Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (John 1:12-13).

These words are found in the Prologue of John’s gospel. “He” in this passage refers to Christ, the preexistent Word (logos), who was incarnated (tabernacled) and lived among us. To those who received him and believed in his name, he has given “the right to become children of God.” Note that “to become children of God” is a “right (exousia).” This right is not given to all people, but only to “all who received him, to those who believed in his name.” It seems that it is a very special right.

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Gal 4:4-5).

Here also, the issue is on the rights that believers have. Note the way it calls the right—“the full rights of sons.” These rights are given to the sons of God, not to all people. In this passage, Paul tries to explain the status of believers as sons of God by making a contrast between the status of sons and that of slaves. As for the slaves, the necessities for living may be given to them by the masters, but they have no share of what the masters possess, whereas the sons have the rights to receive it from their fathers.

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (vv. 6-7).

Needless to say, the rights discussed here are of a spiritual kind. They are not earthly rights or social statuses, but spiritual rights that the Father of spirits gives to his sons.

… because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Rom 8:14-16).

Thus, in order for us to live as sons of God, we must be led by the Spirit of God. We believers are all sons of God, but it does not automatically mean that all believers are living as sons of God. Note that it is the Spirit Himself, who dwells in us, that testifies together with our human spirit that we are children of God. Interestingly, there is no mention of our mind, or soul in this scripture. Since all of these statements are about our spiritual facts—our spiritual status and spiritual rights, it is essential that we accept them by faith.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (v. 17).

Christ was the Son who became a human and lived among us. He was the first human who lived as a son of God, and became an example of how we should live as children of God. However, it needs to be said that all humans were originally created in the image of God and in his likeness—as children of God. But as in the parable of the prodigal son, we became lost and dead by leaving the Father. So Christ came to this world to show us the way in which we could come to the Father. If he is the Son of the Father, then, we are his brothers having the same God as our Father—“heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”

We have started a new series of sermons, “Co-heirs with Christ.” The Bible is full of blessings that the Father has promised to give to his children. They are often too wonderful to fathom with our human minds. To say simply that God is Almighty is not enough for us to make those promises work for our lives. The key to this lies in the fact that we are now heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.