Sons of God

Q: What does the Bible say about being a son of God?

The Bible states that through God's love, we are called sons of God by adoption, birth, and the indwelling Spirit. The Bible reveals profound truths about our identity as sons of God. In 1 John 3:1, we are asked to 'behold' the incredible love of the Father, which allows us to be called His children. This love is divine, eternal, unchanging, and freely bestowed upon us without merit. Additionally, we are considered sons by adoption (Ephesians 1:3-5), which signifies that God has chosen us to belong to His family. We are also born of God (John 1:12-13), meaning our spiritual rebirth through faith in Christ grants us the right to be called His sons. Furthermore, Romans 8:14 affirms that those led by the Spirit of God are indeed sons of God, solidifying our place in His family through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Q: How do we know that God's love for us is unconditional?

God's love is unconditional as demonstrated through Christ’s sacrifice when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). God's love is truly unconditional and transcends human understanding. In Romans 5:8, the apostle Paul states, 'But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' This scripture illustrates that God's love is not contingent upon our actions or worthiness; it was offered freely even when we were in rebellion against Him. Furthermore, the nature of this love is characterized as everlasting and immutable (Jeremiah 31:3), indicating that it does not fluctuate based on our behavior. God's choice to love us stems from His sovereign will, as seen in Ephesians 1:4-5, showing that He chose us before the foundation of the world.

Q: Why is understanding our identity as sons of God important for Christians?

Knowing we are sons of God assures us of our salvation and identity in Christ, bringing comfort and confidence. Understanding our identity as sons of God is fundamental for Christians as it shapes our relationship with God and our interactions with the world. In 1 John 3:2, we are reminded that 'now are we the sons of God,' emphasizing the present reality of our salvation and identity through faith in Christ. This identity allows us to approach God boldly, calling Him 'Abba, Father' (Romans 8:15). It is also a source of comfort and confidence, especially in times of trials and persecution, as it separates us from the world's understanding and offers the assurance of our inheritance in Christ (Romans 8:17). Additionally, knowing we are children of God compels us to live in a manner that reflects His love and holiness, impacting our witness to others.

