Will you please turn to the letter to the Ephesians, Ephesians Chapter 1? We will read the first six verses.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God,
to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.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.
Let us have a little prayer.
Dear Lord, with grateful hearts we gather together in Thy presence. We praise and thank Thee that Thou hast loved us to the uttermost.
We pray, Lord, as we gather here, that Thou wilt Thyself, by Thy Spirit, speak the Word to each and every one. Give us ears that we can hear. Grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know Thee. O Lord, do whatever Thou dost desire to have done here. Speak, Lord; Thy servants are hearing. In Thy name, amen.
Thank God for gathering us together again. I think everybody knows that the theme this time is spiritual sonship. This is taken from the text of Ephesians 1:5:
Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
Now, in this one verse, actually, you have three great themes in the Word of God. Number one: according to the good pleasure of God’s will. And that will was formed even before the foundation of the world.
In other words, here you find this theme of the eternal purpose of God. And, dear brothers and sisters, there is no greater theme that you can touch upon than this one: that even before the world began, even before there was time, the eternal God, according to His good pleasure—what pleased Him—made a will.
And that will governs everything. It governs time. It governs space. It governs the whole creation. It governs everything.
This is something that we need to know, because otherwise anything that is outside the eternal will of God is vanity. There is only one thing that can really remain forever, and that is whatever is related to the eternal will of God, because God alone is eternal. Everything else is just passing by.
So, brothers and sisters, it is of tremendous importance that all our lives should be related to, included in, the eternal will of God. Sometimes people think the eternal purpose of God is too vague, too mysterious, too high; it is way beyond us. Not so. It touches every one of us. It touches everything in our lives.
If it is in the eternal will of God, it will last. If it is not, it passes away; it is vanity of vanities. So that is a great theme you find in the Word of God.
Then you find the second great theme in this short verse: God has marked us out beforehand unto sonship. Think of that. Even before the worlds began, God had already marked us out.
Who are those who have been marked out? You find, in the beginning of this letter, the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus—those who have been sanctified, set apart by God, and those who are faithful unto the Lord Jesus. He has marked us out beforehand, even before the world began, for something.
You know, as our brother said last night, often our wish is that if we can only have our sins forgiven, not go into the terrible hell, and go to heaven, now that is wonderful. That is great. That is all that I need.
My dear brothers and sisters, that is not all that God wants. Our God is so great that He has destined us unto sonship. Now, if we only understood what sonship is, I do not think we would be able to sit quietly here. We would jump up, praising the Lord—how good He is, how beautiful, how wonderful, how loving. It is beyond anything.
We have been marked out, not just merely saved, but marked out unto sonship. Think of that.
And then, number three, you have another great theme here: through Jesus Christ. The eternal purpose of God concerns us unto sonship. How can it be? Through Jesus Christ. Everything has to be done through our Lord Jesus. It is from Him, through Him, and unto Him.
So, brothers and sisters, here you find, in this very short verse, three tremendous great themes that we all need to become familiar with, enter into, enjoy, and glorify God.
Immediately following, in Ephesians 1:6, you find: “To the praise of the glory of His grace.” Here you find three things: praise, glory, and grace. Praise to God the Father for His wonderful eternal purpose; glory to the saints who will be receiving sonship; and grace through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we are in this time for something great. Now, I hope that Thou wilt enlarge our mind, our heart, our desire, and our capacity, that we may be able to receive from Him what spiritual sonship really is.
And do not forget: it is not just a thing. It is a reality. It is something that God has willed us to have. It is something that He graciously gives through Christ Jesus. And He expects every one of us to enter into that sonship.
As I waited upon the Lord concerning the two sessions assigned to me, I felt I would like to share with brothers and sisters something very basic. Number one: the meaning of sonship. What does sonship really mean in the Word of God? Number two: the way to sonship. How do we come to enter into sonship?
So, God willing, this morning I would like to share the first one: the meaning of sonship. Will you please turn to Galatians Chapter 4? We will read from verse 1 through verse 7.
