The Spirit of Sonship… wherein we also cry, Abba, Father.

Mark 14:36

LITV ³⁶ And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to You; take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.

Romans 8:1-23

ECB ¹
THE TORAH OF THE SPIRIT; LIFE IN THE MESSIAH
So there is now no condemnation to them who are in Messiah Yah Shua. ^{*not in mss; but see 8:4 2} For the torah of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yah Shua liberates me from the torah of sin and death. ³ For the torah, being incapable, – frail through the flesh, Elohim sending his own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin; and for sin, condemned the sin in the flesh: ⁴ to fulfill/shalam the judgment of the torah in us, who walk not after flesh, but after Spirit. ⁵
IN FLESH VS IN SPIRIT
For they being after flesh, think of the flesh; and they after Spirit, of the Spirit. ⁶ For the thought of the flesh, is death; but the thought of the spirit, life and shalom. ⁷ Because the thought of the flesh is enmity to Elohim: for it neither subjugates to the torah of Elohim nor indeed can. ⁸ So they who are in flesh, cannot please Elohim. ⁹ And you are not in flesh, but in Spirit whenever the Spirit of Elohim dwell in you. and if one has not the Spirit of Messiah, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if Messiah is in you, the body is indeed dead because of sin; and the Spirit is life because of justness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him who raised Yah Shua from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Messiah from the dead also enlivens your mortal bodies through his Spirit dwelling in you. ¹² So then brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh – to live after the flesh. ¹³ For if you live after flesh, you are about to die: but if you, through Spirit, deathify the functions of the body, you live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by Spirit of Elohim, are the sons of Elohim. ¹⁵
THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP [wherein we cry Abba vs the spirit of sonship in Adam and Israel]
For you take not the spirit of servitude again to awe; but you take the Spirit of sonship, wherein we cry, Abba, Father. ¹⁶ The self-same Spirit co-witnesses with our spirit, that we are the children of Elohim: ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs – heirs of Elohim – and indeed co-heirs with Messiah; whenever we co-suffer to also co-glorify. ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present season are not worthy of the glory about to be unveiled ^* in us. ^{*verb of Revelation 19} For the intense anticipation of the creature awaits the apocalypse of the sons of Elohim. ²⁰ For the creature subjugated to vanity – not voluntarily but through him who subjugated in hope, ²¹ so that the creature itself also liberates from the servitude of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of Elohim. ²² For we know that all creation co-sighs and co-travails in pain until now: ²³ and not only they, but we also, who have the firstlings of the Spirit, even we also sigh among ourselves, awaiting the sonship – the redemption of our body.

The new “sonship” is a noun. It is the position by way of the Holy Spirit-birthed sonship of Christ as opposed to the position in the flesh-birthed sonship of Adam. One is certain life and one is certain death. The old creation Jews were born into the body of Adam by way of the flesh. They were born again into the body of Christ by the Spirit. Those who weren’t born again were about to die their second national death. They are no longer sons of God. The Spirit of sonship is only in Christ. The spirit of sonship was in Adam.

The noun “adoption” is most often used to translate the noun Greek word for “sonship” into English. There were of course proselytes who were ‘adopted’ into Israel rather than born into Israel. These proselytes received no inheritance in the firstborn typical nation, because they weren’t actually born into the family. The Hebrews were born into the sonship of Israel through the descendents of Jacob in the flesh.

The firstborn human of new covenant humanity was not adopted into the new covenant. He was born again into the new covenant. His firstborn status along with His moral excellence procured and secured His inheritance and ours in the new sonship creation. I suppose a case could be made that He was placed into the new covenant sonship by law because death could not legally hold Him, but the Holy Spirit raised Him out of the death of the old covenant and into the new covenant life. He was born again by the Holy Spirit. We usually don’t usually use the word rebirth when people join a new family. We say birth or adoption. Nicodemus struggled to imagine being born again as an adult. I think Nicodemus could have more easily visualized the concept of adoption.

Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter after she found him in the Nile. She did not have to go through any paperwork or legal matters because she was born into the family of the Egyptian king. Moses was ultimately loyal to his family by birth rather than his family by adoption.

Acts 7:20-22

KJV ²⁰ In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: ²¹ And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. ²² And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

The origin of legal adoption can be found as far back as ancient Rome. Under 6^th century AD Roman Law, Codex Justinianeus, when the head of the family was without a male heir, an heir could be provided from another family, through adoption.

Jesus started a new family (nation/church/city/body/creation/covenant) of God as the first born from the dead. Christianity applies the concept of firstborn from the dead to the church, adopting the Septuagint word for firstborn “prototokoi” (plural) to describe the first century body of Christ as “firstborns.” The first century assembly of Christ received the promised inheritance by being the first to be born by the Holy Spirit. The church became the heir of the promises through Christ. That’s the good news.

The new covenant body of Christ is a new covenant creation. Old covenant people were given the natural birth first. They were given a body naturally. God naturally birthed (or adopted) the nation of Israel by the law He gave them. The birth water was the Red Sea and the covenant creation by law was at Mount Sinai. Moses ascends about eight times during which 3000 men in the flesh were cut off from the body to reveal Moses as the head of the purified nation. The Hebrews finally received a second copy of the old covenant. The first tablets were broken by Moses before it was even agreed to. Then Moses intervened to bring a second unbroken covenant. It was a hard natural birth. God brought them into His old covenant by grace (mediated by Moses) in order to legally take His name. But everybody in the flesh birth died under law.

Being born by the Holy Spirit into the sonship of Christ is placed in contrast to the flesh sonship of Adam in the garden or the flesh sonship of Israel in the typical promised land. Inheritance in the family of the 12 tribes was by natural birth, but only Jesus said Abba Father as an old covenant Jew, because He was the only begotten by God in the old covenant. He had the true and complete image of God in Himself.

The body of Christ is and always was supernatural in origin. The Holy Spirit is the true and complete image of God who lives in the body of Christ today. Our place as children of God could be seen as a legal adoption because Christ fulfilled the law to accomplish it. Or it could be seen as a rebirth because Christ sent the Holy Spirit. “Born from above” describes salvation better than “adopted from above” because we get a new life, which is the image of God in us. It was a more supernatural and intimate breath than that which made Adam the natural firstborn of humanity. Birth was a more familiar and common concept to them than legal adoption.

1 Corinthians 15:46-50

KJV ⁴⁶ Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. ⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Adam was made a natural son by old covenant creation. Jesus was given a body as an only begotten son by Holy Spirit conception and then raised in that old covenant flesh creation. Everyone else in the old covenant was in slavery under the law of fear of and death. They had the spirit of Adam (slavery and fear) even with God as their gracious heavenly Father, because they were natural or soulical. Adam and Israel characterized their place of sonship. The sonship of Adam and Israel was typical. Only Jesus ruled over all creation in the typical covenant, because the sonship of Christ was supernatural, even before He took Adam’s place in order to take His place as firstborn heir of God’s family.

Romans 5:14c

ECB ¹⁴ … Adam – who is the type of the one about to be.

All of creation was waiting for those in the sonship of Christ to be revealed with Him. “You must be born again” was the essential action for Nicodemus to be in Christ rather than Adam. Sonship was not the action. It was the result or position they were born into and waiting to see revealed in them. The Holy Spirit not only birthed people into the new sonship but Jesus legally redeemed them from the old sonship in the flesh. He removed the But the act of redemption only applied to those born again ones. Born again people were no longer in the flesh sonship of Adam or Israel. People born into the family of God’s only begotten firstborn no longer belonged to the fallen family. Life in Christ took the place of death in Adam under law. Supernatural birth overruled natural birth. It didn’t just superimpose the new firstborn over the old. It actually removed the old firstborn sonship that was killing them. By the law of old covenant sonship they were about to lose their place in the family.

