How Sons of God Are Different From Slaves
The world works a slave mindset into all of us from the moment we are born and take our first breath on this earth. When we believed in Jesus, we received a brand new identity. The change in our identity is so radical that Jesus referred to it as being born again.
The Bible tells us we were adopted into God’s very own family as His sons the moment that happened. Plus, we were also given an incredibly rich inheritance in Christ. We’ve been made joint heirs with Jesus.
In a previous article (We Are All Sons of God, Not His Slaves), we saw the problems those worldly slave mindsets can cause in our lives.
(Be sure to see that previous article to see how the Bible elevates women by including them in that description of “sons of God.”)
Now let’s shift and look at what it means to be a son or daughter of God. These correspond to the slave mindsets shared in that previous article.
How Sons Behave
Sons have Fathers
(vs. slaves have masters) — There are all kinds of fathers out there, just like there are all kinds of masters out there. In both cases, some are better than others. But when you boil it down, the primary difference between the two is that the father/son relationship has love at its core, and the slave/master has expediency as its foundation.
Sons are Family
(vs. slaves have no rights) — Family brings a significantly increased amount of liberty. For example, your children have much more liberty to access things in your house than the neighbor kids do. Plus, your kids have a lot more right to ask things of you as their parent. You will do things for your own child that you would never consider doing for someone else’s.
Sons have Autonomy
(vs. slaves only do what are told) — As our children mature, we give them more and more autonomy to make their own choices. We do everything for a newborn baby. But by the time our teenager gets their driver’s license, they have earned a much higher level of trust to be allowed to make many of their own choices. (Hopefully anyway.) But most of us will be a lot less willing to give our car keys to someone else’s teenager.
Sons are Loved
(vs. slaves fear punishment) — Fathers love their children. Even horrible fathers often do what they do because they have a desire for the best for their children. They just have a twisted view of what love means. Fortunately our Father in Heaven understands love better than anyone. There is no fear of punishment as we come to understand His love.
Sons Receive Inheritance
(vs. slaves are poor) — Fathers pass on their legacies through their children. That means the question “why?” is very important to children. The reason behind what they are instructed to do can often be even more important than the task itself. That’s why Jesus said:
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
— John 15:15 (NKJV)
God wants to include you in on what He’s doing in the world. You are His precious child. Don’t be afraid to ask Him what’s up.
The Lost Son (Prodigal)
Jesus shared a parable that gives us tremendous insight into what it means to be a son of God in His Kingdom. It is often referred to as the parable of the lost son, or the prodigal son. But really we learn more from what the father does in the story, than what the lost son does.
Here’s that full parable, as Luke records it.
Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘
“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'”
— Luke 15:11-32 (NKJV)
Key Take Aways
The younger son demands his inheritance.
He effectively wished his father was dead. No matter how you slice it, this was a remarkably horrific and selfish thing for the son to do. It demonstrates how messed up and worldly his thinking was.
This son represents us in the story. We were all selfish to some degree before we met Jesus, even if we weren’t this bad.
The younger son comes to his senses.
After the son got a harsh does of reality when he reaped the harvest for the horrible seed he sowed into his personal life, he then truly appreciated how much better things were in his father’s house.
I don’t know about you. But I had a pretty significant wakeup call when I finally got to the end of myself and then first called on the name of the Lord.
The younger son learns the difference between sons and servants.
He realizes his horrible mistake and willingly owns it. He resolves to return to his father in humility and acknowledge his wrong behavior. He’s genuinely repentant.
This revelation the younger son gains of the difference between slaves and sons is huge. It gives him a much bigger appreciation for the way his father ultimately receives him back.
The father welcomes the younger son back.
There’s some irony here. The younger son originally wished his father was dead. Now here we see the father rejoicing that his son, who was effectively lost and for all practical purposes dead to him, is now found alive.
The four things the father gives his son upon his return significantly represent total restoration.
- The best robe — represents restoration of righteousness.
- The ring — likely a signet ring and represents restoration of authority.
- The sandals — represent restoration of jurisdiction over the whole estate.
- The fatted calf — represents restoration of provision to accomplish his family assignment.
This is a vivid picture of what was restored to each one of us the moment we believed in Jesus and were adopted into God’s family as His very own sons and daughters.
The older son misses the difference between sons and servants.