the book of 1 John, chapter 3. The first word that we encounter
in 1 John, chapter 3, is the word, capital letters, B-E-H-O-L-D, behold, behold. That word means look up and be aware there's
an announcement of great importance that you need to consider. Behold,
behold. When the prophet Isaiah in chapter
7 wrote about the coming Redeemer, he said, Behold, here's an announcement
of great importance. Look, listen, consider this. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bring forth a son, and you'll call his name Immanuel, God with
us. Behold. And the shepherds on that particular
night when Christ came into the world were taking care of their
flocks on the hillside. And it says, The glory of the
Lord shone round about them, and the angel of the Lord came
upon them, and they were afraid. And the angel said, Fear not,
behold. Behold. Here's an announcement
of the greatest importance. Consider this, we bring you glad
tidings of great joy which shall be to all people unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Savior. Behold. And then John the Baptist, called
by some the last of the Old Testament prophets, was sent in a miraculous
fashion. born a miracle child into this
world. And he enjoyed a great measure
of success because the Spirit of God was upon him from his
mother's womb. And he one day, after proclaiming
again and again and again, prepare you the way of the Lord, prepare
you the way of the Lord, make his path straight. One day he
pointed to a man, and he said, Behold, here's an
announcement of the greatest importance. Look, consider. Behold, the Lamb of God that
taketh away the sin of the world. That one day time shall be no
more. God's covenant shall be complete. The church called out, every
sheep found. And the scripture says, and the
clouds will roll back, and the voice of the archangel shall
cry, Behold, behold, I've got an announcement
of the greatest importance. You look Behold, he cometh. Behold, he cometh with clouds,
and every eye shall see him." Well, our text begins that way,
here in 1 John 3. Behold, it goes along with all
of these other remarkable announcements. Behold, amazing! Look, consider,
and it's no less amazing than all the other announcements that
we've read. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called sons
of God. Behold. Amazing! what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we, sons of Adam, should
be called sons of God. That any man should be called
a son of God deserves a behold. But that we should be called
sons of God, that's an announcement that is amazing. So let's look
at it a little bit this evening. Behold, he says, what manner
of love, what manner of love is this? Well, I'll tell you
what manner of love it is. It's a love that's impossible
for us to understand, because it's divine love. John said herein
is love, not that we loved him, but that he loved us and gave
his son to be a perpetuation for our sins. He loved us. When
we didn't love Him, God commended His love for us, and while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It's divine love. And
not only that, but it's everlasting love. He said, I've loved you
with an everlasting love. There's never been a time that
He didn't love us. Therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. It's an unchanging love. Our
Lord Jesus Christ, John, wrote in chapter 13, having loved his
own. Having loved them with an everlasting
love, with a divine love, with an infinite love. Having loved
his own, he loved them to the end, unchanging, immutable, even
to the death of the cross. Having loved his own. Having
loved them. Now I'm persuaded Paul said that
nothing can separate us from the love of God. It's an unchanging
love. What manner of love? Divine love. What manner of love? Eternal
love. What manner of love? Unchanging
love. What manner of love? Redeeming
love. He said, I know my sheep, I love
my sheep. I lay down my life for my sheep.
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, and them
also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice,
and they shall be one fold and one shepherd. But behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us." It's not merited. It's not deserved. It's not earned. It's freely
bestowed. He chose us. He called us. He sought us, and he bestowed
his love upon us. And look at the next line, that
we should be called the sons of God. And my friend, this is
not a mere name, this is not a mere claim, this is not a mere
profession, like those Pharisees of old that says, God is our
Father. We be not born of fornication,
God is our Father. That was a claim. That was a
mere name. But we are actually called the
sons of God. Literally, actually, sons of
God. Now let me show you that. Here
are four things that you need to see. First of all, hold that
place there and turn to Ephesians 1. We're sons of God by choice. We're sons of God by choice,
by adoption. in Ephesians chapter 1, listen
to it, verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he chose
us. He chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him. I like to read this this way,
before him, without blame before him, in love, in that what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that divine love, that
everlasting love, that unchanging love, in love having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his own will. We are sons of God by adoption. By adoption. Now, there's people
in this church who've adopted children. And they are their
children. They belong to them. They've
adopted them. They're just as much their children as if they
were born to them naturally. And they've given them their
names. They've given that son and daughter and others whom
they've adopted their name. They're their children. The remarkable
thing about our adoption is that our God not only gives us his
name, but he gives us his nature. That's something you can't do
for an adopted child. My sons are naturally born my
children. They have my name, inheritance,
legally, law, in every way. They're sons of mine. My daughter
is a daughter of mine. But the difference in human adoption
is that these children have my nature, my genes, you see. And when you adopt a child legally
or naturally, you can't give that child your nature. But when
God adopted us, he gave us his nature. We're his son. That's
right. Born of God, but adopted. That's right. All right. Secondly, turn to John chapter
1. John chapter 1. We're not only
