The Coming Sons of Love – The Mark

The below is the first in a six part series of musings on what I call the coming sons of Love.

The Sons of YHVH

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said: “I will not leave you as orphans.  I will come to you” (John 14.18.)  The reason that He said this is because Our Father has always desired our adoption (Eze. 16), and through believing in His Son He blessed us with the Spirit of son-ship (Rom 8.15.)

See, the truth is this, beloved: We are sons of the Living God; we are holy, set-apart, and carrying eternity within (Rom 9.26; Gal 4.26.)  This is our identity, and with it comes security, authority, and belonging.

Jesus came to bring us back to the Father (John 17:3) to live as sons in the Father’s House.   He is the True and model son.  He is the faithful witness.  He is the firstborn from the dead (Rev 1.5) and the first among many sons (Rom 8: 28-30.)

Jesus Mission, and our goal, is to be like Him though: We are to be a son to his Father and a father to our own sons.  The mission of Jesus was also to bring many sons to glory (Heb 2.10.)  And, as sons of the Father, we are also to carry His glory (love, mercy, kindness, compassion, truth, forgiveness) like Jesus did as king, priest, and prophet.

All of creation is waiting on the sons of God, the glorious sons of Love to emerge in the earth (Rom 8.19.)  Who are these sons and what does a son look like?   The Father is waiting patiently as Gardener.   Much fruit is being grown.

The Mark of a son of YHWH

The son does not love the world (1 John 2.15.) But the son loves the Father, and then obeys the Father (John 14.31.) Love comes first, and then obedience.  The son continues to obey the Father, and abides in love (John 15.10.)  He works to keep the relationship with the Father (John 5.17) and he only does what the Father does (John 10.37.)  He imitates the Father (John 5.19), and he only speaks what the Father has taught him (John 8.28; John 12; 49, 50.)

The son is a Father-pleaser then, and he lives only for the Father’s Will (John 6.57; Luke 22.42.) The son confesses that God is his Father (John 5.18.) He reveals the Father (John 14.9), he declares the Father (John 1.18), and he works to make the Father known (John 15.15.)

The son is moreover loved by the Father and the Father shows him all things (John 5.20) because the son lays down his life for the Father (John 10: 17, 18.)  The son and the Father are one (John 10.30, 38; 14.20), and the Father is pleased with the son (Mat 3.17.) The son has the Spirit in his heart (Gal 4.1-7), and he is led by the Spirit (Rom 8.14) that proceeds from the Father (John 15.26.) The son belongs to the Father, and nothing can separate him from his Father’s love because the son is intimate with his Father (Matt 11.27.)

Sons know the Father, and not just about the Father.  Even demons know about the Father, and tremble (James 2.19.) But sons know the Father intimately (John 17.3.) It is heart knowledge.  It is a spirit to Spirit, love relationship.  This ‘knowing’ and knowledge of the Father is the same as when a man knows a woman, like when Adam knew Eve.  It is close and loving, caring and fruitful. The ultimate mark of a son is that they look like the Father.  If you’ve seen a son, then you’ve seen the Father (John 14.9.)

The sons of God have a perception of their Father, they see and hear what the Father is doing (John 5:20.) The sons therefore carry the Father’s mark on their forehead (the forehead is a place of perception and revelation. (Rev 9.4; 22.4; 14.1.) Sons possess eye-salve and can see (Rev 3.18.) And sons are therefore prophets (Amos 2.11.) If we’re all called to be like Jesus, then we’re all called to be prophets, no big deal, right? Remember in Exodus, Father wanted everyone to come up the mountain, and not just Moses.

The son understands the Word by revelation; he humbly realises that there is more still in the Word than has ever come out of it.  Sons are led by the Spirit and fulfil the Word.  Sons are scourged by their Father, but they humbly submit to the crushing of Grace.  Sons receive correction.  As James Jordan says: Whose son are you?