WHY DID JESUS COME? – 4

“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”  Hebrews 2:10, 11.

Jesus’ final reason for coming is beautifully summed up by the writer to the Hebrews. God is rebuilding His family, made up of all who are forgiven and cleansed of their sin, reconciled and restored to the Father and learning from Jesus how to live now as sons of God.

I am the mother of four sons. As they grew from infancy through childhood, adolescence and young adulthood to maturity, the way we expressed our relationship changed. I have never ceased to be their mother, but I no longer have to protect them from the consequences of their childish immaturity or to train them in the basics of being human. They are now married with children of their own whom they must train and lead by example to maturity as I had to do when they were growing up.

Being sons of God is a difficult road to navigate because, firstly, our Father is invisible and so different from us that we need a human being to show us how to be His sons. Jesus is the perfect model whom we can follow.  Secondly, we need to learn how to live out the new nature He has put in us through our new birth. We have been transferred from the kingdom of our old master, the devil, into the kingdom of light where we come under different rule, the rule of love. God has placed His Spirit in us, who witnesses with our spirits that we are the sons of God (Romans 8;16).

However, we do not automatically express God’s nature in our lives. Thought by thought, choice by choice, we change as we learn from Jesus how to live as He did. Jesus did not give us a complicated set of rules. Instead, He gave us one instruction – “Follow me”. Although we may find it easier to have a carefully-worked-out system, God is our Father and He wants us to live in close communion with Him as sons by watching and imitating Jesus.

Sons have free access to the Father. We do not need an appointment to have fellowship with Him (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Sons have all the resources of the Father at their disposal. We do not need to beg for God’s supply. It is ours because we are sons (Philippians 4:19).

Sons are at home in God’s household. We are not strangers or aliens. We are family. (Ephesians 2:19)

Sons live under and have the authority of the Father. We are not slaves, we are sons. Galatians 4:4).

Sons are heirs of the Father and joint heirs with Jesus (Galatians 4:7).

What an awesome privilege to be the sons of God!