Privileges of the Sons of God
To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. — John L 12, 13.
To be descended from kings and nobles is an honour held in high estimation in the world; but when men are unworthy of their distinguished ancestors, they rather cast a reproach upon them, than inherit any real honour from them. The Jews prided themselves on being descended from Abraham, the friend of God, and the father of the faithful; and many of them rested in their connexion with a pious ancestry, as the ground of their acceptance; but Christ makes a distinction between a natural and spiritual descent. He denies that the Jews, who rejected him, were the children of Abraham; because the works of Abraham they did not do. And John the Baptist, told them not to think within themselves that they had Abraham to their father, for God was able of the stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Paul also draws a distinct line of division between those who were merely Jews by natural descent and outward privileges, and those who were Israelites in heart. (Rom. ii. 28, 29.) God has one only-begotten Son, generated from his own essence, without being separated from it. The angels also are called “the sons of God,” because God is their Father and Creator, and because they bear the image of God. Adam is called “the son of God,” because he proceeded immediately from the hand of God, and had no other Father. But believers are the sons of God in virtue of their union to Christ. As he is a Son, in an exalted and ineffable sense, and they are members of his body, his flesh, and his bones, and are “one spirit,” they are sons in a peculiar sense, in which no other creatures, however exalted, are sons. The angels have been admitted to no such union with the Son of God, as that with which believers are honoured. Christ, by becoming incarnate, has come very near to human nature. “He took not on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham.” He is not ashamed, therefore, to call his people brethren.
Again, believers are sons, because they have been begotten of God. This the evangelist speaks of in our text. He had declared, that all who received Christ, possessed the power or privilege of becoming the sons of God; and lest any one should think that this high privilege was obtained by human descent, or from any external thing, or any human power, he goes on to tell how they became sons. It was by being born. But whence this birth? Was it by blood or natural descent, or from any human origin? No. This would not have made them the sons of God. But they became the sons of God by being “born of God.” This fundamental doctrine of Christianity, our Lord treats of fully, in his discourse with Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler, who had come to him by night to learn something of his doctrine. To him, Christ declares, that “except a man be born again, (or from above, as the word should be rendered,) he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And when the inquiring Jew marvelled at this, he reiterates what he had said of the necessity of this change; but teaches him that it was a spiritual and not a natural birth of which he spake. The expression, “born of the Spirit,” in that passage, is equivalent to being “born of God” in this place. The word “water,” which is joined to “spirit,” may be merely an external emblem of purification; or it may possibly refer to the ordinance of baptism, which strikingly represents, by an external sign, the work of regeneration; and which is also a duty required of all believers. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” By these words of our Saviour, we are taught, that the operations of the Spirit are sovereign and free, as the wind bloweth where it listeth. No man can command the wind, or direct its course; “so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” Again, we leaiai from these words, that the operations of the Spirit cannot be traced in the work of regeneration. We can neither explain the manner in which the work commences, the process by which it is carried on, nor its termination; but as in the case of the wind, we can hear its sound, so here we may observe the fruits and effects of the Spirit’s operation.
This change is called regeneration, or the new birth, because it is the beginning of a new kind of life. As in the natural birth, we come into the world, and by degrees become acquainted with the objects around us, as they make impressions on our senses; so by being born of God, or born from above, the eyes of our mind are opened upon the spiritual world. We receive by regeneration a susceptibility of taking on lively impressions from objects which affected us not at all before. A new heaven and a new earth seem to be created; for the views of all nature are changed, by the new life which has been communicated. But whence this new light? Does the Lord make a new revela-. tion to every regenerated soul? By no means. This light emanates from the Bible. It is the law contained in the Holy Scriptures which is now seen to be “holy, just, and good,” and it is by this law that sin is seen to be “exceeding sinful.” It is Christ, as exhibited in the Bible, who becomes the object of the faith and love of the renewed mind. Enthusiasts may undervalue the word, and choose rather to follow their own disordered imaginations; but the soul taught of God is always led to the word, for divine instruction. This is the “lamp to their feet, and the light to their path.” By the word the Spirit operates. The reason why the truth, often heard and read, seems to be new, and clothed with beauty and interest unperceived before, is because the films of ignorance and unbelief and prejudice, are removed by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Something of the glory of God is now seen shining in the face of Jesus Christ; and beholding this, the regenerated soul is transformed into the same likeness from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. And it requires Omnipotence to cause the blinded eyes to see. The same power which caused light to shine out of darkness, must shine into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. At first, the views of the regenerated soul may be dim and indistinct, like those of the man restored to his natural sight by our Saviour. When asked whether he saw aught, he replied, that he saw “men as trees walking;” but another touch of the Saviour’s hand, caused him “to see all things clearly.” So, “the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” The degrees of light, and the vigour of life, communicated by regeneration, are very different in different converts. The work of grace on the heart, is in kind the same in all, but various in degree, analogous to what is observed in the natural life. The soul born of God, seeks in its most ardent aspirations, to return to God the fountain of life. The affections are now habitually set on things above, and the renewed soul spontaneously goes out in ardent desires after God, desiring to know more of him, and to enjoy the light of his countenance; hungering and thirsting after righteousness, panting after communion with God, and seeking to advance his glory. These, in Scripture, are denominated “seekers of the Lord,” and there is a gracious promise, that none of them shall seek in vain. “When the Lord says, “Seek ye my face, their heart responds, Thy face, Lord, will we seek.”