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.
The very word sonship means the placing of sons. The son is being placed in his right place.
There is a background to this. You know, among the Jewish people, when their child was born, he would be under the care of his parents, and also he would be instructed in the city.
So, when he reached the age of twelve—in the old days; now it is thirteen—this child, after his twelfth birthday, on the first Sabbath, would be taken to the synagogue. There he would be made a son of the law.
At that time, the father would offer up a benediction: “Blessed be Thou, O God, for this day Thou hast taken from me the responsibility of the boy.”
And the boy would pray to God: “My God and the God of my father, on this solemn and sacred day, wherein I pass from boyhood to manhood, I humbly raise my eyes unto Thee, and sincerely and truly pray: from now on, I am going to keep Thy law and Thy commandments, and I will be responsible for all my actions before Thee.” And thus, he had sonship.
Now, among the Greeks, usually a child—a son—would be under the care of his parents from seven years old to eighteen. When he was eighteen, he was made a cadet. By cadet, it means he would be given to the government and trained by the government for two years. That was sonship among the Greeks in the old days.
And among the Romans, they did not fix the time. When a son was born, of course he should be an heir. But when he was a child, he was no different than a bondslave.
You know, the Romans had lots of slaves. They conquered the world at that time, and oftentimes the slaves were Greeks because they had a higher culture. They were engaged as stewards and guardians.
So, when a child—an heir—was born, when he was young he was under their tutorship and guardianship. He was no different than a slave. He could make no decision of his own.
With the Romans, they did not have a fixed time for sonship. The father would watch and see how the son would grow, and he would decide when would be the time that his son would enter into sonship. Most likely, usually, it was from fourteen to seventeen years old.
When the father decided that this child was to enter into sonship, they would have a festival in their home. When the child was a boy, he would wear a toga. The Roman boy’s toga had a purple line underneath it to show that he was not mature yet.
At that time, he would take off that toga and put on the man’s toga, a plain one without color. Then his friends and relatives would take him to the forum and introduce him to the public: “He is from now on a son, entering into sonship, bearing responsibility, and having all the privileges of his father.” Now, that is the Roman way of doing it.
Now, among the Chinese, we have a kind of proverb that says: when you are thirty, you are established; when you are forty, you will not be tempted; when you are fifty, you know Heaven’s will; when you are sixty, you can do whatever you like; when you are seventy, you are a rarity in the world. The Chinese mature late, but went away fast.
Now, brothers and sisters, among Christians we have the same thing. When we believe in the Lord Jesus and receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior, you find in John 1:12 that as many as received Him—that is, believed in His name—He gave the right to become children of God.
Notice: not to be the sons of God, but to be the children of God. They are not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So, dear brothers and sisters, when we believe in the Lord Jesus and receive Him as our personal Savior, we become children of God. And not only that, but the Spirit of the Son is within us. Why? Because the life that we receive is the life of the Son; it is the life of Christ.
So even though, when we are born again, we are only little children of God, yet we have the Spirit of the Son within us. According to Galatians 4, not only do we have the Spirit of the Son, but the Spirit of sonship is in us, crying, “Abba, Father.”
You see, there is a difference between Romans 8:15-16 and Galatians 4:6. In Romans 8, we have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father.” Being children of God, we are heirs; and if we suffer with Him, we become co-heirs with Him.
The same thing you find in Galatians 4. We have the Spirit of the Son, yes, because the life is the Son’s life. It is the life of Christ. He is in us, and we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
So, brothers and sisters, in each and every one of us, we have the life of the Son. We have the Spirit of sonship in us. In other words, because we have this life in us, it urges us. It urges us that we would not want to remain as babes; we want to grow up, grow up to be sons, and enter into sonship.
That should be a heart desire among all God’s people. If any brothers and sisters who believe in the Lord Jesus are saved, and there is not that urge and desire to grow up into sons and thus receive sonship, something is very, very wrong.