Colossians 2:14

YLT ¹⁴ having blotted out the handwriting in the ordinances that is against us, that was contrary to us, and he hath taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross;

Today nobody is born into the old covenant flesh family of God that was about to disappear due to the broken family covenant. The new covenant birth out-placed the old covenant birth, in the first century. Those nations who were never in the typical family of God weren’t born again into the family of God a second time, as in born into the o.c. family of God and then born again into the n.c. family of God. But all the natural born bodies of all creation were being tamed or humanized in order to be born again by the gospel of humanity. The Holy Spirit birth was going to all nations by way of the diaspora who had humanized (pre-evangelized) the nations. I’m talking about all the other nations (races or creations), not actual animals.

James 3:7-8 [pre-evangelism to Gentiles through Jews]

ECB ⁷ For all nature, both of beasts and of flyers, both of creepers and of those in the sea, is tamed – and has been tamed by human nature: ⁸ but the tongue, no human can tame – an unrestrainable evil full of death bearing venom:

Romans 8:9

YLT ⁹ And ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God doth dwell in you; and if any one hath not the Spirit of Christ—this one is not His;

Romans 9:4

CLV ⁴ who are Israelites, whose is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the legislation and the divine service and the promises;”

James 1:18 – [to the 12 tribes begat]

KJV ¹⁸ Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

1 Peter 1:3 – [to the diaspora begat again]

YLT ³ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to the abundance of His kindness did beget us again to a living hope, through the rising again of Jesus Christ out of the dead,

After Jesus, the 12 tribes gathered at pentecost were the next to receive new creation sonship. Jesus was born again into a new sonship creation and would not return to the corruption of the old creation of sonship. The pre-evangelism was first given to the old covenant fathers, according to Paul. Paul considers himself one of the children of those fathers. The children of those fathers received both the pre-evangelism and the evangelism to take it to the whole world.

Romans 9:1-5 [Pre-evangelism to Jews]

ECB ¹
THE SELECTION OF YISRA EL BY ELOHIM
I word the truth in Messiah; I lie not; my conscience also co-witnesses in the Holy Spirit; ² that I have mega sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. ³ For I vowed – I myself to be anathema from the Messiah for my brothers – my kin according to the flesh: ⁴ who are Yisra Eliym; to whom are the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the setting of the torah and the liturgy and the pre-evangelisms; ⁵ whose are the fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh the Messiah came, being over all – Elohim eulogized to the eons. Amen.

Acts 10:9-16

ECB ⁹
THE VISION OF PETROS
On the morrow, as they journey and approach the city, Petros ascends on the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour; } ¹⁰ and he becomes intensely famished and wills to taste: but as they prepare, an ecstasis falls on him; } ¹¹ and he observes the heavens open; and a vessel descends on him as a mega linen bound at the four beginnings, and lowers to the earth: } ¹² wherein are all quadrepeds of the earth and beasts and creepers and flyers of the heavens: ¹³ and so be it, a voice to him, Rise, Petros! Sacrifice, and eat! ¹⁴ But Petros says, No way, Adonay; for I never ever ate aught profane or impure. ¹⁵ And a second voice to him, What Elohim purifies, you profane not! ¹⁶ And this becomes thrice: and the vessel is taken again into the heavens.

Evangelism first went to the Jews who then took it to all creation. All creation (all races) was made new or born again. Not just the Hebrews. “the people” in Acts 13:31 refers to the Jews.

Acts 13:30-35

ECB ³⁰ but Elohim raised him from the dead: ³¹ and he was seen many days by them who ascended together [went up to Jerusalem] with him from Galiyl to Yeru Shalem – who are his witnesses to the people. ³² And we evangelize to you, how that the pre-evangelism which became the fathers, ³³ Elohim fulfills/shalams to us their children, in that he raised Yah Shua; as also scribed in the second psalm, You are my Son, this day I birthed you. ^{Psalm 2:7 34} And that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he says thus, I give you the trustworthy mercifuls of David. ^{Isaiah 55:3 35} Wherefore he also words in another, You give not your Merciful to see corruption. ^{Psalm 16:10}

Even Paul as a surrogate father used the word beget to convey new creation sonship.

