Sonship
By Darla Winn

A while ago a friend asked me what I thought Romans 8:19 meant when it says that all of creation waits expectantly for the manifestation of the sons of God. I really couldn’t answer her at that time. I began to research it and found a great revelation on (Sonship). Let’s take a look at this passage.

Romans 8:19
   For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].  (Amplified Version)

I believe this sonship means “authority.” One could believe they come into their sonship when they become born again but I really don’t believe that to be true.  At the point of being born again we have all authority but we don’t begin to exercise it until we become mature or of age. 

Mankind was born into sin. We did not sin yet we were born into it as though we had sinned. Romans 3:23 says we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This is true, before we ever committed the act of sin. It was not an act of sin on our part – when Adam sinned he caused all of the human race to fall into the same sin he committed, rejecting God‘s Word.

Romans 5:18-19
   Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men.
   For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).

Mankind did not deserve punishment and condemnation, but mankind does deserve the righteousness of God. We came from heaven we were not sinners. Adam caused all of the human race to fall. I did not sin willfully, Adam did, corrupting all of the human race. Because we are not deserving of this fallen state God sent His Son, in the form of man, yet He did not sin, II Corinthians 5:21, to deliver us out of this fallen state in which we do not deserve. We do not deserve the righteousness of God by any great works, or social status etc., but because we did not willfully sin we are not deserving of the punishment for it. Adam sinned and we, all of mankind since Adam – before Christ, paid the price. By one man’s sin we are condemned but also by one Man’s righteousness [Jesus] we are all made righteous.

Ephesians 1:11 says that we were foreordained chosen and appointed beforehand in accordance with His purpose. What does beforehand mean? Before you existed on earth. Before the foundations of the earth.

Ephesians 1:4
   Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before him in love.

Ephesians 2:10
   For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

We were before the foundation of the earth. I believe we came from heaven to earth, on assignment, as warriors against satan and his army. We are heavenly warriors, in the army of God.

Romans 5:19 says that we were made in right standing with God, which is the first position of righteousness. The second being, upright standing. This same friend that asked me about Romans 8:19 also asked me where sanctification comes in if we are already the righteousness of God. In other words if you are righteous then does that mean you are automatically sanctified? Well, when you become born again you are the righteousness of God which does set you apart from the world. Sanctification means to be set apart to something or someone and from something or someone. When you become born again you are now set apart to God from the world. But so many stop there and do not move to the second position of righteousness and that is “upright standing” which is to walk as the righteousness of God. The second position of sanctification or righteousness is walking sanctified, upright standing. Many receive their righteousness but do not walk as the righteous. Sanctification is not obsolete today. Walking sanctified is the evidence that we are sanctified. Don’t be deceived, being the righteousness of God does not mean you are living as the righteous of God. Some say that being the righteousness of God will get you into heaven but doing the righteousness of God will lead you into the good life here on earth, Ephesians 2:10.   But that really is not the full truth.  James 1:22 tell us to be doers of the Word.  Obeying the Word is not optional.  The “being” part is the first step but without the second step of “doing” you won’t get to heaven because without the second step you are walking in disobedience.   Doing righteousness is doing the Word of God. Doing the Word of God brings His favor on your life.

Now back to sonship, sonship being maturity or authority. Children that have been left an inheritance are not legally able to get it until they become of age. We, God’s children, have also been left an inheritance but will not come into it until we become of age. We must first recognize that we are heirs of the promises of God, that we do have an inheritance, Acts 20:32, and that we can make withdraws from it as needed to be a blessing. We cannot make withdraws until we become of age.

Luke 3:21-22
   Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized, and [while He was still] praying, the [visible] heaven was opened.
   And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, saying, You are My Son, My Beloved! In You I Am well pleased and find delight.

I am sure all of Jesus’ life growing up He heard how the angel came to His mother and how He was the Son of God. But God confirmed it the day in His baptism – He was now 30 years old. Jesus had not done anything miraculous up to that point.

