The Marks of Sonship - Part Four

Posted 7/25/14 by Donald Barnhouse
SCRIPTURE
John 1:11-14
 
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

LESSON

When Christ hung upon the cross, dying in the darkness, there was a great earthquake and the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This act disclosed the holy of holies to the public eye. Till that moment no man, except the high priest, had ever gone behind that veil. He went only once a year on the Day of Atonement and never without having offered a sacrifice for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. Taking the blood of this second sacrifice he entered the holy of holies behind the veil and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. God Himself had ordered this form of worship to teach that He is holy and cannot be approached at will or whim by anyone who desires to approach, or by whatever means the approaching person cares to use.
 
There is but one way to God, the way that recognizes His holiness and justice. It is the way of sacrifice. It is the way of Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Christ made one sacrifice for sins forever. (See Heb. 10:12.) Nothing now stands between the soul and God-no priesthood, no altar, no sacrifice. All have been swept aside for Christ has died. The way is open for us to come boldly to God. No longer need
 
we cry, "O Thou great and terrible God! Great is the distance that separates us from Thee!" Rather we come tenderly as a child comes to his father and cry "Abba, Father!"
 
What does the word abba mean? I once spent a summer in a small city in Greece. In the cool of the evening I sat out in the courtyard of the house and listened to the language of the people, trying to catch a word here and there. A woman called one of the children playing nearby, and as he ran toward her, I heard him say, "Mama." That was the first word of modern Greek that I learned. Then a man came down the street and a little girl ran to him crying, "Abba, Abba!" At that moment I learned my second word in modern Greek. Abba is the Greek equivalent of our Papa or Daddy, the intimate names we give to our own fathers.
 
These terms suggest closeness, familiarity, and informality. And this is the meaning of Romans 8:15,16 where it says, "Ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." There, you see, are the two marks of sonship tied together in the same passage.
STUDY QUESTIONS
  • Can you think how the significance of the veil being torn impacts your daily life?
  • Why is recognizing Christ’s holiness and his justice the way to God?
  • How does the fatherhood of God to all believers relate to his holiness and justice? Explain your answer.