The Map of Sonship • Challenge 3

The Map of Sonship

It started in the garden when the Father said Let us Make them in our image. • We receive our treasure at the beginning of the journey. • Jesus gives us the provisions for the journey. • We get to travel light. • And the map always leads to Jesus. ​He is the beginning and the end.

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Provisions of Sonship

Ephesians 1:7-14 
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The word "adoption" occurs five times in the New Testament (Greek huiothesia). Paul is the only New Testament writer to use the term, and with him it is a metaphor derived from Hellenistic usage and Roman law.
In Galatians 4:1-3 Paul accurately interprets the Roman law of sonship. In verse 4 he says that God sent His Son to be born into the human condition under law, and in verse 5 the purpose of God's action was "to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

We were not merely children who needed to mature; we had become enslaved to sin and needed to be redeemed--bought out of bondage--that we might enter the new family which Christ created by His death and resurrection. Adoption means both the redemption and the new relation of trust and love, for "because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (vs 6). The adoption freed us from slavery to sonship and inheritance (vs 7).
Ephesians 4:6 states there is one "God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." The third phrase, "in you all," speaks of God's indwelling and suggests a personal and intimate relationship. To be a child of God means that our Heavenly Father dwells "in" His people by His Spirit.

Having accepted that we have received full on adoption in Christ it goes without saying that we have been given cart-blanche as His heirs. This is where we access all of the provisions and supplies needed for navigating this life this side of His soon return were we will join Him in Heaven.

What provisions don’t look like!

I have a real tendency to revert back to the old perspectives that would imply that my profound faith has had something to do with the reality of the provisions that come with Sonship. I have an old cowboy poem called “Jake the Rancher”. It is a perfect example of the misunderstandings and line of thinking that we cultivate because it requires a performance based faith for the work of Jesus to be complete in our lives. Let me just say that In Christ, means In Christ! You do not gather your own provisions; They come from Him!

Jake, The Rancher


Jake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant fence. The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled gray and dense. As he pounded the last staples in and gathered tools to go, The temperature had fallen and the snow began to blow. 

When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy heart, from the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't start. So Jake did what most of us do, if we'd have been there He humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a prayer. 

As he turned the key for the last time, he knew he'd lost his luck, They found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck. Now Jake had been around in life and done his share of roamin' But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked -- it look just like Wyomin'. 

Oh, there were some differences of course, but just some minor things, One place had simply disappeared -- the town they called Rock Springs. The BLM had been shut down, and there was no grazin' fees, and the wind in Rawlins and Cheyenne was now a gentle breeze. (cont…)

The Park and Forest Service folks -- they didn't fare so well, They'd all been sent to fight some fire in a wilderness called Hell. Though Heaven was a real nice place, Jake had a wondering mind, So he saddled up and lit a shuck, not know'n what he'd find. 

Then one day up in Cody, on a cold fall afternoon, He saw St. Peter coming, and he knew he'd be there soon. Of all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St. Peter, Now, this line, it ain't needed but it helps with rhyme and meter. 

So they set and talked a minute or two, or maybe it was three, Nobody was keepin' score -- in Heaven time is free. "I've always heard," Jake said to Pete, "that God will answer prayers, But one time I asked for help, well he just plain wasn't there. 

Does God answer prayers of some, and ignores the prayers of others? That don't seem exactly square -- I know all men are brothers. Or does he randomly reply, without good rhyme or reason? Maybe, it's the time of day, the weather or the season. 

Now I ain't trying to act smart, it's just the way I feel, And I was wonderin', could you tell -- what the heck's the deal? Peter listened very patiently and when Jake was done, There were smiles of recognition, and he said, "So, you're the one! 

That day your truck, it wouldn't start, and you sent your prayer a-flying, You gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us a trying. A thousand angels rushed to check the status of your file, But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard from you in quite a while 

And though all prayers are answered, and God ain't got no quota, He didn't recognize your voice, and started a truck in North Dakota.

Author Unknown

As humorous as it may seem, we go through life absent of the peace and rest that comes from the faithful one. It has nothing to do with my merit, the perdicament I am in, the quality of my prayers, or wether I am deserving.

I have had this scenario play out more times than I can count where like Jake, I don’t live in His provisions because I don’t believe I am deserving enough for them. The fact of the matter is this… They were provided for me when I was at my worst! Jesus saw the worst version of me and said, “I’m going to give him everything” even though it cost Him his life. It is not because of my spiritual prowess or posture, rather, it is because of his faithfulness that this treasure resides in you.

So what are the provisions for cracked pots like us?

2 Peter 1:1-10
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

About the Author
God Justifies the Ungodly!

Romans 3:20-4:5 God justifies the ungodly who trust in him. God acquits the guilty!
While I have frequently stumbled in life, God has been gracious! The ‘Map of Sonship is crucial to the success of folks who desire to walk closely with the Lord and are wanting to enjoy the freedom to be who God created them to be. This is for those who struggle with the navigation of Christianity, defeat, depression, isolation, their own sins, hearing from the Lord, and moving past the mistakes of their past. It is a small part of my personal walk with the Lord in as  Jesus has invited me to walk with Him in full on Sonship!