Luke 2:51-52
   And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them, and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart.
   And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man.

This passage says He grew in wisdom and favor. I believe His growth in wisdom and favor was a product of His habitual obedience to His parents, (spiritual authority). He was growing up into His sonship.

Hebrews 5:8-9  
   Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered.   And [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped]. He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him.

Suffered in the original Greek translates feel pain, feel passion.  I believe it could be rendered this way…..He learned obedience though his painful passion to please His Father.  This gave Him the strength to make the right choices in all of His tests and trials.  Suffering does not perfect us – if that were the truth then we all would be perfect. He learned obedience by the pressure of choice. Had He made the easy choice and yielded to temptation He would not have been perfected. It’s the victory in the suffering that perfected Him. It is how you handle the storm that perfects you, not the storm. Jesus became equipped for office of High Priest because of what He suffered.

I Peter 5:10
   And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.

Right here we see that it is not suffering that perfects us, but it is God Himself Who does establish, ground us securely, and strengthen and settle us.   We need the same painful passion to pleas the Father as Jesus had and we will make the right choices and reach perfection as well.

The three Hebrew boys did not get their faith in the fire – they had the substance of faith before they were thrown in. This is what brought them out.  They had a painful passion to please the Father.  You don’t develop in the storm. If you do not have substance before the storm, you are going to need some help from brothers and sisters, in Christ, to get you through. I would like to add here that the enemy is not real smart. In the case of the three Hebrew boys the King ordered that the fire be turned up seven times hotter, seven being God’s number of perfection. When the fire was turned up seven times hotter it perfected the fire making it Holy Ghost fire and the enemy had to release them. These Hebrew boys knew who God was before the fire. We need to know who God is and who we are in Him, before the fires and storms come.

Many say that Jesus came to earth as “all God.” I wonder about that. If He came as God then why did He grow into perfection, wisdom and favor. God is already perfect you can’t add anything to Him. Let’s look at a passage that will help us with this:

I John 4:1-3
   Beloved, Do not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.
   By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [actually] has become man and has come in the flesh is of God [has God for its source];
   And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [but would annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God [does not proceed from Him], This [nonconfession] is the [spirit] of the antichrist, [of] which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.

If you hear a preacher/prophet say that Jesus came to earth as God he is not of the spirit of God, or at least what he is saying is not of God, according to this scripture. He did not come to earth as all God and all man either, like some say. He came as man in the flesh.

Mark 11 verses 13-15 says that as they were coming Jesus saw the fig tree afar off and was hungry. If He were God He would have known that there wasn’t any figs on the tree and He would not have been hungry. He was not all knowing because He was flesh. I would like to point out here that He knew his authority over the plant life. It is pretty obvious from this passage how He felt about pretense.

Psalm 121:4 says that God never slumbers or sleeps. Jesus fell asleep in the bottom of the boat in Mark 4:38.

Like Jesus we have to grow into our Sonship/authority. Jesus could legally be anointed by God because He was a man. Jesus grew into his authority. We must also grow up and do what Jesus did. You won’t do what He did or greater than what He did unless you grow up into your authority, John 14:12.

John 10:1-2
   I can assure you most solemnly I tell you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way (elsewhere, from some other quarter) is a thief and a robber.
   But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

I believe this is talking about Jesus being the legal shepherd because He came through the womb of the woman – the womb of the woman being the doorway into the earth. Keep in mind satan did not come through the womb of a woman therefore he is not legal on earth. You must have a birth certificate to be legal on earth, satan has none. His only access is through mankind, who are legal on earth. We give him access when we let him enter into us, (our soul) by accepting his influence and thinking like he does. He, therefore, begins to govern our lives, which results in governing world affairs. Understand I am not talking about demon possession. If there is darkness in you then there will be demonic activity. Satan is bound to darkness, Luke 10:18, Jude 1:6, Luke 11:35.

