scripture tells us that we are being preserved and kept by God's power until we fully experience our final salvation. What is our final salvation? Sonship! "...that is ready to be revealed." When? "...in the last time." It was not going to be revealed in Peter's time when this was written, but in the last time. We are living in the last time but also in a new day. I believe we are living in the time that Peter was speaking of. Moffat puts it this way, "...that is ready to be revealed in the last hour." It is beginning to come forth in this hour in which we live. We have already entered the threshold of this fullness.
Using Father's Authority, Power, and Ability
The third thing that adoption brought was equality with the Father, the use of the father's authority, and power. God the Father verified the fact of Jesus' sonship publicly. In Matthew chapter 3 verse 17 we read: "...This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." If you recall, the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders were shocked and angered at such a thought. In fact, they rose up to destroy this blasphemer, as they called Him.
Now let's see what happened because Jesus was given the use of His Father's authority, power, and ability. In John chapter 10, starting in verse 31 we read: "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him." Verse 32: "Jesus said unto them, Many good works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me?" Verse 33: "The Jews answered Him saying, for a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
Now listen to what Jesus replied to them, Verse 34: "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods?" Verse 35: "If He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;" Verse 36: "Say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world Thou blasphemeth; because I said I am the Son of God?"
In verse 35 the scripture says that men are called gods [with a small "g"] by the law; those who the Word of God came to, who received God's message; Spirit leadership, living out of the mind of Christ, having our conscious awareness up, right on down the line. Have you received God's message? It also said "...the scripture cannot be broken, or annulled, or set aside." In other words God said, "Ye are gods, and that is final."
Who are these gods? It is those who are the message. James says, “Those who have this hope in them purify themselves, even as he is pure." So, here the word gods refers to the sons of God who are fully awake spiritually.
We find another point concerning equality in John chapter 5 and verse 18, "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."
He put Himself on a level with God. Can you see why the bible says we will be persecuted? The carnal man does not like the Word of God. If God is our Father and He is God, then who are we? Should we not be gods too? Now, if you interpret this with the carnal thinking, you might say, "Oh boy, I can turn water into money and coal into gold." That is baby talk. We will be gods, but we will only manifest Him. We will manifest His mind; and everything that could be said of Jesus, will be said of us. We are pure, we are righteous, we are holy, etc.
If you have had all these teachings and you are living in them, walking in them, and being them, then you are manifesting Christ Jesus. Would you be pleased if your children followed in your footsteps? Then, if your name is Jane, you want all of your girls to be little ‘Janes.’ You are the capital "J" Jane, but you have a lot of little "j" ‘Janes’. You are tremendously pleased because they take after you. They live like you, they think like you, they have a renewed consciousness, and they walk in the Spirit.
This is the same way God is. He is pleased with His life. There is no disharmony, no sin, and no wickedness. So it stands to reason that God says, "If I am capital "G" God, I want a lot of small "g" gods just exactly like Me" Do you think that is a threat to God? No; but our concept has been so small.God is pleased that we live as Him. Jesus said, "Follow me." If we obey Jesus and follow Him, then we are little Christ’s.
In spite of the theologians and the religious leaders of Jesus' day, Jesus knew in His spirit who He was. Even though they rejected Him as the Son of God, Jesus said in His spirit, "I am the Son of God and I will not deny that truth." And whatever happened to Jesus will happen to us. He is the pattern.
When you know in your spirit who you are they may say you are wrong and you are crazy; but you must know in your spirit that you are right and you are walking in the spirit. You must determine in your heart that you are not going to bend. This truth must become a reality in your inner man. If it is just in your head, people will change your head.
Jesus became who we were, a human being. Jesus became a man so we could become "gods". A1l truth is parallel. We can become an expression of Him, and can live just like He lived.
Suffering with Him at Calvary - Brings Glorification
In Romans chapter 8 verses 17-19, Paul indirectly mentions the equality of the sons of God: "And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." Verse 18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Verse 19, "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."
The Amplified puts this scripture like this: "And if we are His children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ - sharing His inheritance with Him; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory." Verse 18: "(But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time [this present life] are not worthy of being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us, and conferred on us." Verse 19: "For even the whole creation [all nature] waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known - waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their identity."
Notice verse 17 says that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Then it says that we must suffer like Him, if we get this inheritance. How did He suffer? He suffered through persecution, rejection, and excommunication. But all this suffering will not even compare with the glory which is about to be revealed to us, in us, for us, and conferred on us. Of course, this is speaking of sonship; the glory of the sons of God. But beyond this suffering He suffered at the cross. And because we were also crucified with Him, His suffering was our suffering. Therefore that is another aspect of our suffering which is vitally important.
Verse 19 ties the other into sonship: "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." Jesus was not well known at first, but when He matured and was adopted, He was revealed; "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Then, everybody knew it. The Greek text says, "This is my beloved Son in whom I was well pleased."
Verse 17 says that we are children, then heirs. In other words, we were children, but then as we grow, we will come into our inheritance as heirs. Then he breaks it down: we are heirs of God the Father, and joint heirs with Christ. Jesus has inherited all things from the Father. He said: "All things have been given unto me..." So, He has received everything from the Father, therefore the Father has nothing more to give.
If God has many sons, and He gave it all to one son, that means He has nothing more to give you. For example, if I have $1,000.00 and two sons, and I gave the whole amount to one son, there is nothing left to give my other son.
Now, God gave everything to Jesus, but then He went on to say that we are joint heirs with Christ. Therefore, everything that Jesus
