Sons not Slaves

Identity is crucial in it's ability to cultivate security. The longer we go through life trying to figure out who we are, the more difficult it becomes to rise up & take our place in any circumstance. This is a call to the sons of God. The whole of creation waits for you to be revealed.

One of the reasons I quote the Apostle Paul so much in this blog (other than the fact that he wrote the majority of the letters in the New Testament) is because he speaks so much to our identity. He doesn't want there to be any confusion about who we really are. In his letter to the church of Galatia, he says "you are no longer a slave, but a son..." (Galatians 4:7)


I want those words to sink in for a moment. I want you to consider to whom he is speaking. I want you to realize the freedom that comes from this understanding.
Slaves are not free
Slaves do nothing of their own free will
Slaves are forced labor
Slaves are lower class people in regards to their social standings
WE ARE NOT SLAVES!!!

Sons...quite different.
Sons are free
Sons have the ability to exercise their will
Sons work in partnership with the Father
Sons are heirs - their social standing is the same as the Father
WE ARE SONS!!!

It's an area that desperately needs to be addressed within the church. We have all heard preaching/teaching that has designated us as undeserving, wretched, worthless, and not really worth God's consideration. But this could not be further from the truth. The Father has created us. He has placed within us image & likeness. In the sending of Jesus, God has demonstrated the infinite worth of each and every human being. He did not see us as something worth losing. He did not glory in our fallen humanity. There was something in us worth saving. There was something about us that they believed was worth going after. The Father saw children who were estranged from Him. Children who had given themselves to all sorts of bondage. Children who had embraced darkness rather than the light. The Abba of Jesus, being a good Father, was not content to watch us slip away into nothingness.

Paul's letter to the Galatians, reminds us of the standing of sons.
It reminds us that there is nothing we need to do to get His approval.
It reminds us that there was nothing that we did to have this place of favor.
It reminds us that there is overwhelming security in our identity in Christ.

Think about it. Slaves do not have a sense of security. Slaves don't even have a sense of belonging. All they know is that they are trapped. They have to work out their time with a particular owner. They have to do his bidding. Sons, on the other hand, know they belong. They know who their father is. They know about the inheritance that is coming so they partner with the father. They are loved. They are secure. They are provided for.

Paul has made a profound statement in this verse. These men & women are not slaves to a legal contract. They are not slaves to ritual & tradition. They are sons - joint heirs with Christ. All that the Father has promised the SON is available to all sons. And I believe one of the greatest acts of humility in our lives is to realize that we are not self made. We celebrate who we are because of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. We don't have to talk about our unworthiness but celebrate the worth He has placed upon us. The Spirit of God within us - the Spirit of adoption - cries out "Abba, Father!" It's time for our dialogue to come into alignment.

We are SONS, not slaves. May our Father continue to reveal this amazing truth in our lives.