In Luke 4:34 we read of the account of the demon possessed man who recognized Jesus as Jesus of Nazareth and the Most Holy One. The demon saw past the earth suit, saw His spirit man and called Him the Holy One of God indicating that he recognized Jesus in His heavenly state, in His deity as the Word of God before He came to earth as man. This tells me that the demon was addressing Jesus in deity so He wouldn’t have authority over it on earth.  This is and example of someone who is not of the spirit of God but an antichrist spirit because it did not recognize Jesus as man, according to  I John 4:1-3.

It is the same in Mark 5:5-7. Here we read about the man who lived in the tombs who was possessed by Legion. In verse 6 it says he fell and worshipped Jesus. He saw Jesus as a man who had authority over him. In verse 7 Legion called Him Son of the Most High, here he is appealing to Jesus in His heavenly state, being the Son of God, (fathered by the Holy Spirit) which He was.  I believe Legion recognized Him as the master and worshiped Him as heavenly deity.  This spirit was no more from God than the above-mentioned one but he did see Jesus in His authority on earth and submitted as he had no choice.  This spirit  tried to appeal to Jesus deity before earth, he recognized him as who He was, the Son of the Most High.  Jesus responded to both as the man that he was. The point I am making is that according to I John 4:1-3 that says to try the spirits or the spirit of man.  Anyone who says that He did not come as a man is of the antichrist spirit.

As the body of Christ we are too satan’s master. These spirits saw Jesus as God in the essence of being His Son. They saw Him as having the same authority as God. I believe they remembered Him from their days in heaven together before the big split and again, tried to appeal to His heavenly deity.  I also believe that the demons knew that they were not legal on earth because they did not come through the womb of the woman, the only door into earth – but they knew that Jesus did and that this gave Him power over them on earth.  As we come into our sonship all of heaven, earth and hell will see us as God because we also have been fathered by the Holy Spirit when we became born again. The more we grow in Him the more like Him we look. We are increasing in wisdom and favor with God and man just like Jesus did while on earth.

Some say that Jesus did come to the earth as man but operated as God. Well, let’s look at some more scripture.

James 1:13
   Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one.

Matthew 4:1
   Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.

If Jesus were operating as God then He could not have been tempted for God is incapable of being tempted by evil, James 1:13.

Hebrews 2:6-10
   It has been solemnly and earnestly said in a certain place, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that you graciously and helpfully care for and visit and look after him?
   For some little time you have ranked him lower than and inferior to the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands.
   For You have put everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man’s] control. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to him [man].
   But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person.
   For it was an act worthy [of God] and fitting [to the divine nature] that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect [should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest] through suffering.

Angels, in this passage, is translated, from the original Hebrew, in Psalm 8:5 Elohim, which means creator of all things. Who is creator of all things? John 1:1 and Colossians 1:16 says that Jesus is creator of all things. So the translation is: Jesus was made a little lower than God. He did not come as God. He came as man.

Hebrews 4:14-15
   Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].
   For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling and with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.

Jesus showed us how to grow up without sinning. He did not give into temptation pressure. He showed us how to overcome with the anointing. Verse 15 says we serve a High Priest that was tempted and tested with the same temptation and tests that we face everyday.

John 5:27
   And He has given Him authority and granted Him power to execute (exercise, practice) judgment because He is a Son of man [very man].

In Luke 4:34 and Mark 5:5:7 we read that these demon spirits appealed to Jesus as God really appealing to His flesh. This was because Jesus had authority over them on earth because He was legal on earth. Had He submitted to the demon spirit, yielding to His flesh and tried to deal with it has the person God He would have sinned, therefore He would have lost His authority over the demon spirits. As a man (human) the spirit knew He had authority over it. Jesus, on earth, was deity. His deity was being the Son of God, fathered by the Holy Spirit, a shadow of salvation for all mankind. His earth walk as man, being fathered by the Holy Spirit was a picture of the born again experience. When we are born of the Spirit, (born again) the Holy Spirit also fathers us. He was a perfect picture of how we can be on earth filled with God. Satan wants to blind our minds, II Cor 4:4, He says, “Jesus really didn’t come in the flesh.” This is the spirit of a false prophet. Any spirit that says that Jesus didn’t come in the flesh is false and not of God. Every spirit that says Jesus came into the world as God is not of God. Try the spirits.

