Endure to Manifest Salvation (3) - David Eells - UBBS 6.12.2024

Endure to Manifest Salvation (3) 

Sonship Manifests Jesus

(audio)

David Eells (6/12/24) 

We’ve been studying salvation and we’ve learned that the salvation of our spirit happens instantly when we repent and receive Jesus. We’ve also learned that the salvation of our soul happens to a greater and greater extent as we walk according to the Word and it’s the gift of faith from God that enables us to do that. It’s important for each of us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) because we’re each given only a certain amount of time to bear fruit and time is running out.  

Now let’s look a little deeper at what it means to manifest salvation in your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions. (Pro.29:21) He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. The Hebrews, Greeks and Romans, during Biblical times, all had the custom of adult adoption. (Gen.15:2) And Abram said, O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? If they had no other heirs, then they would adopt a beloved servant of theirs. Or, even when they did have an heir, if they really loved a servant of theirs, they would adopt that servant and make him a son. It was a fairly common custom among many of the other cultures throughout the ancient world, too.  

Oftentimes, the Bible teaches lessons that run in parallel with the traditions of men and Jesus always gave parables about the natural things, so that people could understand the supernatural things. In this case, the Scripture is talking about the adoption of sons and our text says that a person can “delicately bring up his servant from a child.” That means “child” and“ servant” are synonymous because the next step in our text is this “Shall have him become a son at the last.”  A son is neither a child nor a servant. So our goal is to become a son in the image of God’s Son.  

When I noticed this in the Scriptures, I began to delve into the customs surrounding the adoption of servants and I discovered that there were three main parts to this tradition. First, the master would give the revelation of sonship to the servant. He would tell his servant that he was a son and Scripture does that with us. Scripture tells us that we are sons by faith. The adoption has not happened yet, but we have been told that we are sons and we are to accept that by faith. The only part that has actually been manifested, when you are told you are a son, is in your spirit. You have sonship in your spirit.  

The second part of the tradition was that the master would make it public that this servant was a son. The Bible talks about it this way: (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. Our adoption is made public when people see Christ in us. It’s made public when it’s manifested in your soul. We go from spirit to soul because Christ has come in our spirit, but He wants to come in our soul. He wants to manifest Himself in our thinking and He wants to manifest Himself in our actions. That’s where it’s manifested in faith, until you receive a new body.  

The third part of the tradition was the formal adoption of the servant. (Rom.8:23) And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for [our] adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. The adoption is manifested in the body and it’s when you have become the manifestation of what God has always called you to be from the beginning. It’s when you are manifested sons, (Col.1:27) ... which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Here on this earth, our responsibility is to walk by faith in Jesus Christ in order to see His sonship manifested in spirit and in soul, before body.  

We have nothing to do with the body. The redeemed body is going to come later and it will come to those who are faithful in bearing fruit in the area of the soul. The manifestation of sonship in spirit is instantly accomplished when your spirit manifests the Spirit of Christ. The progressive manifestation of sonship in soul comes to pass as you walk in your natural body more and more as Christ walked. It’s not out of our own ability that we can do this, but it’s through God’s ability. He promises that He will work in us. (Php.1:6) Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it (That is, “bring it to completion.”) until the day of Jesus Christ.  

Paul said in (Php.3:14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. You have to see a goal. If you think that you have already passed that goal, then it’s not going to make you strive for “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” So you have to see a goal and the goal is the manifestation of Christ in you. This is the purpose of why we are here. And when you take a closer look at this manifestation of sonship in our soul, you find the Bible speaks of progressive salvation.  

(Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. These two verses are synonymous because putting to death the deeds of the body or, in other words, denying yourself, denying the “old man,” is bearing your cross. When you’re bearing your cross, you’re being led by the Spirit and to be led by the Spirit is to manifest sonship.  

It’s very important that we study the Word of God because the Word of God is the seed that brings forth Christ and the Word of God also renews our mind so that we can walk with the Spirit. (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The natural, carnal mind cannot walk with the Spirit. (Amo.3:3) Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? The Spirit is foolishness to the carnal mind. (1Co.1:18) For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. So when we come into agreement with God, then we can walk in the Spirit.  

Our capacity to walk hand-in-hand with Jesus as He walked, our capacity to walk in the Spirit, is directly related to how much of the Word we are agreeing with. That’s because, if you’re not agreeing with God, you’re certainly not going to listen to Him and you are not going to obey Him. And when these principles of the Word are involved in a situation or circumstance that you’re in, you’re not going to be obedient to them, if you’re disagreeing with them. How do we come to recognize, and come to know the voice of the Spirit? We become familiar with this Word; that’s why we’ve been given the Word. Many people think that the Word of the New Testament is a New Testament Law, like the Old Testament was an Old Testament Law. No, we were given the New Testament in order to “renew” our mind so that we can walk in the Spirit.  