For all his shortcomings, the younger son gained a revelation his older brother still lacked. The older brother takes offense and protests to his father about how hard he’s been serving his father. He’s still got the same slave mindset that his younger brother had while literally a slave feeding pigs in the far country.
We see in this parable the importance for us to gain this revelation of our position as sons. Continuing to view our relationship with God like the older son did will cause us to completely miss God’s heart for us. That can lead to resentment and offense, just like it did for the older son, especially when we see others being blessed in ways we are not experiencing.
God says the same thing to us the father said to his son, “All I have is yours.” What are we doing with what He offers us?
Sons Have Privileges
You and I are children of God. He is our Father. That relationship is very clearly spelled out in the New Testament.
Since you are God’s very own son or daughter, you have certain privileges.
You have unlimited access to the Father.
The primary one is access. Through Jesus, you have the right to come to the Father anytime you like. You don’t have to wait for a special holy day, or go to a certain place before you can have a conversation with the Father.
This is why the book of Hebrews shares this exhortation:
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)
You have use of God’s unlimited resources.
As God’s child, you also have the privilege of resources. The New Testament has numerous promises of provision from God. Here is my personal favorite:
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
— 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV)
This promise dials up every aspect to the maximum. We have all grace and it abounds towards us. We always have all sufficiency. Not just sometimes, but in all things. And we have an abundance for every good work.
That right there is enough to meet any need you might ever encounter. And it just one of the more than 7,000 promises God makes to you in the Bible. Every one of those promises belongs to you in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).
You have a rich inheritance in Christ.
Because of your position as a child of God, you have a rich inheritance in Christ. What all is involved in that inheritance is a big topic that is best saved for another article. Ephesians chapter one is a great place to start when it comes to your inheritcance in Christ.
Here’s a taste:
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
— Ephesians 1:11-14 (NKJV)
For now, know that there’s a big inheritance included in your privileges as part of God’s family.
Sons Also Have Responsibilities
Of course, with great privilege comes great responsibility. What are some of the responsibilities we have as part of God’s family?
We can start by looking at the great commission.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
— Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
Those few verses outline several responsibilities. Here are some of them:
Invite others into the family.
Jesus calls us to go in His own authority to make disciples of all nations. Discipleship starts with salvation.
This means we have a responsibility to be inviting others to join us in the family of God. We invite them to become sons and daughters of God like us, so that they can also enjoy all the same benefits we do as part of the family.
Guide others into the ways of our family.
Jesus tells us in that passage that we are to teach others what Jesus taught us. Discipleship involves guiding others in to the ways our heavenly family goes about its business.
This is why it is so vital for us to have Kingdom Mindsets in every area of our lives. When we operate with those mindsets of the Kingdom, we become living examples for others to see of how our family does things. It also makes it easier for us to share with others from our own experience implementing the truths found in scripture.
Be about our Father’s business.
Our Father in Heaven is in the business of alleviating mankind’s suffering. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus on a heavenly rescue mission to earth to make a way of escape from the world’s corruption.
Like Jesus, we do well to be about our Father’s business and use the Kingdom resources He makes available to us to ease the suffering of others.
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?
— Luke 2:49 (NKJV)
Bondservant Apostles
As we talk about our position as sons (and not slaves) to God, we do well to acknowledge that there are several times in the New Testament where we see apostles refer to themselves as bondservants of Christ.
Since we’re all sons of God, what’s that about?
They are not saying they are slaves as if they have no choice in the matter. They didn’t renounce their place in the family. Instead they are saying that they willingly do what Jesus commands.
It’s much the same as when I volunteered for the military. No one forced me to go into the Navy. I volunteered.
The Apostles didn’t lose their privileges and responsibilities as sons. Instead they voluntarily submitted absolutely to the authority of Jesus. They were so intimate with God that they trusted Him absolutely and were therefore completely in His service.
This is a very different mindset than that of one forced into slavery against their will. Unfortunately, sometimes this distinction gets lost in translation between the first century church and today.
All that to say, you may also choose to serve God unreservedly and completely. Even so, remember you serve as one of His sons, with all the privileges and responsibilities that go with your position in Christ.
You never need to look at yourself as a slave again. In Christ you are a powerful overcoming son, not a helpless enslaved victim.
