Sonship

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God...1 Jn 3:1

My daughter Marissa called me this afternoon from Oklahoma City. It was her last chance to talk before she leaves the states tomorrow for Uganda. She was all excited about the class that morning about Sonship. She said, "Dad, dad! You've got to hear what they talked about this morning in our training class!" She proceeded to tell me in rapid fire succession about orphans, sons, institutions, and how it all relates to the church. I said, "Slow down slow down, let me write this down before I forget it." We discussed her thoughts for awhile, then I passed the phone to her mother for a few words with her daughter. So my daughter is the inspiration for this post today.

I have heard teachings on sonship, but had never related it to the church like she did. It is amazing what you can learn from your kids. Sonship is an important revelation to understand. It is part of knowing who we are in Christ Jesus.

John 1:12 says, "But as many as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God...".

Gal 4:6 says, "And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."

So if we understand sonship, we live as sons. If we don't understand it, we may live as orphans. Orphans live in an institution, sons live in their Father's house. Orphans may see God as a task master, sons see God as their Father.

The orphan spirit says I have no father or authority, no home, and no significance. The son loves and honors his father, knows he has place prepared for him, and knows that he is loved and blessed by his father. Sons have relationships and know that that relationship sustains them. Orphans are dependent on the institution for their needs and are powerless.

Could it be that we have a lot of orphans in our institutions called church. Could that be why the church seems so powerless at times. Sons have the full support of their fathers. They know they can go out into the world with all the resources of their father to back them up. An orphan is bound to the institution. Sons are free.

So is all hope lost for the orphan? Not according to His Word. We all were once orphans. The good news, the Gospel, is that we have been adopted. We have "..received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Rom 8:15. Sonship is following Jesus in His humility, servanthood, and as the Lion of Judah. Knowing you are a son of the Living God, who created the universe and set all of the stars in their place will is liberating. It will set you free.