Such a dispensation issues in sonship. It transforms sinners into sons of God. Once we were sinners, enemies of God, but now we are sons of God.
Verse 14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” We know that we are sons of God by the fact that we are led by the Spirit of God. Day by day, we are led by the Spirit who indwells us. Perhaps you may desire to go to a certain place, but instead the Spirit leads you to the meeting of the church. We often are inclined to do things that are contrary to God’s nature, but the indwelling Spirit is stronger than we are. Eventually, He leads us, and we follow Him. Such experiences are a sign and a proof that we are sons of God.
Another proof is seen in verse 15: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery to fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father.” As sons of God, we cry, “Abba, Father.” Through the dispensing of the Triune God, we have truly become God’s sons in life; we are not sons-in-law. If we were merely sons-in-law, we could not call, “Abba, Father,” so sweetly. This is illustrated by a man’s relationship to his father and to his father-in-law. When he calls his father “Dad,” it comes naturally and feels very sweet. But if he uses this term with respect to his father-in-law, it does not come naturally or feel sweet. The fact that we are God’s sons in life is proved by the sense of sweetness we enjoy whenever we call, “Abba, Father.” As sons of God, we have within us the life of God, the nature of God, and the Spirit of the Son of God.
According to verse 23 we also have the firstfruit of the Spirit. The firstfruit of the Spirit is the first taste, the foretaste, of the Spirit. Today we have the indwelling Spirit as the foretaste of our enjoyment of God. This foretaste gives us the assurance that the full taste is coming.
Verse 26 reveals that the Spirit is also the interceding Spirit. Inwardly, the Spirit is constantly interceding for us. We may think that we alone are praying, only to discover that our prayer actually comes from the indwelling Spirit. Because we are one with Him and the Spirit is mingled with our spirit, we cannot always discern what is of us and what is of Him. As 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” When we pray, He prays, and when He prays, we also pray. Thus, our prayer is His prayer, and His prayer is ours.
According to verse 29, God’s only begotten Son has become the Firstborn among many brothers. This is the issue of the dispensation of the Triune God into us. This dispensation makes us the many sons of God, the many brothers of the Firstborn. These many sons of God and many brothers of the Firstborn are the members which constitute the Body of Christ. Therefore, the ultimate issue of the dispensation of the Triune God is to produce sons to be the members which constitute the Body of Christ. This is God’s way to fulfill His eternal purpose. His purpose is accomplished neither by teaching nor by organization, but by the dispensing of Himself as the processed Triune God into our being.