A Family Affair

Edward October 24, 2011

Great sermon! ;)

I think it’s extremely important to understand JUST HOW we are genuinely and truly “children” of God the Father. Greg said that our being offspring of God is not merely metaphor, but an ontological reality. Well, how does that happen? Is it merely must because God says so? Is it merely because everything (and everyone) is created and continually sustained by God (aka in Him, we live, move, and have our being)? Is it merely because we have been given God’s Spirit? (How did THAT happen, anyway?) For us not to be clear about this, I believe, leads us necessarily to thinking of our “adoption to sonship” as something LESS than ontological reality, simply because we have no real way to conceptualize anything else.

So…how’d it happen? How did creatures (humanity) become ontological “children” of the One True Uncreated God? In a word, it was the Incarnation of God’s “John 1:1″ Word/Son into human particularity. The spiritual “new birth” of the “one new humanity” is ONLY made possible because God’s Son/Word–who already existed as an uncreated person with God the Father both BEFORE and AFTER Creation’s origin–came into Creation via the Incarnation.

It’s like this. God’s “John 1:1″ Word/Son has ETERNALLY been saying “Abba, Father” to God the Father, before and after the origin of Creation. God the Father and His Word/Son have always, is always, and will always had a parent/child love relationship together. It is uncreated and therefore, inseparable. At the right time, God’s Word/Son incarnated into humanity (without EVER ceasing to **simultaneously** accomplish Hebrews 1:3-4 or Colossians 1:17!!) through Mary…effectively bringing that UNCREATED, eternal “sonship” relationship directly into human existence. Previous to the coming of the Incarnate Word, Jesus, humanity had not experienced such an direct, filial relationship with God. With his coming, death, resurrection, and ascension…and…Jesus’giving us the Holy Spirit from the God the Father,we now have the ACTUAL SPIRITUAL REALITY by which God’s “John 1:1″ Word/Son has always and eternally been in a love relationship with the Father. Not just a facsimile…but the “real thing.” This is what the Scriptures mean…

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For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

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I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

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See that? God sent his pre-existence Word/Son into Creation–via Mary–SO THAT we could be fully “adopted” as “sons-in-the-Son”. Without the Incarnation…along with Jesus giving us the SAME Holy Spirit he had, following his death and resurrection, we would not truly be “children of God” in the TRINITARIAN sense. We would not be truly additional participants in the perichoretic dance of the One Triune God. Without the Incarnate Word/Son, the most we could say is that we were God’s “offspring” because he created us…or have some metaphor. Through the Incarnation…and *****ONLY***** through the Incarnation…do we truly have humanity becoming “children of God” who are meant to be “partakers of the divine nature.”

Just an FYI.

Again, great message! :)

Patricia Mikkelson, professional organizer and homeschooling mom November 24, 2012

Hearing about the foundation of all of our relationships and that if we have truly surrendered our lives to Christ we are Abba Father’s children gives me great joy. I actually have not looked at the situation that way. When I heard somewhere that the definition of the church is family, that made sense. But to think we are part of the greater family–all who have surrendered to Christ–is challenging yet inspiring and motivating.

As has consistently happened when I hear Greg speak, the confusing passages–like when Jesus says he comes to divide the family–make so much sense. That is not what he wanted to happen–but he knew it would happen.

I am really looking forward to hearing the rest of this series.