The Second Level of Sonship
Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 04:24PM 
If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Hebrews 12:8 (NIV).
Warning: Many would consider what you are about to read heretical. Read it before you make a judgment.
First, let’s level the playing field. Generic Christianity believes that a simple, verbal confession of Christ saves you. A shrinking number of Christians insist that a person must sincerely repent and be baptized to be saved. Apostolics believe that salvation requires repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ Name, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38). The point is that everyone believes that something must happen to the thinking of any individual who wants to be saved. This “something” brings a person into a brand-new relationship with God. The most common word in the Scriptures used for this is “son,” or child. (Gender-neutral).
Our initial experience of faith qualifies us to be related to God. It is a relational aspect resembling natural birth. When a baby is born into the world, he or she is related to the parents. The DNA of the parents infuses every cell of the new-born. No one can dispute the fact that every person on the planet came from a specific set of parents. This cements the blood relationship. Spiritually, we must ask if this is the same in terms of our relationship to God. Is there anything necessary beyond the new birth to qualify us as children of God?
Jewish custom answers these questions. Although born into a Jewish family, sonship was not fully established at birth. That’s why Paul wrote the Galatians and said, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:1-5. The legitimately born child had the potential to ascend to a fully credentialed member of the family, but was expected to go through training and maturation before being granted that position. The child’s status progressed from relational to positional. As a precursor to this idea, John said, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13. Other Scriptures that expand on spiritual adoption deal with the same concept. (Romans 8:15, 24; 9:4; Ephesians 1:5).
To clarify, the new birth qualifies you to become a child of God. It represents the first level of regeneration. But, if you want to move into legitimate, full-blown Sonship, you must submit to discipline, chastening, rebuke and even tribulation to be adopted into the family. Does this sound like heresy? I thought so too, until I began thinking about it. I reflected on the fact that multiplied millions of people claim Christianity as their faith, yet the vast majority have few, if any, earmarks of true Christianity. Why is that? Even in local congregations, a sizable number of attendees populate the rolls, but a much smaller percentage of them get involved in the church. It appears that many people get their spiritual DNA, but fail to progress to Sonship. In the political realm, just because you sign a petition doesn’t mean you are ready to become an activist for the cause.
If this assessment is not true, then why did the writer to the Hebrews bother with the discourse on discipline and chastening? What would be the benefit of such a passionate exposition on an aspect of living for God that was totally unnecessary? If I can have a relationship with Christ and forego the stress and discomfort of tests and trials, then why would I expose myself to those rigors?
New Testament writers expressed this sentiment so strongly that it could easily be interpreted as thematic. Over and over, believers are challenged to contend, fight, endure, improve, struggle and advance in their devotion to God. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
The litmus test for sonship, however, comes down to submission. The believer who resents rebuke, who will not accept correction, who refuses to lay down his or her own will and take up the will of God, and who resists the light yoke of the Lordship of Christ cannot advance to sonship. They de-legitimize their spiritual birth. The rationale for this conclusion comes across as brutally logical. “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:9-11 (NIV).
This discourse leads us to a final question, a concern that many readers may have about this article. Does failure to be disciplined disqualify one from salvation? Perhaps not. I would never throw God’s grace into question. At the same time, however, the church will never triumph in a hostile world unless true warriors who are dedicated to the max emerge. I do not believe that God calls us to mediocrity. I do not believe that it is God’s will for us to be “Christians-in-name-only.” Let us re-dedicate ourselves to “become the sons of God,” and grow up to our full potential in Christ. Like my Dad used to say, “If you just get your foot in the door, don’t be surprised if someone stomps on your toes!”
Reader Comments (3)
Thank you for this!
Great read Sir!
Very thought provoking...
I'm going to dig deeper into this.
I have just now read this article. I have seen it on here, but was looking for other ones at the time. It is so very good. As I said in my last post, the KJV site I post on is so FULL of confused souls. There are about 6-8 of 'us' on it, but the others don't post often. I love it when they do. One has told me she looks for my posts because they are like a Bible study. And she's Jesus name!! I love sharing His Word.