Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20040225.htm

APPLYING THE CHRISTIAN'S POSITIONAL RICHES IN CHRIST
Part IX: Applying The Truth That Believers Are Placed As Adult Sons Into God's Family
  1. Introduction
    1. When one first trusts in Christ, he enters a fellowship of those who are spiritually more mature than he is.
    2. Coming to realize this fact can cause a new Christian to wonder if he is less significant to God and is thus less accountable to live and function productively for God as compared to more mature believers.
    3. One of the 33 positional truths that every Christian possesses the instant he or she trusts in Christ is the fact that he is forwarded into ADULTHOOD sonship in God's family, Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. III, "Soteriology," p. 242-243. Applying this truth gives the believer full spiritual freedom as well as sense of great accountability to live for God and to serve Him even as a new Christian:
  2. Applying The Truth That Believers Are Placed As Adult Sons Into God's Family.
    1. Galatians 4:5-6 claims we believers have "received the adoption as sons."
    2. Unlike our modern view of "adoption," a term used of the placing of a child into a family into which he was not born, "adoption" in Galatians 4:5-6 (huiothesian in the Greek New Testament, cf. UBS Greek New Testament, 1966 ed., p. 656) pictures the placing of an immature child into adult status:
      1. Paul contrasted the huiothesian status of "adoption" in Galatians 4:5 with the lower status of an IMMATURE child who was kept under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the child's father for that child to gain adult status as the father's adult son, cf. Galatians 4:1-3.
      2. Yet, when one trusts in Christ, he receives the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9b), and that indicates he is then positionally forwarded by God into adult status with its privileges and responsibilities, Gal. 4:4-6.
    3. From various New Testament passages, we understand what these advanced spiritual privileges and responsibilities constitute as follows:
      1. The moment a party trusts in Christ, he is made an "adult" son of God with the following privileges:
        1. He or she is instantly positioned as an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ of all that Jesus Christ possesses, Galatians 4:6-7 with Romans 8:17.
        2. He or she is instantly positioned to be free from the jurisdiction of the Mosaic Law to serve in the fulness of the Holy Spirit's power, Galatians 4:3-6; Romans 8:3-4.
        3. He or she is instantly positioned to be destined to be physically glorified and taken to heaven to dwell in God's heavenly presence, Ephesians 1:4-5; Romans 8:23.
      2. Hence, this placement of even the newest believer as an "adult" son of God with these privileges means even the new believer carries the following great responsibilities and accountabilities before God:
        1. Even a new believer, having been forwarded into "adulthood" sonship with God thus possesses the Holy Spirit; accordingly, God expects him to live by the Spirit's power and not sin, Romans 8:3-4; Galatians 5:16-23 with 1 John 2:1.
        2. Even a new believer, having been forwarded into "adulthood" sonship with God is thus a joint-heir with Christ, so God expects him to pray for results in life as did Jesus in His life, John 14:12-14.
        3. Even a new believer, having been forwarded into "adulthood" sonship with God can view more mature believers as examples of life and service, God still expects him to start using his spiritual gift given him at salvation for supernatural service and responsibly to serve God just like any other more mature believer should do, Romans 12:3-8; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:11-13; 1 Peter 4:10-11.
Lesson: The instant one believes in Christ as Savior and is justified by God, he or she is forwarded by God into His family as an "adult" son with all the rights and enabling powers given even to every other MATURE believer; God thus expects him to function to the full with those rights and responsibilities!

Application: (1) Let us never feel INFERIOR to more mature believers since they have been saved longer and are more mature in Christ than we are; GOD expects ALL of us to USE the indwelling and DIVINE Holy Spirit's power and gifting to live for God and to serve Him fruitfully and responsibly as any other more mature Christian should do! (2) If we have not done so, let us leave the "grandstands" for the "playing field" of Christian experience, and live for and serve the Lord. God EXPECTS it from ALL of us as ALL of us believers are POSITIONALLY forwarded as HIS ADULT spiritual SONS!