So this scripture has been haunting me, stalking me and practically waking me up in the dead of the night just so I could marvel at this mystery: son of God. I have wanted to write about it but was not quite sure i knew what to say, and i could not write about anything else until i put to paper what God was teaching me about this: son of God.
It has been like this mountain that I had to climb so that i can get on with the rest of my life. So, this is me...climbing the mountain.
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Some bible versions interpret that as ‘child of God’ or ‘children of God’, but it doesn’t quite have the right ring to it does it? The picture it paints in my head is of annoying, spoilt and troublesome little humans with runny noses and bare feet playing hide and seek. It just doesn’t sit well with my brain. But, son of God; now that’s more like it.
It’s not really a question of gender, but a question of my standing in the Kingdom of God. My place and position in the family (I’m a girl so yeah...)
Did you know that when God the Father sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross His plan wasn’t to create a religion called Christianity? Shocker, huh? God’s plan was ‘sonship’. Check this out.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become sons of God— sons born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13
I love this verse, basically two things to pick up on how one becomes a son of God
1. Believe in Jesus Christ as the one sent from heaven by God the Father.
2. Believe that his death (Jesus Christ) restored you to God and made you a son of God
How far we have strayed from that, no? When we look at it from God’s perspective, it’s a whole other ball game. In my time ‘musing’ over this scripture I just realised how much I had been short-changed by none other than yours truly. How much I had missed out on because I did not fully grasp who I am; and how much more there was to this life.
This scripture also tells us that we are born of God and it’s not based on where we come from or who our parents are but on just the fact that we believe and receive Jesus Christ!
Therefore what kind of people ought we to be? People from the same family tend to have the same mannerisms and the same way of doing things because of how they have been raised. In the same way now that we are part of this family we ought to have the same mannerisms and character as the family we have now come into. And this fact right here is what has been keeping me awake; because I ask myself ‘’How much like God am I?’’
It is true that we are as humans by nature born sinful. The sin of Adam is deep and innate but when we get born again, we acclimatize to a new nature, to a new family, to a new way of doing things. We come into a new league of people, the league of the sons of God. See what I did there? No? Okay moving on.
In walks Jesus Christ.
A wise man once told me (it was most probably me in one of those sessions when I talk to myself)
‘’If you look for Jesus, you will find God.’’
Want to know what a son of God looks like? Try following the ultimate Son of God, He won’t let you down, you can take that to the bank
So what kind of person was Jesus and what kind of things did He do? A son of God| A water walker| healer| friend of sinners| teacher| life-giver| Provider| Storm-calmer| Miracle worker| Just an all round awesome person. The kind of person that you definitely want to have in your life!
Remember what Jesus himself said in the book of John
12Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in (believe in) me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12
I’m going to let you ponder on that for a minute.
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On resurrection morning Jesus met Mary and told her
‘’...go tell my brothers...’’ John 20:17, referring to the disciples.
When I read that, my knees kind of just buckled under the mushiness. After that one act of dying for them; dying for us, Jesus moved from calling them servants and friends (John 15:15) to brothers. That is it. Once you believe that He died for you to restore you to their family, you become a brother. I just love God and His genius ways.
This is all great you say, but why does it matter? Good question.
It matters a whole lot. It affects every area of our walk with God and on this earth. I could list and explain them all but then you’d get bored of reading so I’ll just pick one and you can follow the same line of thought with other areas.
I’m going to talk about prayer, cause it’s kind of my thing.
Picture this. You have a sister or brother with adorable little kids that you love to visit. One day you walk into their home and you find your ten year old nephew tagging at your sisters dress seemingly pleading for something and it goes something like this.
‘’Aki mum please give me bread. I have been playing the whole day, I’m hungry please cut me a piece of bread. Oh mum please, I know I haven’t been a good boy but if you give me I promise I’ll be better. I promise to always say the truth always and I promise I won’t fight with Allan (the small brother). I promise. I know I don’t deserve it but please please just give me bread. If you give me I’ll go tell all my friends how nice my mum is.’’
All the while your sister is busy on the oven, oblivious to the cries of her son. You’d think she’s gone bonkers wouldn’t you? You’d wonder what your sister has been doing to your nephews’ right? Why wouldn’t she give them bread, why do they have to beg like kids who are out in the streets you’d wonder?
But isn’t that how we are with God many times. We go to him begging and pleading our case. Wondering if God is listening, crying out like kids without a Father and yet we are talking to our Father. It’s crazy, right? A son knows without doubt that his Father will give him what he needs. A son has full confidence in the Father’s ability. Sometimes the Father provides for stuff the son hadn’t even realised he needed. That is the same confidence we ought to have in the Father. How would this change your prayer time? Personally I have found that I spend less time asking for stuff and more time just wanting to know the heart of the Father, more time knowing him and learning what it means to be a part of His family. Because of this my relationship with God has grown in leaps and bounds. No kidding.
18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. John 5:18-20
I know these scriptures speak of a relationship between Jesus and the Father, but it does give a glimpse into the kind of relationship we can also have with our Father because He is one and the same. When your focus moves from begging, asking and pleading to building relationship you will be amazed just how much God wants you to know and is more than willing to teach you so that can you can become more like him and you will truly marvel.
Have you noticed that one of the reasons the teachers of the law wanted Jesus killed was because He claimed to be the Son of God?
Because you are his sons (that’s you and me who believe), God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer slaves, but God’s sons; and since you are his sons, he has made you also heirs. Galatians 4:7
Today, that is our claim as believers, that we are sons of God. How much impact are we having on this earth? What happens when the sons of God do not know that they are sons of God? Can the world be changed for the better? How long will creation wait for our manifestation?
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:19
