Not only do we have the Spirit of the Son of God and the life of the Son of God, but we are also in the position of the Son of God (John 20:17). Actually, sonship is more specifically related to position than it is to life. You may be a son born of your father, but for certain legal reasons, you may not have the position of a son. If you do not have the position of a son, you do not have the sonship. Thus, sonship is a legal matter. For example, a certain person may not actually have been born the son of a rich man. But if, legally speaking, he has the position of being that man’s son, he will be entitled to his inheritance. The inheritance belongs to him, not according to life, but according to position. Some genuine sons, however, may have the life of the father, but have lost the position of sonship. This illustrates the fact that the life of the son of God is related only to life but that the position of the son of God is a matter of legality. Hallelujah, we have the Spirit of the Son of God, the life of the Son of God, and also the position of the Son of God.
All this is for our inheritance. Because we are God’s sons with the sonship, we shall inherit all that God is and all that He has. We have the legal position to inherit all the riches of the Father. In the church life we enjoy the Father day by day. Today this may simply be a matter of life, but in the future it will also be a matter of position. Revelation 21:7 says, “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be God to him, and he shall be a son to Me.” In this verse being a son and inheriting all these things is not merely a matter of life, but also a matter of position. Although we are sons of God in life today, the universe cannot yet see that we are sons of God in position. But when the New Jerusalem comes, the universe will know that we are the sons of God in position as well as in life. If I walk into a restaurant and proclaim to the people sitting there that I am a son of God, they will think that I have a mental problem. But when the New Jerusalem comes, there will be no need for us to say anything. Everyone will be able to see that we are the sons of God in position. All the angels will say, “Look at those people—they are the sons of God. They are enjoying God and inheriting all that God is in the New Jerusalem.”
The church today is a miniature of the New Jerusalem. Here in the church we are sons of God both in life and in position. There is no need for us to tell one another that we are sons of God, for we all recognize one another as God’s sons. Because we have the Spirit, the life, and the position, we understand one another and recognize one another. We confess that we all are sons of God. Although we have the Spirit, the life, and the position to be the sons of God, we are not yet holy as far as our disposition is concerned. Hence, in the church life God is constantly mixing us so that we might be sanctified by being mingled with His nature.
Many Christian teachers have pointed out that the book of Ephesians covers the subject of the church, but they themselves are not in the practical church life. We are not content with mere talk about the church; we want to have the church life in a practical way. The practical church life is in God’s choosing us to be holy and in God’s predestinating us to sonship with the Spirit, the life, and the position. Because we have these three things, the Father often puts us into the “blender” so that we may be dispositionally sanctified. Sometimes the Father seems to say, “My child, you have the Spirit, the life, and the position, but you still need to be blended. You need to be mingled with My holy nature. I have chosen you to be holy. Now I shall work on you to make you My holy son.” This is the church life.
We all expect the church life to be calm, tranquil, and peaceful. But no kitchen can be like this when a cook is preparing a meal. Rather, everything is in a mess. If the kitchen were not in such a state during the preparation of the meal, it would not be possible to have a feast. The church life today is like a kitchen with things scattered all over. On the one hand, the church life is wonderful and glorious; on the other hand, it is truly messed up so that we might be mingled with God and made holy. The more mixing we undergo, the more holy we shall become. When the New Jerusalem comes, it will be a holy, corporate sonship with the Spirit, the life, and the position. At that time, the mixing will be over, for we all shall have been saturated, sanctified, and transformed. That will be the full sonship.
Sonship brings us to God, that is, into God Himself that we may be one with Him in life and in nature.
As the Father brings us to full sonship, we are being conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). This means that God intends to “sonize” our whole being. This “sonizing” process is going on today in the church life. Perhaps you have been offended by someone in the church, or perhaps you have offended others. Both being offended and being a cause of offense can help the process of “sonizing.” I do not encourage you to be offended by others or to offend others. But the truth is that offenses cannot be avoided. Either you will offend someone, or someone will offend you. But we are all being “sonized” by these offenses. The more we are offended, the more “sonized” we become. If you have never been offended in the church life, you probably have not been “sonized” very much. Blessed are you if you have been offended by the brothers, the sisters, and the elders, for you have been “sonized” a great deal. Certain ones, however, cannot bear the offenses. As soon as they are offended, they want to leave the church life. Instead of leaving the church life at such a time, we should cherish it all the more and even kiss the offense because it “sonizes” us. Whenever you want to run away from the church life, the life of the Son of God within you will say, “Don’t run away. Stay and bear the offense and even embrace it.” Whenever you embrace an offense, it becomes a joy. This is the “sonizing” in the church life.
We all are in the process of being “sonized.” We have the Spirit of the Son of God, the life of the Son of God, and the position of the Son of God, but we still need to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Hence, we need more “sonizing.” The Lord intends to conform us to His image, to the very image of the Son of God. The only place this can happen is in the church life. Outside the church, we cannot be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Thus, I encourage you to be happy in the messed-up church life. Do not kick against the pricks, but gladly accept the “sonizing” process.
Eventually, we shall be completed in sonship. The completion of sonship, the full sonship, is the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23). This means that our body will be transfigured, that is, it will also be “sonized.” Our spirit has been “sonized,” our soul is in the process of being “sonized,” and when the Lord comes, our body also will be “sonized.” That will be the completion of sonship.
Consummately, the meaning of sonship is that we shall inherit all that God is for eternity (Rev. 21:7).