Our Identity as a Son or Daughter of Our Heavenly Father and King

Sons and Daughters of the King

 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. Galatians 4:4,5

The relationship between God and man as workman and workmanship; poet and poem; Creator and created is only the beginning. When Adam fell, God made a promise to redeem him as well as his (Adam’s) offspring. In this redemption we receive “full rights of sons (and daughters).” What are the “full rights of sons”? When God the Father grants rights to His children, He is guaranteeing those right as promises to be fulfilled.  To understand this let’s look at a functional family. God created the family when He created Eve out of Adam to be with Adam. The fall however twisted and tainted what God intended for the family. In spite of this we can still get a sense of what a family and especially the father might have looked like before the fall. In a well-functioning family with a well-functioning father we will see the following promises (rights) to their children.

Promise of their father’s love                     Romans 5:8

Promise of access to their father               Ephesians 2:18

Promise of protection                                 Psalm 91:14

Promise of provision                                  Matthew 6:25-34

Promise of their father’s guidance             Psalm 31:3

Promise of their father’s discipline             Hebrews 12:6

As sons and daughters of the King of Kings we are promised the same, in a perfect sense, of our Heavenly Father as the verses above indicate.