Sons of God
June 1, 2015
Devotions:
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:4-7 KJV)
God had a timing for the coming of Jesus the first time and He has a timing for Jesus' second coming. We know that one of the factors is that God wills that none be lost but that all would come to salvation. Does that mean that all will be saved. No but that all can be saved and God is waiting for the last possible moment for all to be saved that can. (It is up to the person as to whether they receive God's generous offer of salvation.)
As in the first coming of Jesus, God is lining up all the circumstances for Jesus' second coming. There is a fullness of time for the second coming of Christ but no one knows the day or the hour, not even Jesus or the Holy Spirit only the Father. We can know the season and the general timing for Jesus' return. Throughout the ages men have guessed and wished that the second coming would happen but it has not yet. We know that it will happen and we are closer to it than ever before. Many people look with fear and trembling at the coming of Jesus but as believers we should not be in fear. A Christian is some who is born again not someone who adheres to a set of principles or a certain philosophy but one who has experienced the saving grace of God through the new birth. We may be born again but do not know of our heritage and relationship with the Father. Here in Galatians Paul says that God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, we were born again, and became true sons of God by birth. The adoption as sons is really the placement as sons because of our birth. This speaks of the unconditional love of the Father for His creation. Salvation is receiving that unconditional love. Many have received the initial forgiveness of sins but are still under the bondage of religion that teaches them that they must act right or God will not love them. They are continuously reproached by preachers for their lukewarmness. But it is leagalism that makes them lukewarm becasuse it puts up the standard of the law that they cannot attain to in their own efforts. Jesus came as a Savior to save us from that which our own efforts could not do. When we understand God's unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness for us then obedience will spring from our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit to do what we could not do by ourselves. The Holy Spirit in our hearts crying Abba (daddy) Father.
We are the sons of God and heirs of God through Christ Jesus.