WHO IS A SON?

DEFINING SONS

The word for Son used by the New Testament authors for a mature Son is υἱός which is transliterated as uihos or huios. What does Greek New Testament bible dictionaries and lexicons describe Sons as?

 COMPLETE WORD STUDY BIBLE (CWSB)

(D) …Sons of the kingdom means subjects to whom the kingdom’s privileges belong (Matt. 8:12, spoken of the Jews but also of the true subjects or citizens; 13:38; see in basileía [G0932] III). The sons of the kingdom stand in opposition to the sons of the evil one (ponēroú [G4190]) meaning subjects of Satan, his followers, imitators (Matt. 13:38; Acts 13:10, “son of the devil”

(A) One who derives his human nature directly from God, and not by ordinary generation: of Adam (Luke 3:38 implied of Jesus [cf. Luke 1:35]).

In the above the author makes a mistake when he says a son “derives his human nature directly from God”. This is because God’s nature is not human. These are two separate and distinct natures. A proper definition corrected by other lexicons reads, “One who derives his new nature directly from God”. This new nature of the new creation is the Divine nature which is righteousness.

TYNDALE BRIEF LEXICON OF EXTENDED STRONGS FOR GREEK (TBESG)

of men, as partakers of the Divine nature and of the life to come: Refs Mat.5:9, Luk.20:36, Rom.8:14 9:26, al.; υἱοὶ (κ. θυγατέρες) τ. ὑψίστου, Refs Luk.6:35, 2Co.6:18; in an unique sense of Jesus

HENRY GEORGE LIDDELL, ROBERT SCOTT, A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON

huioi Theou sons of God, implying inheritors of the nature of God (cf. supr. 4), Ev.Matt.5.9, cf. 45, Ev.Luc.6.35; implying participants in the glory of God, ib.20.36.

DEDUCTION FROM DEFINITIONS

From the definition we see that a Son definitely has the nature of the Father. Lambs have the nature of the sheep that begets them and so do puppies have the nature of the dog that begets them. If a certain species of people described as a new creation by the Holy Scriptures are begotten of God whose nature is divine, it makes sense that His offspring would inherit and take part in that Divine nature which is righteousness.

This is why He tells believers the FIRST thing you must do is seek first His Kingdom and His nature—the righteousness of God (Matthew 6:33).

TWO SONS

God has only had 2 Sons. All other people come from one of these two. There has only been 2 productions. All others are re-productions of these 2. You are either a reproduction of the first or last Son.

The first Son was the first Adam.

Luke 3:38 (AMPC)  The son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. [Gen 5:3-32; Gen 11:10-26; Rth 4:18-22; 1Ch 1:1-4, 1Ch 1:24-28; 1Ch 2:1-15]

The Last Adam is the Lord Jesus from heaven.

Matthew 8:29 (AMPC)  And behold, they shrieked and screamed, What have You to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time? [Jdg 11:12; 2Sa 16:10]

Apostle Paul discusses these two sons and describes the first as a living soul or living being but describes the last Adam as a Life-Giver.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (AMPC)

45  Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]. [Gen 2:7]

46  But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual.

47  The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] the Lord from out of heaven. [Gen 2:7]

48  Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is [the Man] from heaven, so also [are those] who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).

49  And just as we have borne the image [of the man] of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image [of the Man] of heaven.

Sons are heavenly minded, not earthly minded. How so? The first Adam was created in the image of God. This means his spirit looked like God’s when looked at in the mirror of the eternal word. He was also created in the likeness of God—meaning he functioned like God and had the nature of God.

God then gave him a warning:

Genesis 2:17 (KJV)  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

When man disobeyed this order, he sacrificed or gave up the divine nature righteousness for sin. Sin is the nature of the dragon. See, the scriptures say:

Romans 6:16 (YLT)  have ye not known that to whom ye present yourselves servants for obedience, servants ye are to him to whom ye obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

Sin produces death. The wages of sin is death. The first Son failed God and introduced death into the human race by introducing the nature of the dragon—sin.

Though the first Adam was created to spiritually look like God and function like him, the fall impaired that image and likeness / nature.

It is important to know that death as used in Genesis 2:17 is not with reference to physical death but spiritual death—separation from the source of life.

