Tag Archives: sonship

THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

Bible Study, ,

THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh you will die but if, by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:12-17.

What magical words! We are no longer slaves but sons!

We have a Father who is a perfect Dad – not one who disappoints us, who abuses or neglects us or one constantly judges or punishes us because of our immature behaviour. And we have His Spirit who lives in us, who reassures us that we are God’s children and who enables us to call out to our Daddy, “Abba. Pappa!’ because that is who God is to us.

Jesus came to earth primarily to reveal the Father. 

“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do…I have revealed you to those you gave me out of the world…” John 17:4; 6.

He patiently taught His disciples and showed them by His works the true nature of God as their heavenly Father. The first message He gave to Mary for His disciples after His resurrection was startling, to say the least!

“Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” John 20:17.

The implications are huge! Not only have we been given the right to be called children of God, but we are also on the same level of sonship as Jesus is. Whatever privileges he enjoyed as God’s son are now ours because we is His brothers and sisters.

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

“Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10, 11.

Wow! Imagine that! There is no God like our God. What grace that we should be called children of God, and even more than that, that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters! This means that God has the same love for us that He has for His Son. We enjoy the same status and privileges that Jesus enjoys. We have been raised with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6); we share His inheritance – His nature (2 Peter 1:3, 4) and we will reign with Him in His eternal kingdom.

“But aren’t you being presumptuous?” you ask. Certainly not if I am simply repeating what God’s word says.

But there is a condition. God’s grace has freed us from the penalty of our sin. He has removed our guilt and re-established us in His family as His sons and daughters. He has given us His Spirit as our Helper. “Now,” says Paul, “you have an obligation to live the life He has freed you to live. No more selfish indulging!”

If we do not respond to God’s grace by putting our sinful ways to death with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will perish just as surely as though we were never rescued and restored to our place in the family of God. Without the evidence of a changed heart and new life, what we claim is nothing but empty words.

Bottom line – only those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God. Are you one of God’s children?

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

16 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF OBEDIENCE

Christian Life, ,

16 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF OBEDIENCE

Like contentment, obedience should play a major role in the process of transforming us into the image of Jesus.

There are many examples in Scripture of obedience and disobedience and the consequences that followed the choices people made. Apart from Jesus, two examples stand out for me.

Saul, the first king of Israel, had every advantage to be a godly king. God called him, anointed him for his office and equipped him with the power of the Holy Spirit to rule wisely. He started well but eventually lost everything through his disobedience, including his life, because he became arrogant and self-sufficient and thought he knew better than God.

This was God’s verdict over Saul’s life when he called up Samuel from the grave…

“Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.

“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”

But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.” 1 Samuel 28:15-19 NLT

The consequences of Saul’s disobedience brought wide-reaching disaster on the whole nation.

David, on the other hand, earned a title from God Himself – “a man after my own heart” – because, even in his position as king, he was obedient to the Lord and loved and valued His Word.

“But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’” Acts of the Apostles 13:22 NLT

This does not mean that David was perfect or sinless. When he fell into terrible sin, he was quick to acknowledge his guilt and to cry out to God for forgiveness.

He had to live with the consequences of his failure but, unlike many of the kings who came after him, he never became arrogant and self-sufficient. He continued to do what God told him to the end of his life.

Of course, the most perfect example of obedience is Jesus Himself.

Many years before He came to earth, prophecies about His character and obedience abound in the Old Testament.

David wrote about the Messiah…

“Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” Psalms 40:7-8 NLT

This was one of Isaiah’s visions about the Messiah…

“The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away….

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.” Isaiah 50:4-5, 7 NLT

Jesus’ own testimony was that of perfect obedience to the Father’s will…

“So, Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.  And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” John 8:28-29 NLT

Jesus challenged His opponents to find anything in His life out of line with the will of His Father.

“Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin?”… John 8:46 NLT

THE WAY OF OBEDIENCE IS NO EASY ROAD

  1. Obedience demands humility.

Jesus’ humility took Him all the way from His position in the Trinity to a broken and naked body on a Roman torture stake.

“Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7-8 NLT

  1. Jesus paid the highest price for His obedience to the Father.

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:6-8 NIV

OBEDIENCE HAS REWARDS THAT FAR OUTWEIGH THE COST

  1. Jesus’ submission to the Father saved Him from spiritual death and brought God’s answer to His prayer

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7-9 NIV

  1. Jesus’ obedience to the Father had a personal reward

” But it was the Lord ’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord ’s good plan will prosper in his hands.” Isaiah 53:10 NLT

” I will give him the honours of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.” Isaiah 53:12 NLT

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

  1. Jesus learned obedience through suffering

” Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 NLT

  1. Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will brought salvation potentially to the whole world, but especially to those who believe.

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:23-25 NIV

“Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.” Romans 1:5 NLT

“When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.” Isaiah 53:11 NLT

  1. Jesus’ obedience will restore the universe to God’s original purpose.

“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” Romans 8:20-21 NLT

6.We have a share in Jesus’ victory because of His obedience

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.’ 2 Corinthians 2:14 NLT

OBEDIENCE HAS DIFFERENT FACETS

1. Obedience to the gospel

Being a believer is much more than a free pass to heaven or “having a relationship with Jesus”.

God entrusted to the church, through the Apostles, a body of teaching which encompasses everything that relates to our lives in the New Covenant. Like the Old Covenant which was God’s constitution for citizenship in Israel, the New Covenant is our constitution for life in God’s kingdom. This constitution is sometimes called “the Gospel (Good News) ” and sometimes “the Faith” or “the Way”.

Being a believer, therefore, is a commitment to obey all the requirements of this divine “constitution”.

“As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT

Paul testified, shortly before he died,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 NIV

  1. Obedience to Jesus, the Word of God

God’s Word is His divine “GPS” for navigating a difficult and treacherous road through life. We have three enemies that will do all in their power to lure us off the way that will take us to the Father…the world, the flesh and the devil.

Each of these enemies works through the powerful weapon of deception. Each offers us a way to live that doesn’t need God. Each holds out the prize of self-sufficiency and self-gratification. Each fails to show us the small print, i.e., eternal death – separation from God and everything good.

Jesus said, “I am the Way…” He is also the Word. To reach our destination, we must follow the directions given to us in the Word which echo His nature and show us the way.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalms 119:105 NIV

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 NIV

“Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Luke 11:28 NLT

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,  for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.” John 10:27-30 NLT

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 NIV

As we abide in Jesus, remembering that without Him we can do nothing, He guides us by His Spirit, reminding us of the words He has spoken to us. Our response is to follow the prescriptions of His Word which will neutralise the deception of our enemies.

  1. Obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if, through the power of the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” Romans 8:12-14 NLT

Since God’s Word is the expression of His will,

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 NLT

GOD REQUIRES OBEDIENCE TO TWO SIMPLE COMMANDS

“And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.” 1 John 4:21 NLT

“And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.” 1 John 3:23 NLT

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law…. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:8, 10 NIV

THE FRUIT OF OBEDIENCE

  1. THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When we obey the gospel, i.e., when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead, God gives us the Holy Spirit to indwell us as we become His temple.

“We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.” Acts of the Apostles 5:32 NLT

“Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.” 1 John 3:24 NLT

  1. FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS

Friendship with Jesus is not automatic nor does every Christian enjoy the privilege of friendship with Him. It is reserved for those who obey Him.

” ‘You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.’ ” John 15:14-15 NLT

  1. FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON

Relationship and fellowship are not the same thing. We may have a relationship with Jesus but be out of fellowship with Him because of disobedience. Sin does not change our relationship with Him unless we have purposely chosen to renounce our salvation. However, sin interferes with our oneness with Him.

“So, you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.” 1 John 2:24-25 NLT

  1. ANSWERS TO PRAYER

Prayer, in the deepest sense of the word, is not about getting what we want from God. It’s about sharing His heart and learning to be one with Him. He answers our prayers in accordance with His will when our hearts are in tune with Him.

“Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.” 1 John 3:21-22 NLT

  1. PROOF THAT WE ARE ALIVE WITH GOD’S LIFE

Loving our fellow believers us a fruit of our life in Him. It shows that we are” participants in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

“If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.” 1 John 3:14 NLT

  1. ETERNAL LIFE

Obedience to God’s constitution is also proof that we are citizens of Hid heavenly Kingdom.

“And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:17 NLT

  1. A DWELLING PLACE FOR THE FATHER AND THE SON

God’s final purpose is to be at home in the hearts of His people.

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:2-3 NIV

Obedience is a hallmark of sonship; therefore, obedience prepares us for being God’s eternal dwelling place.

“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” John 14:23 NIV

Obedience, then, to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a powerful protection against our enemies, and a preparation for life with God in an eternal union with Him in heaven, His dwelling place.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

Learning To Be A Son – Chapter Three – Jesus The Authentic Son

Book Reviews, , , ,

CHAPTER THREE

Jesus the Authentic Son

Although the Father chose sonship as His model for the relationship He desired between Himself and mankind, and sent the second person of the Trinity, whom He named Jesus (Yeshua), to be the human model for us, it was not cut and dried that Jesus would be the perfect Son. He had to learn to be a Son by going through all the experiences of humanity, from birth to death without failing in His submission and obedience to the Father. He had to be a perfect Son where Adam failed.

He had to be a Son in the Hebrew culture and religion into which He was born. To be a son in the Hebrew language and understanding was to “continue the house”. It was His role to continue God’s house through reproducing Himself in His disciples so that they in turn would reproduce Him in those they taught to be disciples.

Through thirty years of growing up in a Jewish home and three years of public ministry during which time He was under constant harassment from His arch enemy, the devil and those of His own people who opposed Him, Jesus never faltered. He passed every test; His love, loyalty and commitment to unity with the Father remained intake in the wilderness, during three years of scrutiny by His disciples, the common people and the religious leaders and received the Father’s wholehearted affirmation at every step along the way.

His final test was the cross. Gethsemane was the ultimate expression of His submission to the Father’s will. He passed the test and was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit to authenticate Him once and for all as the perfect Son and fully qualified to be the sinless lamb who was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

To order your 0wn copy of either book, contact

Toll free – 0800 990 914 (South Africa)

orders.africa@partridgepublishing.com

www.partridgepublishing.com/africa  or call

+44 20 314 3997 (outside South Africa)

ISBN: Hardcover – 978-1-4828-0891-9                                                                                     Softcover 978-1-4828-0890-2                                                                                                              eBook 978-1-4828-0889-6

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

Learning To Be A Son – The Way To The Father’s Heart

Book Reviews, , ,

LEARNING TO BE A SON – THE WAY TO THE FATHER’S HEART

For several months I have advertised my debut book, “Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart”. I believe it’s time to pique your interest by giving you a glimpse into the content of the book.

First of all, I must tell you why I wrote it. A few years ago I was encouraged by a friend to spend a month studying one chapter of the Bible. I chose Luke’s Gospel and inched my way through chapter one with great enjoyment and profit; so I carried on into chapter two and three and eventually to the end of the book which probably took me a year or more, nearer two, I think.

At about the same time I was introduced to the teaching of a young American preacher by another friend which became a turning point in my understanding of the Bible. This young preacher had studied under a rabbi, a Messianic Jew who was also a Christian minister. What he had to say was life-changing for me as he explained many aspects of the Bible from the ancient Hebraic language and culture, which made sense to me as never before.

I also discovered a scholar of the ancient Hebrew language – Paleo Hebrew – on the internet and, through reading some of his work, I was faced with the truth that much of what I had understood and believed had no foundation in Scripture. Talk about having to change my mind! These events sent me on a quest to read and understand the Bible from the perspective of the ancient writers and not from my own western scientific and philosophical imposition on the Scriptures.