Living according to the New Testament is to walk in the Spirit; it’s to walk with Christ and abide in Him. The New Testament gives us familiarity with the Spirit, so that we can walk with Him. How do you know what voice speaks to you, unless you are familiar with the person of that voice through their own words, through their own nature, through their own character? When you study the Word, you begin to know the voice of the Spirit and you can see where people go astray of Him. You can see, too, why they go astray because you can see error more clearly, the more familiar you become with the Word. We need to have fellowship with God through the Word, so that we can be “led by the Spirit” to God and be called “sons of God.”  

And Paul goes on to say, (Rom.8:15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear.... Those people under the Old Covenant did not have the Holy Spirit and they were in bondage to the Law. (Joh.7:39) But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet [given]; because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they kept the Law, they had to do it by their own strength and by their own ability, but that wasn’t possible. (Jas.2:10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one [point], he is become guilty of all. And if we’re trying to keep the Law of the Old Testament, then we have made ourselves bondservants. (Joh.8:35) And the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth forever. 

The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring us to adoption. (Rom.8:15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Holy Spirit is called “the spirit of adoption” because His job is to manifest the sonship of Christ in us. Jesus said, (Joh.16:14) He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare [it] unto you. Our faith is what makes it possible for the Holy Spirit to manifest Jesus in us. You must be calling (Rom.4:17) the things that are not, as though they were. You must accept sonship now, if it’s ever to be manifested. The Holy Spirit moves through our faith and He brings things to pass because of our faith, but He doesn’t have to do anything, if you don’t have faith. There are no promises for you in this Word, if you don’t have faith.  

(1Jn.5:4) For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. The Holy Spirit is to bring us to the adoption of sonship and the adoption is the end of our faith, not the beginning of our faith. (1Pe.1:9) Receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls. God manifests the adoption because of the salvation of the soul, which is when the soul bears fruit 30-, 60- or 100-fold. We are sons of God by faith. We are adopted by faith. Gal 3:26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.

And it’s a wonderful thing that God reckons our faith as righteousness (Romans 4:3,5,9,11,22,24; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23) because that means a baby Christian can enter into the Kingdom. Otherwise, no one who has not yet manifested sonship would have hope or a chance. (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. Faith must be walked in. (18) And I by my works will show thee [my] faith. Folks, there are plenty of people who say they have faith, but it’s not real faith because they are not walking in it. They’re only acknowledging in their mind that they have faith. You cannot stand still in faith. Real faith moves; real faith has action. Without action, faith is “dead,” or incomplete.  

(Rom.8:16) The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God. Notice, it doesn’t say “sons.” That’s because Paul is talking here about manifestation. (2Ti.2:15) Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. We have to be careful in “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV) and since he’s talking about manifestation, then we can say that all those who are walking by faith are at least children of God by manifestation. (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God (Not “sons of God,” as the KJV says.), and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We need to understand that “what we shall be” is Christ! (1Co.13:12) For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.  

We are going to see Him face-to-face! God’s purpose in Christ is to bring about His life in us, so that manifestly we are sons of God. (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested (shines forth from us), we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is (In the mirror). (Rom.8:16) The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: (17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if (Notice this “if”. We are children, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ only if we also suffer with Him.) “if” so be that we suffer with [him,] that we may be also glorified with [him].  

Suffering is what happens when you are led by the Spirit because your flesh always wants to go the opposite way. (1Pe.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. Why is that? It’s because when you suffer in the flesh, it means that you are going against the flesh and you are walking in the Spirit. You have to suffer with Christ, in order to be glorified with Christ. In order for the Spirit to grow in you, you have to suffer the death of self, the death of the old man. Walking in the Spirit is suffering the death of self. (Rom.8:18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. (19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. The Greek word for “revealing” there comes from apokalupto and it actually means “unveiling.”  

Creation is waiting for the unveiling, or manifestation, of the sons of God. The sons of God are hidden to the world and the reason they are hidden to the world is that they are not yet acting in agreement with the Son, Jesus Christ. We know that the full adoption does not happen until we receive our new body and it says that a little further down in the Scriptures, but we also know that the manifestation of Sonship in Christ was true in spirit and soul before He received a new body. Jesus did His works in this earth as a manifested Son in spirit and in soul before He received His new body. Creation is waiting for the manifestation of sons of God in spirit and in soul, even while they are walking in their body of flesh.  