sons by adoption, but we're sons by birth. By birth. He hath begotten us. That's right.
He hath begotten us. Here in John 1 verse Verse 10,
he was in the world, and the world was made by him, the world
knew him not, came unto his own, his own received him not. But
as many as received him, to them gave he power, that word is the
right, the privilege, the glorious privilege, to become sons of
God. Like I said, this is not just
a name, this is not a claim, this is not just a profession,
this is a right, a privilege. We are sons of God. We have become
sons of God. Listen, even to them that believe
on his name, which were born, not of blood, that is, not of
fleshly inheritance, not of natural genealogy, not because your mother
or daddy were Christians, but you were particularly, effectually
born of God, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will
of man, but born of God. So we're children of God by adoption?
We're children of God by regeneration? All right, Romans chapter 8.
We're children of God by his Spirit which dwells within us. If any man have not the Spirit
of God, he's none of his. We have the Spirit of God. We're
born of the Spirit of God. Look here in Romans chapter 8,
verse 14. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are sons of God. For you have not received
the spirit of adoption again to fear, but you have received
the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father, Father,
Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are children of God, children by adoption,
children by regeneration, and children by the indwelling Spirit
of God himself. If any man have not the Spirit
of God, he's not of good. We don't seek the Spirit of God,
we have the Spirit of God. We seek the filling of the Holy
Spirit, we seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we seek the
wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we seek the grace of the Holy Spirit,
but we have the Spirit of God if we're children of God. And then we're children of God
by understanding. Turn to 1 John 5. Listen to this. We know him. We know our Father. We know our Father. Like Paul
said, I know whom I have believed. And here in 1 John 5, verse 20,
listen. And we know that the Son of God
hath come. the Son of God is come, and hath
given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true,
even in his Son, Jesus Christ." Now, this is the true God, this
is eternal life. We know him. We know him. Now, I know that we pray, O that
I may know him, O that I may win Christ But that doesn't mean
we don't already know him. We want to know him better. All right, back to my text. Let's
move on. Behold, an announcement of great
importance, amazing, but what manner of love, indescribable,
unspeakable, love that the Father hath freely bestowed upon us
by his own will, that we should be called sons of God. Literally, actually, sons of
God, by adoption, by birth, by the indwelling Spirit
and nature of God, by understanding. We cry, Father, He is my Father. I know my Father. All right, what's this line here
now? Therefore the world knoweth us not. It didn't know him, the
Son of God. No, you're a son of God. You're
a daughter of God. But the world doesn't know you
as such. The world knows you as a neighbor.
The world knows you as a fleshly brother or sister even. The world
may know you as a son or daughter. The world may know you as a fellow
workman or a teacher or a nurse. But the world doesn't know you
as a son of God. Because the world didn't know
the Son of God when he was here. He was in the world. The world
knew him not. He came with his own, his own
received him not. He says if the princes of this
world had known who he was, they wouldn't have crucified him. And you have a problem. And you go to your dear father
and mother or your earthly brother or sister or your friends or
neighbors or your fellow workmen and you say, I know God. And you do. I know God. I'm a son of God. I've been born
of God. I've been adopted into the family
of God. Look at me. Listen to me. I know
the gospel. I have some understanding of
how God moves and how God works, how God saves sinners. I know. Will you listen to me? You need
to hear what I have to say. You need to hear this gospel
of God. You see, I've met God. God has
come and given me an understanding. I'm a son of God. Do you understand
what I'm saying to you? Now, will you listen to me? Won't
you listen to me? Won't you give me a few moments
of your time and let me tell you about my Father? No. You're crazy. of prophets, not without honor,
save in his own country and among his own kindred. They know you
as Billy or George or Willie or Fred or their baby boy or
their baby girl. They know you as a son or a son-in-law
or something else, but they don't know you as a son of God, because
the Son of God himself equal with the father of the very image
of God, and the brightness of his glory stood face to face
with him, and they didn't know him. They didn't know him. He said, I and my father won,
and they grabbed rocks to stone him. You're crazy. He's mad. He's got devils. Don't listen
to him. You know what they said? Crucify him. We'll not have this
man right over us." They spit in his face. And you wonder why
when you try to give a word of witness and a word of exhortation,
you, me, raised in the house, they knew you when, but you stand and want to just tell
them, let me just tell you about him. You don't know anything. But it says there, the world
knoweth us not. Now they know you, they know
you, but not as the Son of God. You see what he's saying? Not
as the Son of God. They said, we know who this is,
this is Jesus. But they didn't know him for
who he really was. Well, we know who he is. He's
Mary's son. He's Joseph's son. We saw him
in a carpenter's shop. He's raised up here in Nazareth.
Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Who ever heard anything
coming out of Summit? Or Cole Grove? Or Wheelersburg? We know who you are. No, they
don't know you. They don't know you. And you
know why? They didn't know him. I know
you. Because I know Him. I love to
hear what you got to say. And everybody that knows Him
loves to hear what you got to say. You got up here to read
with all ears, because you special. That's right. You get up here
to preach Bob, you special. You son of God. To us you are,
but not to them. And you know why? They didn't
know Him. That's right, they didn't know
him. Those who know him know you. If you were of the world, the
