In the beginning the Father created Sons.
In the beginning God created sons. For anyone who has been around the Church for any length of time, the creation story is one that is most familiar. It’s a story that reveals God creating the earth and all sorts of creatures after their own kind, setting stars in their courses and separating day from night. In the midst of this entire creative miracle however we find a curiosity. One created being was made in the image of God. He was called Adam and he was a Son of God.
It’s as simple and as mysterious as that. In the beginning the Father created Sons. Who were these sons? How were they created? What were they created for? Why did God create sons in the first place? These are just a few of the questions that readily come to mind when we think of sons of God. Who are these people who can be so intimately associated with someone as powerful and great as God Himself? If we are to think of God’s sons not through a religious mindset or according to the familiar context of bible stories and church culture we would be curious and fascinated by the term sons of God.
The story narrated by the Bible tells of the creation, fall and redemption of God’s sons. As the story is revealed we delve into the character and purpose of the sons of God and we see the ultimate plan of God for His children. The onset of the creation story shows the creation of a man named Adam. Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden where he operated His power to rule over creation. He looked like God, possessed the same nature as God and functioned in purpose. He only knew the goodness of God and enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God’s presence. There was no other creature in the whole earth that was just like him. Adam closely reflected the nature and image of God. This is amazing in and of itself; mankind’s identity and existence is hinged upon the identity and being of God!
The Fellowship of Father and Son
Genesis 1-3 chronicles the relationship between God and man as He purposed in the earth. Adam and God’s relationship was characterized by intimate fellowship so much so that Adam could distinguish the voice of God at a distance. We were family and we dwelled together in Holy Communion. We are told they regularly met and communed with each other in the ‘cool of the evening.’
Adam worked with God in partnership exercising dominion over the earth. From this experience we are able to glean some insight into what the sons of God were created to do and how they were able to carry out their divine purpose. The Sons of God were created to share in the authority of God and rule or have dominion over the earth. They were meant to be like God in the earth enforcing His authority in the world. We share His nature and His character Genesis 1:26-28 and were created to enjoy unbroken fellowship with Him (Revelation 4:11).
The Fall of God’s Sons
At this point in the creation story everything is looking great for Adam! Sin entered the picture however and it all went south from there. The Garden of Eden soon became a place of testing and unfortunately Adam failed the test big time. A subtle serpent tricked Eve into eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil which she shared with Adam resulting in the fall of mankind. Adam’s sin changed his nature, stripped him of power and caused a rift in his fellowship with God.
This catastrophe is inherited by every human being born to Adam and Eve. When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden he ceased to operate in the function of Son-ship that God created him to function (Luke 3:38). He became a slave to sin and Satan became the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:1-4). At this point in the story things are not looking too great for God’s children but God in His goodness gave us a promise that from the woman would come forth a seed that would save mankind from his destruction; and so we waited…
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Good news! Jesus is the promised seed who came to restore all that Adam lost in the Garden of Eden. Several thousand years later Jesus Christ was born to a virgin just as God the Father promised. The bible calls Him the second and last Adam. He was born with a purpose (1 John 3:8), He enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God (John 8:29) and bore the image of God (John 14:9). He accomplished what the first Adam failed to do: He obeyed the Father’s will.
Jesus was strengthened in the garden of Gethsemane as He went to the Father in His hour of temptation. He esteemed God’s will more important than His own and so He obeyed the will of the Father at every cost to Himself. The bible shows that man was led from one garden to the next (Eden to Gethsemane) only to meet God’s will again. It tells me that obedience to God’s will is absolute and must be accomplished in man’s heart. An important attribute of Sons of God is that they are those who obey the will of Father God.
The Restoration of God’s Sons
When he returned to heaven the bible says He was able to “raise many sons to God” (Hebrews 2:10). We see that through Jesus Christ, God made the way for many sons to be raised up in His image (John 1:12). We are the prize that Jesus won by dying on the cross. He became the way and the righteousness of mankind allowing us to be restored to right fellowship with God the Father and restored us to our rightful identity as God’s sons. The aim of Christ is reconciliation of sons to the Father. Through His life, death and resurrection He took back and restored the authority of God to God’s sons (Mark 16:15-20).
There remains a mystery however as the bible says we are still waiting not for the manifestation of the Second Adam but for the Huios; mature sons of God (Romans 8:19). This is where we find ourselves in the story of Adam; Jesus has gone to the Father and we are the ones who remain in the earth. We have been given the charge to continue the work that Jesus Christ began in the earth (Matthew 28:19-20). For many of us however we tend to have more days feeling like we are not sons of God and are struggling to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. On days like this here is the truth: you are God’s son and your Father is raising you up into the image of Jesus Christ. Wherever you are on this journey this is your time to come back to Son ship and rest in the arms of your Father.
The Reconciliation of God’s Sons
The bible says today is the day of salvation which is a beautiful statement assuring the reader that you are never too early or too late to be saved. If you are here today then you are right on time to gain a loving Father and eternal life as His son. You too can become God’s son. You do not have to remain distant and lost in sin. Jesus Christ has paid the price for you to be reconciled with your heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit is waiting to empower you to walk in your new identity and in the authority as a son of God.
This good news started me on my journey to becoming a son of God and understanding the mystery of my identity as God’s child. I met the power and presence of Jesus when I was a child of about 8 years old. I grew up in a Christian household and by the age of 6 I was baptized. I was familiar with the form of Jesus that we often receive from a religious background but to know Him; I had not yet experienced Him.
Let’s Start the Journey Together!
At the time I was having suicidal thoughts, I believed the lie that my family would be better off without me here. It was there in my brokenness that I cried out ‘If you are real, if you are who you say you are, I need your help. Please help me.’ I didn’t expect anything really, I just felt the weight of everything I was carrying weigh me down and I was on my knees from the burden. I saw the darkness around me pierced open with white, blue tinged light.
It looked like a bird with wings and it came gracefully down, covering my frame from head to toe and as it hugged me I felt every weight rush away from me. Free, hopeful, joyful, loved, my mind at peace, I felt it all. The love of the Father came down and rescued me. It is in the love of Jesus that my identity was found; I am His son (1 John 3:1-2)! The purpose for this blog is to begin a journey that will have us growing into the image of Jesus; revealing the sons of God to creation. It is my prayer that we will walk this journey of son-ship together in the ever present love of our Father. Amen.
Heart’s response
"Father I repent of my sins and I ask for the blood of your Son Jesus to wash me clean from all unrighteousness. Restore me to my rightful identity as a son of God as I accept you as my Lord and Savior. I yield my life to be raised up as a son by my Heavenly Father. In Jesus Name I pray; Amen."