Paul said, (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. And that is the truth. One Jesus or one Paul or one Peter can do much more than 10,000 carnal Christians. The creation needs the manifestation of sons so that the creation itself will be delivered. (Rom.8:20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. We have the authority in Christ to bring deliverance to creation. I’ve prayed for my animals and I’ve seen God heal them. I’ve prayed over my grass and I’ve seen God heal it where there was blight. Those are just a couple of examples, but if we can already see it in little ways, just think how it would be if God’s children come to understand that the inheritance has been given to us!  

We’ve been given authority over all the power of the enemy. And what’s the “power” of the enemy? The power of the enemy is the curse, but we have been given authority over the curse! (Act.10:38) Even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, the works of corruption. And since the creation is under the bondage of corruption because of the fall of man, now God is reversing the process. This time God is going to save man and use man to bring about the deliverance of the creation, so the creation is waiting for man to be saved manifestly. All of creation is waiting for man to come into what God has provided.  

The creation never would have been delivered unto corruption had it not been for man and now God is reversing the process through the Spiritual man, Jesus Christ. (Rom.8:22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (23) And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for [our] adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. I believe this redemption of the body that Paul’s talking about here is a new body because Christ is to be manifested in us first spirit, then soul and then body. The fullness of adoption happens when you get the new body. He’s talking about the new creation of Christ.  

We don’t have anything to do with the new body at this moment, but we can deliver our body of flesh from the bondage of corruption. This body that we walk in is part of the natural creation, so we have authority to deliver this body from corruption while we walk in Jesus Christ. Of course, we have no authority to deliver this body while we walk in willful sin (Hebrews 10:26-27). (Rom.8:24) For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? (25) But if we hope for that which we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for it. We are patiently waiting for the full manifestation, which we received by faith and which we received in hope.  

Do you know what “hope” is? “Hope” is a “firm expectation.” We are expecting to see it, but a lot of the Church doesn’t expect to ever see this. They are quite content to just accept what little they have right now, but that’s not God’s plan and it’s not His purpose. His purpose is to manifest sons and the manifestation of sonship is going to deliver all of creation from this bondage of corruption that creation is groaning under. We are sons through faith now. At this point, we have manifested sonship in our spirit and we are manifesting sonship in our soul. And we will have manifested sonship in our body at the adoption. So what we’re saying about sonship is exactly the same thing we’re saying about salvation. Sonship in your spirit is instantaneous, but then sonship in your soul is progressive. Manifestly, we are children or servants, but we want to grow to be sons.  

There are important differences between servants and sons, and between children and sons. A child doesn’t have the same capacity to serve as does a full-grown son, but a servant may serve for reasons other than a son serves. If you are a hired servant, you serve for gain. If you are a bondservant, you serve because you must. A true son doesn’t serve for either one of those reasons. A true son serves for love. So a son serves his father for one reason, to promote their Father’s Kingdom, while servants serve for other reasons.  

You see, God wants a different relationship with us. The relationship we had when we started with Him is not the one He plans for us. We came to Him as carnal children and we’re somewhere between there and where we are supposed to be. But God takes us from where we are and He wants to bring us to where He is! People need to realize that we’re here to manifest sonship! We’re here for a purpose! We’re here to run a race! We’re here to bear the fruit of Jesus Christ, 30-, 60- and 100-fold. People who miss that point will never bear fruit and will remain servants.  

If you remember, the Galatian Church was rebuked by Paul because they allowed the Jews to drag them back under the Law, back from being sons to being servants. Even though the Galatians started out by faith in Jesus Christ, they went back under the Law. He said to them, (Gal.3:3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh? (4) Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain. (5) He therefore that supplieth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, [doeth he it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? In other words, what God does for us, He does it because of our faith and not because of the works of the Law. Everything that God does from here until the end, He is doing because of our faith.  

Faith is when you (Rom.4:17) calleth the things that are not, as though they were. In other words, you are believing (present tense) that you have received (past tense) something, simply on the grounds that God says you have it and not on the grounds that you see it or that you hear it or that you feel it. You are believing strictly on the grounds that the Bible says He has given it to you and, therefore, it’s yours. Jesus said, (Mar.11:24 NENT) All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. The answer will be manifested, but first you must believe you have received. You must accept it by faith and then it will be manifested. That’s the Gospel.  