It should be the desire of every child of God. We are not content just to be children. We want to grow up to be sons, and thus enter into sonship.
Because we are the spiritual people of God, therefore this matter cannot be fixed by a definite time. In other words, you cannot say that after you are saved for one year, you should already be a young man; and after being a young man for a year, you should be like a father. No, because this is a spiritual thing.
There is no definite time for sonship. It depends on how you grow. If you do not grow, you remain a baby in Christ, like the Corinthian believers, and it takes much longer for you to become a son and to receive sonship.
But if you really seek the Lord with all your heart, the time will be shortened, and you will grow faster. Even though there is still this time, you will grow faster, and our heavenly Father will decide that you can bear some responsibility and have more privilege.
So, dear brothers and sisters, in spiritual things it is flexible.
Now, what is the relationship and difference between son and sonship? You know, when we talk about son or sonship, probably it is very easy for us to think, “Well, they are all the same.”
You cannot separate son and sonship because they are so closely related. Yet, dear brothers and sisters, they should be distinguished. There is a difference between son and sonship.
When you use the word son, what impression do you have? When you mention the word son, it speaks of life. There is a life there.
He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.
So we who believe in the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, have life. Son is related to life. In other words, it concerns our inward growth, a life matter.
Sonship is the placing of the son. In other words, it is more a matter of position, status, and recognition. You enter into a place where you are able to bear responsibility, and, of course, you have more privilege because you are mature.
So we can even say, when you really want to join the two things together, son and sonship, probably son is the cause and sonship is the fact. If you really grow to be a son, then you will be placed in the place of the son.
That is to say, you will be responsible now. You will have special privilege. You will share with your Father all the responsibilities and all the privileges. So probably that is the relationship between son and sonship.
You know, brothers and sisters, when we believe in the Lord Jesus, even though we have the life of the Son in us and we even have the Spirit of sonship in us, yet we are still babies in Christ. We need to grow.
First John 3:9 says:
Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because His seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God.
Now, notice this: whosoever has been begotten of God. Now, we have been begotten of God; thank God for that. He says he does not practice sin. If you are begotten of God, you do not practice sin anymore.
That does not mean that sometimes you may sin, but you do not practice it. You do not make it a practice. There is a difference here. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus may still fall and sin, but when you do that, you feel bad about it. You do not want to do it.
But those who do not have the Lord’s life in them, this is their practice. In other words, this is what they are used to doing, and what they want to do. There is a difference.
So he says that whosoever has been begotten of God does not practice sin. Why is it that he that is begotten of God does not practice sin?
You know, before we believed in the Lord Jesus, we all sinned. That was our practice. If we did not sin, we felt uneasy about it—strange. But thank God, after we believe in the Lord Jesus, when you try to practice sin, you feel awful. You do not want to do that. Why?
Because there is something within you, and that something is the life of Christ in you. But that life in you is like a seed. Like a seed, you see—very small, but in the seed is life.
That seed has to grow. You have to sow the seed. You have to allow the seed to have its shell broken so that the life within it can be released. Then that life will gradually grow, and grow, and grow.
Now, that is what it is, brothers and sisters. We have that seed in us, that holy seed, the life of Christ in us, but it is still a seed. We are children, babes, and that seed needs to fall into the ground and die, and thus begin to bear much fruit.
In 1 John 2, you find that in the beginning we are little children. Little children know the Father. You know, as little children, we know nothing, but there is one thing we surely know: we know the Father. We know God is our Father.
God is only Father to those who are begotten of Him. He is not the Father of the whole world, of all mankind. He is their God, but not their Father. But we who are of the Lord have His life in us, so we know our Father.
I remember one of my co-workers. He told us that when he was first married, the first time he and his wife went to see her father, you know, according to Chinese custom, we call the father-in-law “father.”
But he said, “When I got to that home and saw that man, I tried to call him father, but it did not sound right, because you are my father-in-law.”