The tree being now made good, cannot but bring forth good fruit. The regenerated soul loves God above all things, and delights in his law after the inner man. The best evidence of having experienced this change is a habitual purpose and endeavour to keep all the commandments of God, and to oppose and avoid every known sin. Their prevailing motive is love to God; their rule, God’s holy law which they cordially approve; and their end, the glory of God. Certainly all who are governed by these principles are, the sons of God.
But God not only is the author of regeneration to his children, but of adoption. By adoption, a man takes into his family some poor child, and bestows upon it his affection and care; and treats it, in all respects, as if it were his own child, begotten of his own body. And this little orphan is introduced, it may be, into a rich and honourable family; and instead of penury and disgrace, it is supplied with every thing necessary for its comfort, and becomes the heir of the estate. This practice, very common among some nations, especially the Romans, and not unknown in our own country, is made use of to represent the gracious dealings of our heavenly Father toward poor, lost, and degraded sinners, whom he saw lying in a state of ruin. On these he exercises tender compassion, and rescues them from the miserable condition into which they were sunk; raises them up from their low estate, and makes them sons and daughters. They are brought into his church, and are there nourished and supported with every thing necessary for their spiritual welfare. And that they may be encouraged to come with confidence and freedom into his presence, their heavenly Father bestows on them the spirit of adoption; by which they are disposed to call him their Father, with the fond affection of children. They are no more considered and treated as servants, but as sons; and being sons, they are of course heirs. And as the rich inheritance which is in reversion belongs to the Son of God, who has purchased it, they are made joint heirs with him. While in this world, they are trained by suitable discipline and trials, that they may become meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. But when their time of trial and preparation is ended, they will have an abundant entrance administered unto them into the everlasting kingdom of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; after which they will hunger no more, and thirst no more, and all tears shall be for ever wiped from their eyes. They shall henceforth be ever with the Lord that they may behold his glory. For it is his will, that where he is, there they should be also.
From a consideration of these things we may well adopt the admiring exclamation of the apostle John, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Beloved, it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but when he doth appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
The dignity and honour enjoyed by the greatest princes on earth is contemptible when compared with that of the meanest child of God. Soon all earthly glory shall be obscured for ever; and the dust and bones of the greatest monarch will be as loathsome as those of the vilest beggar; but though the bodies of the sons of God, are destined also to return to the earth, yet their very dust is precious in the eyes of the Lord; and though apparently vile while in the grave, yet it is destined to rise again in honour and glory. And in the Father’s house there is already a glorious mansion prepared for every one of the sons and daughters of God Almighty.
If believers have made over to them all the privileges of sons of God, they should act as becometh the heirs for whom such an inheritance is provided. We would expect of the son of a king who was heir to a crown, and expected shortly to occupy a throne, to stand aloof from low company and degrading pursuits. We should expect him to live under the constant impression that he was the son of a king. Certainly, then, the sons of God, while detained upon earth, should not be conformed to this world. They should not set their hearts on things below, but should habitually remember that they are heirs to a heavenly inheritance. This object should never be long out of their thoughts, and nothing which they can control should be permitted to draw them off from the contemplation and pursuit of this glorious object. Their citizenship being in heaven they should confess themselves to be strangers and pilgrims on earth.
Finally, the sons of God should be filled with joy in the lively hope of the riches of glory which awaits them. Professing Christians too often go mourning all the day long, and through grief and despondency, hang their heads as the bulrush. And this leads others to think that they are a poor, dejected, miserable set of people, who being cut off by their religious profession from the pleasures and amusements of this world, have found no compensation in religion, and enjoy little or no comfort in the prospect before them. These things ought not so to be. Let saints be joyful in their King. Of all people in the world, they have the best right to be joyful. They have nothing to fear, for all things shall work for their good, and they have every thing to hope for, because heaven is secured to them by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, that they might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them. A gracious God not only permits, but commands his children to rejoice; yea, to rejoice alway, to rejoice evermore, to rejoice in tribulation, and even in death.
O Christian, think much of the high dignity to which you are exalted by your union to Christ. You are kings and priests unto God. You are the heirs of a heavenly inheritance, joint heirs with Christ. What if here you are a poor and afflicted people; in this respect you resemble your Saviour. If you suffer with him, you shall also reign with him. Though poor and afflicted in this world, in the world to come you will be rich and happy. Your treasures there can never be lost; “Neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and thieves do not break through and steal.” Live, then, by faith, looking “not at the things which are seen, which are temporal, but at the things which are not seen, which are eternal.” Live in the lively hope and anticipation of your future bliss. Let this alleviate your burdens, and sweeten the toils of your weary pilgrimage.