SONS AND THE NATURE OF THEIR FATHER

Sonship transpires when you receive, partake, inherit the same nature as your Dad (God the Father) through the adoption of sonship—and you are skillful in handling that Divine nature when it comes to rulership and reigning in His stead, handling business on His behalf.

This nature of God is a GIFT—the FREE GIFT of righteousness, Apostle Paul calls it.

It’s intimacy with the Word and obedience to it the produces Sons (Acts 20:32).

Romans 5:17 (NIV) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Adams original mandate as a son was to extend the Kingdom of God foreshadowed in Eden to cover the earth. He was to take that dominion and expand from his Jerusalem, to Judea and to the uttermost parts of the world but his advance was cut short and instead of filling or replenishing the earth, not just Eden with other sons of God who look like and function like God, he rather replenished the earth with fallen man—who could no longer function like God.

This is what necessitated God the Father give birth to another Son, the last Adam to come and succeed where the first failed and complete the mission—where “…The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”  Revelation 11:15 (KJV).

RECEIVE: TO LAY HOLD OF AND APPROPRIATE

A key prerequisite for sonship or ruling with God or in His stead is the ability to receive two things:

Romans 5:17 (KJV)  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which RECEIVE abundance of grace and of the GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

If you want to reign in this life you must RECEIVE:

1. abundance of grace and of
2. the GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS or the nature of God

Death reigned in the previous dispensation when Adam introduced sin but in the new dispensation, Sons rule now that Jesus has introduced righteousness which produced life which cancels out death. This is why Sons don’t fear death.

Look at the scripture again. Deaths reign is past tense and the reign of sons or those who receive the nature of God is present tense. Now what does it mean to receive the nature of God?

The word receive is G2983 λαμβάνω  lambanō and it means:

• to take, to get hold of;
• to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it
• to take in order to carry away
• to take to one’s self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. to appropriate to one’s self

Without laying hold of, carrying or taking possession of the nature of God to appropriate to one’s self, one cannot reign in life. Put differently, one cannot be a Son.

HOW DOES ONE BECOME A SON?

The simple answer is by adoption. This is not physical adoption by the way. But first let us consult the scriptures:

Romans 8:14-15 (KJV)

14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:4-7 (KJV)

4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

DEFINING ADOPTION – huio-thesiaf

DODSON: υἱοθεσία adoption, as a son into the divine family.

STRONG’s: υἱοθεσία the placing as a son, i.e. adoption

In the Jewish tradition, when a man creates a last will and testament, he determines which of the children will rule in his stead or which would control the estate. The chosen one would be adopted as a Son. When David wanted an heir, he adopted Solomon as the Son. When Elijah needed someone to replace him the mantle of leadership fell to Elisha.  This is where the principle of double portion coms from.

If a man has 3 children, he divides his inheritance into 4. He then gives a portion each to the 2 children but to the Son, to signify his elevated position, he gets the 2 remaining portions or the double portion.

Without the adoption of sonship, one cannot truly cry, Abba father.

WHO IS A SON?

Sonship (being gifted with the very nature of God) is a FREE GIFT and has the following Characteristics. A SON according to scripture is one:

1. who is no longer under the law (GAL 4:4)
2. has been adopted as a Son by the Father, through Jesus’ death and resurrection (Gal 4:4-5).
   1. Adoption biblically is different from human adoption schemes and has to do with inheritance and readiness to rule / reign.
   2. In the NT dispensation i.e. now, only those who accept the nature of God (RIGHTEOSUENSS) as a Free gift can reign (Romans 5:17)
3. who eats strong meat—meaning they by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Heb 5:13-14).
   1. Those who eat strong meat are those who are skillful in the word / doctrine / teaching of righteousness.
   2. You cannot unleash sonship when you do not even know what righteousness is. Righteousness is the nature of a son. Put differently it is the nature of the new man. Seek ye first your new nature—righteousness (Matthew 6:33). You cannot call yourself a believer or son when you do not understand your new nature.
4. who confesses with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). It is the resurrection from the dead that births the new nature of righteousness i.e. births sons (Rom4:25).
5. A huios or uihos is:
   1. A creature who is a partaker of the Divine nature and of the life to come
   2. An inheritor of the nature of God implying participants in the glory of God
6. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God—Romans 8:14.