Luke 4:34 Legion said, “You’re not a man you’re the Holy One of God.” The demons saw passed His earth suit and said, “Have you come to torment us, we know who you are, let us alone.”

Mark 5:5-7 These demons knew Him as he Son of God not the son of David or man. When we come into our sonship they will know who we are. In order to exercise legal authority on earth you have to be a man. If the demons, were in fact, appealing to Him as God, as I believe, they were doing so because God doesn’t have authority on earth except through His sons, us.  Anyone who says that Jesus did not come to the earth as man is saying He did not have authority on earth and they are a false prophet, they are anti-Christ.

John 10:1-2
   I can assure you most solemnly I tell you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way (elsewhere, from some other quarter) is a thief and a robber.
   But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

In order to be legal on earth you must enter by the only door into earth and that is the womb of woman. You cannot have legal authority to operate on this planet without a birth certificate. Satan must posses someone in order to access the earth. Jesus came in through the door. Jesus in essence said to Legion, “I am a man come out of him.” In other words “I have authority, come out of him.” If Legion was appealing to Him as God it was because it knew He could do nothing to stop their destruction of the Kingdom of God on earth.

How do we know that Jesus was not operating as God? James 1:13 says that God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone. God may test us before promotion because He must prove you to be valuable for use. God does not tempt you where the things of the flesh are concerned. We know that Jesus did not come as God, because God cannot be tempted, according to, James 1:13.

Heb 2:6-11, 16-18. We read in verse 7 that man is ranked a little lower than the angels. Angels translating, “Elohim” (creator of all physical things). So we can say that man is ranked a little lower than Jesus, in His deity. Verse 9 says that Jesus, as man, is ranked a little lower than the angels meaning as a man He is ranked a little lower than His deity as being creator of all things. Jesus came to earth as all man. He did not operate in His heavenly deity.

We have not gone through anything that He has not gone through first. Man has full authority on earth. Jesus had to be all man to walk in authority showing us how it’s done. He went before us to show us how it’s done.

Heb 4:14-15

He was tempted on every point, He passed the test. He showed us how to overcome. Temptation is pressure that He overcame. He showed us how to grow up and how not to sin. He showed us how to do it with an anointing.

John 3:33-34

God does not give His Spirit sparingly – not in measure. God gives boundlessly of His Spirit not in measure. Jesus had no more of a measure than we do. To say Jesus had an unlimited measure of the Spirit and that we have a limited measure is suggesting that Jesus was (God). Which is of a false spirit according to I John 4:2. John 15:5 which suggest that whatever is in Him, Jesus, is in us. Therefore, to say He had an unlimited measure and we have a limited measure suggest that we are less than He is. We have already covered scripture that overcomes this suggestion. Know this, He wouldn’t tell us to do what He did if He didn’t give us what He had.

Now, let’s look at this from another angle. I have heard it said that Jesus, on earth, was the church. He now has a new body, on earth. If He as the church is not limited in His power than we His new body as the church are not limited either. Whether we are unlimited in supernatural power as an individual, or unlimited as the church, we know that we have the unlimited Spirit of God.

I John 3:2 says that we shall be like Him.

John 5:19, 26-27
   So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord): but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn].
   For even as the Father has life in Himself and is self-existent, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself and be self-existent.
   And He has given Him authority and granted Him power to execute (exercise, practice) judgment because He is a Son of man [very man].

Jesus only did what He saw the Father do, He could do nothing of Himself, apart from the Father, because He was only man.

When we are born again we are not conceived of man, but like Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Truly, if Jesus had come to earth as “all God” He would not have been able to teach us how to walk in this life, on earth, as a man. But knowing He came as all man “very man” encourages me that I can walk the same way He did.