You know, before you are saved, you may be brought up in a Christian family. You may have prayed—I did. But when I prayed to God, “O God in heaven,” it was like “father-in-law.” I did not know Him. There was no relationship. It was not natural.
But, brothers and sisters, when you are saved, you cry out, “Papa, Father.” You are His child. There is a difference there. So, as little children, we know our Father.
But that is not the end; that is the beginning. You have to grow up into young men. Young men know the Word of God because they study the Word, memorize the Word, and meditate on the Word. They keep the Word in their heart, and that purifies them and gives them victory over sin.
Now, have you grown up from little children into young men and young women? Do you store the Word of God richly in your heart? Because of that, do you have victory over Satan, the temptation of the world, all the things of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?
If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. You know the Father. You love the Father. But if you do not have the Word in your heart, you love the world, and the love of the Father is not in you. You have to grow up, make the choice, and know.
That is not enough. You have to grow up to be fathers. Now, who are the fathers? The fathers are those who know Him that is from the beginning.
In other words, the fathers are those who know the mind and the heart of God, who know the eternal purpose of God, who know that Christ is all, and who know that all things will be gathered together in Christ. And you enter into it.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we as God’s children—it is important for us to grow. This is the will of God for you. Unless you cooperate with the will of God, your life will be a waste. And how sad.
Now, because the spiritual cannot be restricted by time and space, therefore I wonder whether, in this matter of sonship, it is very, very flexible.
In other words, we cannot really set a time and say, “Now you are a son. Now you are placed in the place of the son. You can have your privileges; you can have your responsibilities.” I do not think so.
I think, so far as sonship to us is concerned, it is increasing gradually and progressively. In other words, as you grow, you enter into more and more of sonship.
We will not arrive at full sonship until the redemption of our body. That is Romans 8. In Romans 8, we find that we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.
Thank God, His redemption has started in our lives. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, our spirit is born again. He that is born of the Spirit is spirit. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, the spirit within us is made alive. Redemption has come to our spirit.
The Spirit of God comes and dwells in our spirit, bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And as we live on this earth, dear brothers and sisters, if we are willing to lose our life, our soul-life, for Christ’s sake and for the gospel’s sake, we will gain it—the redeeming of our soul.
Then eventually, at the coming of the Lord, even this physical body will be changed, and we will take up a spiritual body—the redemption of our body. That is the fulfillment of sonship.
So, brothers and sisters, it is something that we can expect in the future with hope, and it is something that we can even experience today in an increasing manner. Is that not true?
The more you grow up, the more responsibility you are able to take up, and the more privilege you will have. This is a sonship that we can even enjoy today. But thank God, we can look forward to the future, knowing that that will be the day.
Is that not thrilling?
O brothers and sisters, what is implied in sonship? When we talk about sonship, what does it mean? I will only illustrate it with a few illustrations.
Number one: sonship is glory.
In Hebrews 2:10:
For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and through Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Here you find our Lord Jesus, Who will bring many sons to glory. Not many babes to glory—many sons.
But if you read Romans 8:30:
And whom He foreordained, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Do you see a difference between these two passages? In Romans 8, it says, “Whom He justified, them He also glorified.”
According to the eternal purpose of God, we have been predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s beloved Son, that the only begotten Son of God may be the firstborn among many brethren. And many brethren means many sons.
In other words, it is God’s will. He has predestinated us. Now, I thank God for predestination, because that means this is the will of God. It is God’s pleasure. That is what He wants, and that is what He will do.
He has predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His only begotten Son, and that His Son may be the firstborn among many brethren—to be like Him in character. That is being glorified.
You know, what is glory? To put it very simply, God is glory. Everything that is not God is inglorious. Anything that is of man is shameful. But when you think of God, glory.
To be glorified is to say that a life can be so wrought by God, by His grace, that it will be a life manifesting the life of Christ, full of glory. Now, is that not wonderful?
