every child is an heir. We are heirs with Christ, to inherit all that God has given to His Son. All these things are prepared for us.
But in order to inherit our inheritance, there is one further phrase: “that we may be also glorified with Him.”
Even though we are heirs with Christ, if on this earth we do not share in Christ’s sufferings, we will not be able to share in His glory. Here we see that there is a condition.
Returning to Romans 8:14, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Here we have the word sons, not merely children.
They not only have the Spirit of sonship within them, and they are not only heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. They are being led by the Spirit in their everyday life.
If we are not being led by the Spirit in our everyday life, if we live according to our own will, then we have not grown up to become sons in character.
Children are children because they have been born into the family, and this is all God’s grace. We have done nothing. In Christ, He has freely given us this right.
To become children of God is indeed a glorious matter. Because we are children, we also become heirs. But the Holy Spirit works to bring us to Christ and deliver us from everything that is not of Christ.
His work is to conform us to the image of His Son. Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God.
Consider 1 Corinthians 3:1:
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.
Then consider 1 Corinthians 2:6:
We speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nought.
Through these two passages, we see a distinct difference in life. We have the phrase “babes in Christ,” and we also have the mature or full-grown ones.
The Greek word for babe is nepios. It refers to one who has not yet developed the ability to communicate or speak. Such a one does not possess the power of speech.
A babe has been born, but there has been no growth. Such a person is fleshly and must be given milk. There has been no spiritual exercise, and therefore he cannot distinguish good and evil.
In the normal way of growth, we are all born as babes. We are not like Adam, who was created as a full-grown man. We are like the Lord Jesus, who began as a babe. This is a stage through which we must all pass.
When we look at babies, we know they are lovely. I have never seen a baby that was not good-looking, particularly in the eyes of the parents. Every baby is lovable and beautiful.
But if a babe remains a babe, we must feed that baby with milk. Milk is digested food. Someone digests it for the baby because the baby cannot digest food properly.
On one side, babies are lovable. But on the other hand, babies are fleshly, because they are full of self. They are self-centered.
When the parents want to sleep, the baby wants to cry. When the baby cries, there is no way the parents can sleep. The baby cries whenever he wants to cry. In one sense, it is beautiful; but this is the stage through which babies go.
When we are born again, we are all babes. A newly born-again person in the fellowship is very lovely.
But new believers can sometimes cause problems because they have not exercised and there has been no dealing of the cross. They are still full of the flesh.
We have to feed the baby, for if we do not feed the baby, the baby cannot live. But if this stage continues longer than it should, it becomes a real problem.
Paul had this problem with the Corinthians. He said, in effect, “I fed you with milk. But after all these years, you still remain as babes. You are just like the people of the world. This should not be your condition. You ought to grow.”
There was also a group among them who were growing and becoming mature. These are the full-grown ones.
The word “perfect” does not mean sinless perfection. In all creation, there is only one Person who is sinless: our Lord Jesus. He alone is perfect in every sense.
When the New Testament speaks of perfection, it speaks of growing into maturity according to the grace God has given us. As we grow in His grace, we learn to know and discern God’s will because we have passed through discipline.
We see, then, that there are two distinct groups of people. We have to ask ourselves: to which class do we belong? We know it is God’s will that we should become mature.
Let us turn to 1 John 2. In the process of life, there are three stages of growth.
First John 2:12 says:
I write unto you, my little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
The expression “little children” here differs from some of the other words for children that we have considered. This word refers to those who have been born and who ought to grow.
The three stages in the growth of life are little children, young men, and fathers.
The special feature of little children is that they know the Father. As we mentioned before, the Spirit within our spirit bears witness that we are children of God, and we call Him “Abba, Father.”
Babies cannot say many things, but they can cry. They can say, “Papa.” They know the father.
It is the same spiritually. When we are born again, there are many things we do not understand, but we know the Father and can call Him our Father.
The feature of young men is that they overcome the evil one.
I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one.
We begin with the knowledge of our Father. As we grow, we become young men. The word of God abides in us; therefore, we are strong and can overcome the evil one.
The evil one attacks us through the world. Therefore, John tells us not to love the world or the things in the world.
If the word of God abides in us, we know that we love God and we will not love the world. If we love the world, we cannot love the Father.
Not only do we know our Father; we also love Him. His word dwells in us, and we can be delivered from the deception of the world. Then we become strong and overcome the evil one.
If we grow from youth to full maturity, we become fathers. What is the special feature of fathers? They know Him who is from the beginning.
This takes us back to 1 John 1:1:
That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life.
The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.
This brings us back to God’s original purpose. Fathers know Him who is from the beginning. He is the beginning, the Word.
What we have heard refers to all that we find in the Old Testament through the prophets. Then the Word became flesh, and we have seen with our eyes. The Word became visible, full of grace and truth.
Not only have we seen Him outwardly, but inwardly we have contemplated Him. John 1:14 says that we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.
