Sonship and Eternal Life: Part 1

 •  12 min. read  •  grade level: 11
By creation God's “eternal power and divinity” should have been known to all men, Jews or Gentiles. In addition to this testimony, however, the Jews had the vastly more important one of the word of God, accompanied by His moral government (see Psa. 19). But God Himself was revealed only in the person of Christ, “in Whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:99For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9)). He was the λόγος, the Word of God from all eternity, and as such His Spirit was that which gave life by the spoken or written word in Old Testament times (compare 1 Peter 1:1111Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Peter 1:11); 2 Cor. 3:1717Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17); Psa. 119:50, 13050This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. (Psalm 119:50)
130The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)). In the first Epistle of John He is called the “Word of life.” In the Gospel of John 1:1, 21In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1‑2) we find the Divine and Eternal Being of the Word in distinct personality; in verse 3 we get creation by Him (Eph. 3:99And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9)), and in verse 4 the statement that, “in Him was life.” This was always true. But the next clause, viz. that “the life was the light of men,” became true only in Incarnation— “I am come,” said our Lord, “a light into the world” (John 12:4646I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46)). “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (9:5). Now that He is in heaven that light shines—at least to faith—through the rent veil; to sight it should be seen in the members of His body, “Among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:1515That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; (Philippians 2:15)). In Old Testament times God dwelt in thick darkness (Deut. 5:2222These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. (Deuteronomy 5:22)), in other words, He did not reveal Himself. He gave His word, faith in which was the means of salvation to those who believed. Such therefore had life from the Word—but life without an external object, Who was the life-giver, and consequently, without that subjective consciousness, and intelligence, which those born of God have now. The quickening of the Holy Ghost, and the knowledge of the remission of sins, are both distinct from, though to the Christian necessarily connected with, the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:5, 8; 2:38; 8:12, 13, 165For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (Acts 1:5)
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. (Acts 8:12‑13)
16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (Acts 8:16)).
Judaism was a testimony to the unity of the Godhead. The distinctness of the persons in the Trinity was rather implicitly than explicitly contained in the Old Testament scriptures. Hence the Son, as such, could not be an object of faith, for He had not been revealed. Sonship was doctrinally linked with Messiahship—with descent from Abraham and David— “Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee” (Psa. 2:77I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (Psalm 2:7); Luke 1:3535And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)), and was a matter of hope and expectation, not a present object to faith. When He came the Trinity was revealed, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell. As regards then the condition of souls—the souls of the saints in different ages or dispensations, it is moat important to keep to scripture and to the order of its teaching, for it needs scarcely to be said, that in it, there is no such thing as “a distinction without a difference.” In reference to it, mere human reasonings—logical processes—are altogether out of place, and only make havoc of God's word. Only when subject to the Spirit shall we be able “rightly to divide the word of truth.”
“In Him was life.” He is the Author of all life, from the highest to the lowest, and in all its forms and phases; but this is no assertion either of the identity of life in all cases, or of the Pantheistic denial of a distinct personality, separate from the Deity, though not independent of Him. The mere brute has an animal soul—a soul the existence of which depends upon the blood of the animal, and upon the air which the animal breathes. Man also has an animal soul, but he has a rational soul too, in virtue of God's inbreathing into his nostrils the breath of life. Man's soul therefore is immortal, his spirit is imperishable. Indeed all rational beings whether angels or men have an imperishable spirit, i.e. have immortality in this defined sense. Yet scripture does not call this “eternal life.” The fall import of this term goes far beyond the mere assertion of an endless life. It is a mode and phase of life in us,” as we see it absolutely in the Incarnate, but now glorified, Son of God; and for which the only suitable and proper abode is His own immediate presence in heaven. In fact the character of life in men and angels differs. Again, as fallen, men need redemption and regeneration; and surely it will not be denied that the character of life, in virtue of which a man is regenerate, differs from that which our first parents had when first created. Life is not characterized as “eternal life,” till manifested in the Son, and eternal life is, in scripture, predicated only of those who are sons—only of those of whom it can be said that Christ is the “first-born amongst many brethren.” Again, life as given by Christ in resurrection when He breathed on His disciples—a life which has passed through and is triumphant over death, was there in this, nothing new, nothing special and specific, nothing in advance of every spiritual privilege or condition which had gone before? Was there no difference in the spiritual condition of the apostles before and after our Lord breathed on them Conversion and the remission of sins they undoubtedly had before. Was there no difference in the condition of the believers in Acts 10 before and after receiving the Holy Ghost? Our Lord's baptism by the Holy Ghost was quite distinct from His conception by the Holy Ghost, and so the gift of the Spirit to believers is quite distinct from the operations of the Spirit, whether in quickening souls, prophecy, &c. So little was the latter for their own personal benefit, that we read in 1 Peter 1:1212Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12) it was revealed to the Old Testament prophets that their predictions as regards our Lord, were for us, and not for themselves. But spiritual condition, privilege, &c. are dependent on the revelation which God gives, and according to which the faith is formed; it is this which gives distinctive character to the life. As Creator, God is the Father of angels and of men—in this sense they are His sons; but is there no difference between this and the being made “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1. 4)? or, between this and our being “the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26))? Difference between the Old Testament saints, as being partakers of the divine nature, and our being the “sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” is categorically stated in Gal. 4:1-71Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:1‑7).