Who are we? Sinners. Shameful. Yet we may have a life that is glorious, and this life will transform us and make us as glorious as our Lord Jesus, because He is the firstborn among many brethren.
Do you want that glory? Do you want to be glorified? Surely that should be the longing of our hearts. Life can grow to such an extent as to be glorified, and Christ will become all to us, and Christ will be formed in us and manifested through us. Now, that is Romans 8.
But when you come to Hebrews 2:10, it says that He will lead many sons to glory. Now, one is the glory inside; the other is the glory you are going into. It is real. It is a circumstance. It is a condition. You enter into that; everything is glorious because everything is of God. Now, that is sonship.
I want to mention something. I would like to be corrected if I am wrong. You know, I have been meditating before the Lord.
Our Lord Jesus has not only been a Son; He has glory with the Father from eternity. Strangely, the Bible never mentions the eternal Son’s sonship. Why? Because sonship is His from the very beginning.
He does not need to grow into sonship or to receive sonship, because He is the eternal Son of God. He is already there. He is in glory. When He came into this earth, He left that glory behind.
But then, in John 17, He said, “Father, I return to the glory that I had with Thee from the beginning.” There is a glory—the glory of the eternal Son of God—that only the Son and the Father share.
I do not believe we can share that glory, because that would mean we enter into deity. But it touches me deeply: our Lord Jesus was willing to leave that glory behind, come into this world, and be a man.
So, when He returned to heaven, He not only returned to His glory that He had with His Father from eternity. In His prayer in John 17, He said, “I pray that all those who believe in Me, that they may see the glory that Thou hast given Me.”
I think that is different. Now, what is that glory? It is the glory that He received from the Father as the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, He was so completely obedient to the Father, and the Father gave Him a double glory.
I believe that is the glory that He will lead us into. We will all be led into that glory which our Lord Jesus, as the Son of God and as the Son of Man, has received. And He shares it with us.
I just throw it out, and I hope brothers and sisters will help me. If I am wrong, may God forgive me. But I think it is just that.
Number two: what does sonship imply? Inheritance.
You know, in 1 Peter 1:3-4:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Brothers and sisters, there is an inheritance God has prepared for us. It is an inheritance that is incorruptible. Now, all the inheritance that you may inherit on earth is corruptible, but there is an inheritance that God has reserved for you that is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading. Is that not wonderful?
Now, even in Ephesians 1, you find that inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the seal, guaranteeing us that we will one day receive that inheritance. We will become co-heirs with Christ. If we suffer with Him, we will be glorified with Him. There is an inheritance waiting for us.
You may call it the kingdom. We all are going there. You know, like the children of Israel: God delivered them out of Egypt, not just to leave them in the wilderness, but God wanted to lead them into Canaan and give Canaan to be their inheritance.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we have an inheritance reserved for us. We will have a share in that kingdom. Is that not ours?
And thirdly: reigning with Christ.
Second Timothy 2:12:
If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
In other words, if we are willing to suffer with Christ, to go outside the camp and bear His reproach, and last to the end, then we will reign when Christ returns and reigns over the whole world. Those who have arrived in sonship, they will reign with Christ.
Now, do not think that reigning means that now you are in a high position, you can give commands, and you can get people to serve you. That is just of the world. But for us it is different. If you want to be first, be last. If you want to be head, be the tail.
Reigning is serving according to God. How much service we do today is not according to God. How much so-called service is for our own profit! But one day we will be able to serve as our Lord Jesus served, purely serving the purpose of God. That is sonship. That is reigning—reigning for God, because we are ready for it.
O, these are just a few indications, my brothers and sisters. Sonship is one of them, and it is God’s desire that we all enter into it.
Dear Lord, we do thank Thee for Thy tremendous love for us. We thank Thee for what Thou hast given to us. We thank Thee for the predestination, and we thank Thee that Thou wilt bring us to glory, that Thou mayest be glorified. We ask in Thy name.