world would love its own. But you're not of the world,
therefore the world hateth you. If you weren't a stranger, those
dogs wouldn't bark at you. Dogs bark at strangers, not friends. That's the reason they're barking
at you out there where you work. You're a stranger. They don't
know you. Verse 2, Beloved, this is to
believers, Beloved, right now, now are we the sons of God, right
now. This is not a future inheritance.
This is a present possession. Beloved, now, right now, we're
sons of God. I tell you, that blesses me,
salvation is a present possession. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life, hath it in his possession, hath it in
his soul and heart. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, being justified with
God, we have Justified by faith, we have peace with God right
in our present possession. Now are we sons of God. Right
now we're the son of God. And listen, it doesn't yet, not
yet appear what we shall be. I know we all like to speculate
and think about what heaven's going to be like. I do. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing
at all. Then we shall be what we would
be, what we shall be like in glory. None of us can speak of
it with any authority because no man knows, but I like to think
about it, don't you? I've got a few clues. I've got
a few clues. The Apostle Luke gave me an account
of my risen Lord when he appeared to the disciples. He said, just
touch my hands. reach out here and touch them.
The spirit doesn't have flesh and bones as you see me have,
touch them. There's the nail prints, he said,
in my hand. Touch my side, where the spirit
went in. And be not faithless but believe.
He said, you got something to eat, and they gave him a piece
of fish, broiled fish, and a honeycomb, and he ate it. I just believe that Some of them
came over and embraced him, too. I would have. I'd have had to.
They watched him die, Bob. They saw him die, and he came
and stood in their midst, and they were afraid, and he said,
I don't be afraid. They thought they'd seen a ghost. He said,
a ghost doesn't have flesh and bone. He said, touch me. Somebody said, well, Thomas just
fell down embarrassed. I think he touched him. I really
do. I think they... I'd have had
to. I'd have had to take hold of those hands. I'd have been
on my knees, but I just, I'd have reached up and took hold
of those hands, wouldn't you? I know I would have. They loved
him. And then Paul said there's, talks
about flesh, in 1 Corinthians 15, said how the dead raised. Well, he said they come forth
in the body, flesh. And he said now there's different
kinds of flesh. There's the flesh of birds, and
there's the flesh of animals, and there's the flesh of fish,
and there's the flesh of men. And then there's glorified flesh,
when that mortal shall put on immortality, and that corruptible
shall put on incorruption, and that shame shall put on glory,
and that sinfulness shall put on holiness. There's a glorified
flesh, isn't there? And that's what we're going to
have, and I'm looking forward to it. Just think of it. Turn
over to Revelation. Listen to this. Revelation 21.
And this is so, I read this again this afternoon, it's just so
beyond our ability to grasp it. Revelation
21, verse 3. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and there will be his people
and God himself. shall be in their midst among
them, with them, and be their God. And God will wipe away all
tears from their eyes." No more tears. No more death. No more sorrow. Can you imagine
no more sorrow? No more bad news. No more tears. No more, I'm sorry. No more,
oh, I hate that so badly. No more sorrow. No more crying,
neither shall there be no more pain, for the former things are passed
away, all of the former things as we know them now. And he that
sat upon the throne said, I'll make everything new. Can you
imagine that? Paul went to the third heaven
and came back and he said, I heard things I can't tell you about.
You couldn't even, you couldn't even grasp it. You've got nothing
with which to compare. But now watch this. Beloved,
right now we're sons of God. It doesn't yet appear what we
shall be, but we know that. It's something I do know. That
when he shall appear, when the Lord Jesus comes back, We're going to be like him. Can
you imagine that? Jim, you hear what Scott said
the other Sunday night? He said, what a great, great
is the mystery of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh,
that God will become a man. But just as great is the miracle
that man should become like God. man become like God. We're going
to be like Him. That's right. And I want to show
you this, three things. I'll give you this break. Watch this now. You'll be rejoiced
over this. Philippians chapter 1. Philippians,
I beg your pardon, chapter 3. Philippians 3. We're going to
be like Christ. It does not yet appear what we
shall be, but when he shall appear, we are going to be like him.
Philippians 3, verse 20. For our conversation is in heaven,
from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, who
shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body. Think about it. We're going to have a body like
his. That's right. A body like his. And then, Romans
8, turn over here, we're going to be like him in body, we're
going to be like him in soul. That's right, Romans chapter
8. Now listen, listen to this. In Romans chapter 8, Verse 29, For whom he did foreknow,
he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Everybody in heaven
is going to be like Christ's glorious body and like Christ's
glorious soul. They're going to love what he
loves. They're going to enjoy what he
enjoys. They're going to rejoice in what he rejoices, in what
he rejoices. He said, the glory you gave me,
I'm going to give them, like him and so, like Christ. That's
right. You see, this has always given
people problems. How am I going to be happy in
heaven? if certain people are not there.
Isn't that right? Doesn't that give people problems? John Newton said, I'm going to
see some people in heaven I didn't expect to see, I'm going to miss
some people I did expect to see. The greatest miracle will be
to be there myself. But how? How? How can I, when God sends people
to hell, how can This person rejoiced. Now you think about
this. The scripture says when God cast
the great whore, religious organizations, into condemnation, every believer
in heaven said, Amen, Hallelujah, true and righteous are his judgments. I'll tell you how, because you're