Now don’t get me wrong. I did not become a Hebrew scholar by any means, but I did lean heavily on the scholarship of others. As I pursued Luke’s story, and then later on the other three gospels, I began to realise how far the church has strayed from the simplicity of Jesus’ teaching and mission.

His primary purpose was to reveal the God of Israel who had been buried under all the baggage of Judaism. It was His passion to reveal to His people the one name by which they did not know God – the name “Father”. This was His all-encompassing mission which included His way of life, His teaching, His miracles, His death and His resurrection, all of which were a revelation of what God the Father is really like.

Why was it so important that His people understood that God was their Father? It was God’s intention to create a race of human beings to be His sons and daughters and who would relate to Him as a Father. Luke even called Adam “the son of God” in his genealogy of Jesus, linking the Messiah to the first man God created. Because sin alienated God’s children from Him, Jesus came to deal with sin so that the human race could be reconciled to their Father and be restored to fellowship with Him in His family.

Jesus lived on earth as the model of a perfect son, to qualify as our substitute when He paid the debt for our sin but also to show us how to be sons and daughters of God.  it is on the basis of sonship that we have access to the Father and that we are privileged to have a share in His nature, His resources, His kingdom, a home, an name and an inheritance.

Like the password we use to have access to many of the benefits of the internet, so it is the “password” – son or daughter of God – that gives us access to all the benefits of being a member of God’s family. Prayer is the privilege of sons. It is the way in which we gain access to the Father, and to His heart and mind as we live in the world to do His will and to extend His kingdom on earth.

My book explores reason why every human being whether he is aware of it or not, is a son of God; the way to access and enjoy our sonship; the nature of Jesus who is the model son, and the privileges and responsibilities of being sons and daughters of God. Our role as sons and daughters is to follow Jesus, as He called His disciples to do, so that we can learn to be imitators of our elder brother.

In the next few weeks we shall explore the contents of each chapter of the book in the hopes that your appetite will be so whetted that you will want to buy your own copy.

Already God’s Kids

Bible Study, , ,

ALREADY GOD’S KIDS

“Not only so, but we who have the firstfuits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:23-25.

The evidences of creation’s groaning are all around us. We see it in destructive weather patterns and in natural disasters such as wind, earthquakes, fire and floods. It is evident in the violence that happens in the animal kingdom. We feel utterly helpless at the power of volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and tornados. We feel instinctively that it is unnatural for the earth to be heaving and writhing as though in pain.

What of our own groaning? Do we not groan in our pain and suffering, our emotional upheavals and the helplessness and hopelessness we feel when we have no control over our circumstances? Paul says, “Take heart, child of God. These are the birth pangs, like a woman in labour. A whole new order that is coming into being. Our travail is not in vain. We will not bring forth wind.”

On what do we place our hope? Just as the firstfuits of the harvest assure us that the full harvest will soon be ripe, so we, who have the Holy Spirit already, know that He is the guarantee of the fulfilment of God’s promise.

When God created the first man and woman, He fused his body and spirit. Created from the dust of the earth, God breathed His Spirit into him and he became a living being. Death is unnatural; the separation of body and spirit was not God’s intention. It was sin that resulted in death. Redemption will not be complete until our bodies are restored to their original perfection and reunited with our spirits.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He became the firstfuits of the resurrection.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfuits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in turn; Christ the firstfuits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come…” 1 Corinthians 15:20-24a.

When this happens, our adoption as God’s sons and daughters will be complete. We are already His children. He views the finished product. He treats us as though we are already perfect. We are in the process of becoming what we already are.

“For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness…” Colossians 2:9, 10a.

“For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14.

Wow! Do you realise what that means? We do not have to gain God’s approval or earn our position with Him. Because we are in Christ Jesus through faith, we have already been approved as His sons and daughters and made perfect from His point of view. His Spirit is at work in us, fashioning us into what we already are, mirror images of His Son and our brother, Jesus Christ.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3.

We have a strong motivation for persevering in our faith and hope in God and in godly living because the rewards far outweigh the cost. What we endure now because of our loyalty to Him is temporary and cannot be compared with the eternal reward of being made complete in Him.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.