We see Him not only with our physical eyes but also spiritually. We see that He truly is the Son of God. We touch Him, and this has to do with His resurrection.
The Lord said, “Reach hither thy finger, and see My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into My side.” Fathers know Christ according to God’s purpose.
A little child needs to be cared for by others. A young man can stand on his feet. A father can nourish the spiritual life of others.
Here we see the three stages of growth: from little children to young men to fathers.
In English Bible translations, some use the word “adoption.” Unfortunately, when we look at the ordinary meaning of adoption, it refers to taking someone who was not originally your child and receiving that person as a son or daughter.
An adopted person is included in the family and shares the same privileges as the other children. Pharaoh’s daughter adopted Moses as her son.
But in the New Testament, concerning God’s family, there is no adoption in that ordinary sense. We are not merely taken into the family from outside. If we are to be part of God’s family, the only way is to be born into it.
Therefore, the word sonship is more appropriate. It means that one has already been born into the family and is then placed into the position of a son.
Among the Jewish people, when a boy reached a certain age, his parents brought him to the synagogue. He became a son of the law.
The father would pray, “God, I thank You that You have taken away my responsibility for my child.” The son would pray, “God, the God of my father, now I am passing from childhood to manhood.”
He would say, “I sincerely and humbly fix my eyes on You. From this moment, I will obey Your commandments. I am responsible before You for all my actions.”
Then he became a son of the law. This was the placing of the son.
Among the Romans, there was no fixed age for this placement. The father determined the time, often between the ages of fourteen and seventeen.
Even though a child was born into the family and was an heir, he remained under guardians and managers until the father considered him mature.
The Romans had conquered much of the world and had adopted Greek customs. Greek slaves were often used to manage the household and to tutor the children.
As long as he was a child, even though he was an heir, he was like a slave. He could not determine anything for himself. He was under the management of a guardian.
Yet this was the period in which he received proper training and education. Even though he was a child, he had no full privilege.
Then the day came when the father considered the child fully developed and able to share his father’s responsibilities and privileges.
They would gather publicly, remove the child’s garment, and put upon him the garment of a full-grown man. Then he was publicly placed in the position of sonship.
The Apostle Paul is the one who uses this term sonship. The first time he uses it is in Romans 9:4:
Who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.
This refers to the Israelites. In the Old Testament, God separated Israel from the nations and set them apart for Himself.
When God sent Moses to deliver Israel, He said, “Israel is My son, My first-born.” God separated them for Himself and placed them in the position of His son.
But unfortunately, although God gave them such a position, they were disobedient. In this context, sonship refers particularly to those who were under the law, namely the Israelites.
The other uses of the word refer to the church, to the children of God.
Ephesians 1 takes us back to God’s eternal past and eternal purpose.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
In Christ, God has already given us all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.
Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love.
He chose us before the foundation of the world. He desired that we should be holy and without blemish before Him.
Because He loves us, He predestined us unto sonship through Jesus Christ. This predestination has to do with God’s eternal purpose.
In Christ, we may receive sonship. This is God’s will. He not only gives birth to us, but He also desires to place us as sons, to the praise of the glory of His grace.
God determined this in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world.
In Romans 8, we discover that we were formerly in slavery and bondage. We were under the law and under condemnation, and we were helpless.
But God sent His Son and gave us the Spirit of sonship. This Spirit has already been given to us. According to this new-life Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit of sonship is already within us. But how do we arrive at the actual placing of sons? We need to accept the leading of the Spirit, and we need to learn to suffer with the Lord.
In Galatians 4, even though we have the Spirit of sonship within us, we may still be children under a tutor. Our Tutor is the Holy Spirit.
He leads us and works in us until the day when He places us in the position of sons. Therefore, we need to receive from God the discipline of the Holy Spirit.
Consider Romans 8:23:
And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
God predestined us in Christ before the foundation of the world unto sonship. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we receive the Spirit of sonship.
As we are led by the Spirit, God brings us toward the place of sonship. Yet we are not perfect yet. Even within us, there is groaning as we wait for the redemption of our body.
At that moment, sonship will be fully displayed. When the Lord Jesus comes, our body will be redeemed. We will be delivered from corruption and glorified with Him.
This is sonship manifested in its completion. This is our hope, brothers and sisters.
God has given us such grace. We should not take it in vain. We need to rise up and respond to His heart.
Let us give ourselves to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work until God can say, “Now I can place you in the position of sonship.”
O God, our Father, we can never fully understand what You predestined in Christ before You chose us from among sinners.
We had no share in what You have. We were even Your enemies. But we thank You that in Your Son You predestined us, not only to be saved, but to be brought to glory.
You have not only given us life as children; You desire that we come to the place of sonship, that we may share glory with Your Son.
May You receive all the praise. What can we say to You? We can only say that it is all grace. We worship You from the depths of our hearts.