1 Corinthians 4:15

CLV ¹⁵ For if you should be having ten thousand escorts in Christ, nevertheless not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus, through the evangel, I beget you.”

Hagar’s son came to represent the old covenant hold-outs who were rejecting the promise of Holy Spirit birth. They said the 12 tribes at Pentecost were drunk and then they persecuted them who received the promise of the Holy Spirit. Hagar’s son was not considered begotten by Abraham because he was not the covenant son of promise. Abraham’s son of promise is fulfilled in Jesus. The only begotten Son moved into the new covenant of promise. He then became the life-giving spirit who sent the Holy Spirit to give the new family life.

Jesus is the only begotten son of promise who became a life-giving spirit. He will not return His people to the old covenant of corruption that finally rejected the life giving spirit. God did have an old covenant typical son called Israel, but now God only claims the new covenant assembly begotten by the Holy Spirit of promise. The old covenant was no longer considered born by God when Galatians was written. Their place became the sonship of Hagar. Begotten by God is only fulfilled in the new covenant.

Hebrews 11:17 – only begotten son

YLT ¹⁷ By faith Abraham hath offered up Isaac, being tried, and the only begotten he did offer up who did receive the promises,

Galatians 4:19-31 – two sons

YLT ¹⁹ my little children, of whom again I travail in birth, till Christ may be formed in you, ²⁰ and I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am in doubt about you.
²¹ Tell me, ye who are willing to be under law, the law do ye not hear? ²² for it hath been written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the maid-servant, and one by the free-woman, ²³ but he who is of the maid-servant, according to flesh hath been, and he who is of the free-woman, through the promise; ²⁴ which things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from mount Sinai, to servitude bringing forth, which is Hagar; ²⁵ for this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and doth correspond to the Jerusalem that now is, and is in servitude with her children, ²⁶ and the Jerusalem above is the free-woman, which is mother of us all, ²⁷ for it hath been written, `Rejoice, O barren, who art not bearing; break forth and cry, thou who art not travailing, because many are the children of the desolate—more than of her having the husband.’ <sup>28</sup> And we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of promise, <sup>29</sup> but as then he who was born according to the flesh did persecute him according to the spirit, so also now; <sup>30</sup> but what saith the Writing? `Cast forth the maid-servant and her son, for the son of the maid-servant may not be heir with the son of the free-woman;’ ³¹ then, brethren, we are not a maid-servant’s children, but the free-woman’s.

The maid servant was old covenant Israel under law who drove out God’s only begotten Son and God’s born-by-the-Spirit children of promise. The new covenant Jews became the desolate ones while Israel in the flesh claimed to remain married to God in the land. But the apocalypse of Jerusalem in the flesh revealed reality. The true sonship is now in Christ not Adam or Israel in the flesh. You must be born by the Spirit of promise to receive the promise of never-ending life in God’s heavenly Jerusalem. This life went to all the mortal bodies to form the new covenant church family; to the Jew first and also to the nations.

Some old covenant people who were born again thought the Gentiles had to adopt the legal customs of the old covenant family before being saved into the new covenant family of God. The Gentiles already knew the teachings of Moses but they did not need to adopt typical circumcision to be saved. It was an old creation practice to remove the flesh on the eighth day, with a flint knife. Now the Holy Spirit removed the whole person from the flesh body by way of the Holy Spirit birth. If you have the Holy Spirit you are not in the flesh. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit birth you are not His. The new family was not a flesh family.