Take again, any one of the Epistles, and try to apply its statements and teaching to Old Testament saints. The very attempt ends in contradiction and absurdity—not simply because they are not in this world any longer, but because their state and their status were so different to our's, when they were in the world. And the state in eternity depends on the state in time. There is (according to the divine will), a necessary and exact relationship or connection between them. Now, there is an order and a progress in divine rev elation, at least till the time came when God was manifested in the flesh—and a necessarily correspondent advance in the subjective state of souls, for that state is contingent on that revelation. There could for instance be no application of John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12) to Old Testament saints, “but as many as received Him... He gave the power to become the sons of God.” They had previously been the sons of God as mere men—they may have been sons of God in the yet higher sense of regeneration (using the word in its etymological sense), but they were not sons of God in the highest sense—the sense of John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12); 1 John 1, or in the sense of Gal. 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26). The teaching of the first Epistle of John has its origin in “the beginning” spoken of in ch. 1:1, i.e. the beginning of Christianity, the appearance of “the Word made flesh,” the manifestation of “the Life.” It is dependent not merely on the existence of the Life, but on its manifestation also, and is therefore distinctly and exclusively Christian teaching, even as regards the “little children.” It does not and could not apply to Old Testament saints. Quickened they certainly were, or, they would not have been saints; but 2 Corinthians 13 for instance, could not apply to them, there was no such object (much less a heavenly and glorious object), for their faith; nor had they such nearness of position, such conscious relationship to God, as their Father, that we have as a consequence of Christ having revealed the Father to us, and associated us with Himself, as sons. There is, in short, difference of spiritual conditions and privileges, in every conceivable way, whatever there may be in common.
The attempt is not infrequently made, to reduce passages such as “he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than John the Baptist;” and, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” to a minimum of signification, yet these passages assert in the simplest of words, the truth we are insisting on. Everything in fact depends upon the Sovereign will of God, and if the privileges of the Christian are pre-eminent it is not on account of any merit in himself personally, but because it is Christ, the revelation of Christ, and nearness to Him which confers privilege. A certain witness or record is given) 1 John 5:11-1311And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:11‑13)), and what is stated in these verses is strictly true only of Christians— “And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life,” &c. There is no reference whatever in these verses to any who lived before the time of Christ. God revealed His Son in Paul (Gal. 1:1616To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: (Galatians 1:16)), and it could therefore be said of him, “he that hath the Son hath life,” and so of every true Christian; but if God's Son is revealed in us, it is because He is first revealed to us. For the Christian, there is first the objective, and then the subjective. But so far from the Son being revealed in converted Jews of old, He was not even revealed to them. Christ, as the Eternal Word, gave them life, but without revealing Himself to them, and consequently such words as those of Paul in Gal. 4:1919My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19) could have no application or meaning, in the case of Old Testament saints— “my little children of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you.” When this is the case it can be said, “he that hath the Son hath life,” —in any other case the text is misapplied, and the subject is misunderstood. In short, the unfolding of the purposes and counsels of God has been a gradual process, the successive steps however being clearly defined in scripture; and the wisdom of God thus displayed, will, far from being hereafter obliterated, be marked to all eternity, not simply in a book, but in the living and intelligent subjects of His grace, as is very positively stated in Eph. 3:2121Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21); Heb. 11:4040God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40), and as seen in the book of Revelation.
Creature life then, whether in angels or in men, is quite distinct from that divine life in virtue of which a man is regenerate, or a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:44Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)); and heaven is destined to be the abode of men, as the result of redemption and regeneration; it is in fact the true and proper sphere of eternal or everlasting life, “the righteous [shall go away] into life eternal” (Matt. 25:4646And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)). In scripture eternal life is generally looked at as a future thing. Twice in the Old Testament is it spoken of, viz. in Psa. 133:33As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (Psalm 133:3), and Dan. 12:22And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)., and in the New Testament also it generally refers to the life of the redeemed in heaven. Indeed, I think it will be found that “eternal life” as a present possession is, distinctly and specifically, spoken of only in the writings of John. I do not say that salvation as a present thing, is not elsewhere spoken of, but eternal life, ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή. Consequently, it is in the writings of John that we see life in the highest and most privileged form in which created beings ever receive it, involving sonship with Christ (John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)), and the gift of the Holy Ghost, “And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:66And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)). It is there identified even with the Person of Christ, “he that hath the Son hath life,” though Paul also confirms this when he says, “When Christ Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:44When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)). Whilst then it is perfectly true that Christ has been the quickener of souls, whilst it is perfectly true that all such will live forever in heaven, it is at the same time true that life, in its highest and most privileged form, is the portion of those who believe in Him now, i.e. between the two Advents. For the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than the greatest who lived previously—and further, the privilege of the Christian as a son of God, and a member of the body of Christ, is one which belongs to the Christian only.