going to be like Christ. You're going to have the same
love for holiness that he has, which you don't have now. I wish
we did. I wish I hated sin like he did,
and loved holiness like he did. You're going to have the same
regard for holiness and the same hatred for sin that he has. You're
going to be able to rejoice not only in his mercies, but in his
judgment. Because he does, he does. He's not only glorified by his
mercy, he's glorified by his righteousness, is he not? And
his holiness, is he not? God is perfectly holy. And that's
what I'm saying. Brethren, he says, when he shall
appear, we're going to be like him in body and soul and mind. That's right. Because it says,
Now I know in part, but when that which is perfect is come,
that which is in part shall be done away, and I shall know even
as I am known. That's remarkable, isn't it?
How well does God know you now? That's how well you're going
to know. I'm going to know as I have been known. We are living in an age of computers. And some of you here are experts
or very good in this computer business. And you're always astounded
and amazed at what those things can do, aren't you? Aren't you
amazed at computers? Those things are obsolete compared
to the potential of a mind created by God. The mind of God. And yet one of these days when
he shall appear, you're going to see him and be like him in
body, in spirit, in soul, in holiness, in righteousness, and
in intelligence. Won't that be something? Won't
that be something? What is that fellow's name? I
won't have that problem then. I'll not only know his name,
but I'll know all about him. I'll know as I have been known
you." Well, it's just beyond my comprehension. All right,
one other thing I want to show you. Verse 2, Beloved, right now,
we're sons of God, and in our present state it does not yet
appear what we shall be. But we know this, when he shall
appear, we're going to be like him, for we shall see him as
he is. Now listen to me. We'll see him
as he is. Our minds, and the artists of
our day, and the sculptors, and our minds, we're just guilty
as they are. We try to visualize Jesus Christ as he was. That's our big problem. As he
was. Paul said, I know no man after
the flesh. I knew the Lord Jesus that way
one time, but no more, no more. How often we think of the babe
in the manger, wondering what Christ was like as an infant
or as a little boy. He grew in the carpenter shop
in wisdom and so forth, in favor with God, in stature and wisdom
in favor with God and man. How often we think of the young
boy in Joseph's home and people are always trying to fill in
those silent years. You know that? Those silent years
from the time he was 12 until the time he began to preach at
30. We're always trying to fill in those years. We're trying
to find out about the carpenter. We're trying to picture and visualize
the man who walked the dusty streets of Jerusalem and the
hills of Judea and preached and touched and healed people. We're
trying to imagine the cross of Calvary and how he was hanged
there on that tree. We're trying to visualize him
and what, was he blonde, was he dark, was he long hair, short
hair, beard, or no beard, or how tall was he, short was he?
I shall never see him as he was. He says, I'm going to see him
as he is. as he is, not as he was. The manger is no more. Forget
it. The cross is no more. Calvary
is gone. The tomb is gone. And curiosity
and idolatry are the only things that keep it alive. Forget it. Don't go over yonder and look
around for a grave. D'Arcy and I have a interest
out here in this cemetery. Every spring we go out there
and take the water buckets and the flowers and the fertilizer
and we dig and we plant flowers and we beautify the grave, we
wash off the headstones and things like that. But I tell you, when
the Lord comes and my son is risen, don't look for me out
there Don't look for me out there,
and don't you look for me in Jerusalem either, because His
resurrection is real to me. Don't look for me. You look for
the idolaters over there hunting Calvary's mountain and hunting.
And the angel said to the woman, why seek ye the living among
the dead? What are you doing here? What
in the world are you doing here? Didn't he tell you he was going
to be raised from the grave? And here you are standing around
in a cemetery. What's the matter with you? Why
seek you the living among the dead? He's risen! And we'll keep making our little
pilgrimages out there in that little plot that we own, but
someday it'll be opened and emptied and we won't go there no more.
Because he's not here. He's risen. And that's what this
is saying here. The head that once was crowned
with thorns is crowned with glory now. No more the bloody spear
that crossed the nails no more, for hell itself shakes at his
name, and all the heavens adore. We'll see him as he is, enthroned,
exalted, and adored. All hail the power of Jesus'
name. Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem
and crown him Lord of all. People talk about doing away
with the nativity scene. Hallelujah. Wipe them out as
fast as you can. People talk about, oh, they're
going to take Jerusalem away and the Palestinians are going
to tear down the Wailing Wall. Hallelujah. Hurry up and get
her torn down. Oh, they're going to tear down
the Church of John the Baptist. That would be the best thing
that ever happened. Just wipe it out. Drop an atom bomb on
it. Just wipe it out. Forget it. That's right. Because
I'm not looking for him as he was. I'm going to see him, James,
as he is. And when I see him as he is,
I'm going to be like him. And we forget those things which
are behind. We're waiting on his son in heaven. We're making no pilgrimages to
cemeteries. because he's not there. Isn't
that right? My amazing, behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called
sons of God. Let not appear what we shall
be, but when he shall appear, we're going to see him and be
like him as he is. All right. Now, sing that song,
Mike, okay?

Sons of God

What does the Bible say about being a son of God?

How do we know that God's love for us is unconditional?

Why is understanding our identity as sons of God important for Christians?

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Sons of God

What does the Bible say about being a son of God?

How do we know that God's love for us is unconditional?

Why is understanding our identity as sons of God important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book