Acts 15:1-21

YLT ¹ And certain having come down from Judea, were teaching the brethren—`If ye be not circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved;’ <sup>2</sup> there having been, therefore, not a little dissension and disputation to Paul and Barnabas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, to go up unto the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this question, <sup>3</sup> they indeed, then, having been sent forward by the assembly [church], were passing through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the nations, and they were causing great joy to all the brethren [Jews rejoicing that the gospel was being received by the gentiles]. <sup>4</sup> And having come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly [church in Jerusalem], and the apostles, and the elders, they declared also as many things as God did with them; <sup>5</sup> and there rose up certain of those of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying—`It behoveth to circumcise them, to command them also to keep the law of Moses.’ ⁶ And there were gathered together the apostles and the elders, to see about this matter, ⁷ and there having been much disputing, Peter having risen up said unto them, `Men, brethren, ye know that from former days, God among us did make choice, through my mouth, for the nations to hear the word of the good news, and to believe; <sup>8</sup> and the heart-knowing God did bare them testimony, having given to them the Holy Spirit, even as also to us, <sup>9</sup> and did put no difference also between us and them, by the faith having purified their hearts; <sup>10</sup> now, therefore, why do ye tempt God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? <sup>11</sup> but, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, even as also they.‘ <sup>12</sup> And all the multitude did keep silence, and were hearkening to Barnabas and Paul, declaring as many signs and wonders as God did among the nations through them; <sup>13</sup> and after they are silent, James answered, saying, `Men, brethren, hearken to me; ¹⁴ Simeon did declare how at first God did look after to take out of the nations a people for His name, ¹⁵ and to this agree the words of the prophets, as it hath been written: ¹⁶ After these things I will turn back, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, that is fallen down, and its ruins I will build again, and will set it upright— ¹⁷ that the residue of men [the remnant of humanity… and the gentiles being taught the name] may seek after the Lord, and all the nations, upon whom My name hath been called, saith the Lord, who is doing all these things. ¹⁸ `Known from the ages to God are all His works; ¹⁹ wherefore I judge: not to trouble those who from the nations do turn back [turn around or turn toward not necessarily turn back] to God, ²⁰ but to write to them to abstain from the pollutions of the idols, and the whoredom, and the strangled thing; and the blood; ²¹ for Moses from former generations in every city hath those preaching him—in the synagogues every sabbath being read.’

There are five verses that contain the Greek noun for sonship: often translated into our modern English with the noun ‘adoption’.

Romans 8:15

CLV ¹⁵ For you did not get slavery’s spirit to fear again, but you got the spirit of sonship, in which we are crying, “Abba, Father!”

Romans 8:23

CLV ²³ Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit, we ourselves also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body.”

Romans 9:4

CLV ⁴ who are Israelites, whose is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the legislation and the divine service and the promises;”

Galatians 4:5

CLV ⁵ that He should be reclaiming those under law, that we may be getting the place of a son.”

Ephesians 1:5

CLV ⁵ in love designating us beforehand for the place of a son for Him through Christ Jesus; in accord with the delight of His will,

The only begotten was begotten again so His people could also be born of God by the Holy Spirit. He is no longer in the old covenant body of flesh and blood. None of His people are. It doesn’t even exist anymore.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18

CLV ¹⁶ So that we, from now on, are acquainted with no one according to flesh. Yet even if we have known Christ according to flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer.” ¹⁷ So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new!” ¹⁸ Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation,

John 3:14-16

ECB ¹⁴
ETERNAL LIFE
And exactly as Mosheh exalted the serpent in the wilderness, even thus must the Son of humanity be exalted: ¹⁵ so that whoever trusts in him destructs not, but has [life to the age] eternal life. ^{John 12:30-34 16} For Elohim loved the cosmos thus: that he gave his only birthed Son; that whoever trusts in him destructs not but has [life to the age] eternal life.

John 3:1-9

LITV ¹ But there was a man from the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the Jews. ² This one came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You have come as a teacher from God. For no one is able to do these miracles which You do, except God be with Him. ³ Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. ⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, How is a man able to be born, being old? He is not able to enter into his mother’s womb a second time and be born? ⁵ Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth out of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That receiving birth from the flesh is flesh, and that receiving birth from the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not wonder because I told you, You must receive birth from above. ⁸ The Spirit breathes where He desires, and you hear His voice; but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who has received birth from the Spirit. ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things come about?