The Gospel is free and from the most ignorant baby Christian on up, you can receive God’s blessings because you receive through your faith and not according to your ability. Paul tells us, (Gal.3:26) For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. He’s trying to convince the Galatians of this because the Galatians came out from under sonship, as you are going to see in just a minute. They went from being sons of God to being servants of God when they put themselves back under the Law.

(Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ.... If you are severed from Christ, then you are severed from sonship because He is sonship! His life in you is sonship. (4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified (or “made righteous”) by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. (5) For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. Righteousness is Jesus Christ! How sad it is that so many Christians don’t understand what righteousness is! How sad that they are so willing to settle just for being forgiven. If a person stays in that position and does not walk in the Spirit he will be an unprofitable servant! We are running a race against the time that God has given us here and we have to bear fruit within that time. If you stay an unprofitable servant for very long, you will not manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which is the reason you are here.  

Jesus said that the ones who will make it will bear fruit 30-, 60- and 100- fold. (Mat.13:18) Hear then ye the parable of the sower. Now Jesus explains what this parable means: (19) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. (20) And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; (21) yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. (22) And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. (23) And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  

So the other three out of the four people He mentioned there didn’t make it! This should exhort us to go forward and to use the time that we have. (Col.4:5) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. The Bible says to redeem the time and we must do that! We have to do that! There’s nothing else more important in this world and nothing else is important in this world. We have been put here, sown as a seed in this earth, which is this body, in order to bear the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold. And if we give good ground to that seed sown, we will manifest Christ.  

Let’s back up to what Paul told the Galatians: (Gal.3:26) For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. Now, how does this line up with what he said in Romans? (Rom.13:12) The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (13) Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. (14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. So we see that putting on Christ is putting on righteousness and Paul tells you to do that.  

However, here he also says that if you have been baptized into Christ, you did put on Christ. In other words, by faith when you were baptized your old man died and now Christ lives in you. You put Him on by faith, but (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. A person who walks on past their baptism should be walking in death-to-self through (Eph.5:26) ... the washing of water with the word because that’s what baptism is. It’s the water of baptism that puts to death the old man and gives life to the new man. The water of baptism represents the same water as the Word. After baptism, the Word manifests baptism. The Word puts to death the old man and it gives life to the new man; the Word causes you to put on Christ. Baptism is an act of faith that says, “I have received it all! It is mine! The old man is dead and the new man lives, and that new man is Jesus! I am now a son of God!” That’s what you profess at baptism; that’s what you believe at baptism. You put on Christ when you are baptized.  

Going on in (Gal.4:1) But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant.... There it is! A “child” is a “servant.” We saw that Proverbs says the same thing. (Pro.29:21) He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. (Gal.4:1) But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all. So as long as the heir is still a child, he lives like a bondservant, even though he is lord of all! And we know that the Galatians had fallen back to being children because Paul goes on to say, (Gal.4:19) My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you. See, the problem was that they were “severed from Christ” because of their seeking to be justified by the Law.  

The Bible says that if you go back under the Law, you are cut off from Christ. Christ being formed in you is a matter of accepting it by faith from the very beginning at the time of your baptism and then continuing to walk in that faith. The Bible says we stand in Christ by faith; otherwise, we, too, will be broken off. By their unbelief, the Galatians were broken off after they were children of God. (Rom.11:19) Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. (20) Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.  

(22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God’s goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (23) And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. The Galatians had gotten out from under faith. There is no justification in the New Testament for the Law. If you are seeking to be justified or accepted by God through the Law, you are cut off from Christ and there is no hope without repentance. Paul was telling those Galatians, “Don’t listen to these Jews! If you think that you’re going to be justified by keeping days and seasons and months and all the Law, then you’re cut off from Christ! You’re children again; you’re servants again.”  

 

It’s not just the Law of the Old Testament that cuts people off from Christ; it can be the “laws” that your church makes up or it can be the “laws” that you might make up of yourself. Anything that causes you to follow another spirit, instead of the Spirit of Christ, separates you from Christ. We were put here to follow the Spirit of Christ. Rules and regulations that are not Scriptural rules and regulations cause you to go down a legalistic road and that prevents you from being able to hear the voice of the Spirit. A good example to look at from Old Testament Law is tithing. If you listen to the voice of the Spirit, He is certainly going to make a “giver” out of you, but He’s going to have you give to things that you might not ordinarily give to and the percentage most often will be greater because you are following the Spirit.  

 

God will always return what you sow. (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. And God promises us, (2Co.9:6) He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. So, in this example, the Law separates you from Christ because the Law says one thing about your money, but the Spirit of God tells you something else in the New Testament. The Old Testament Law tells you to bring your tithe into the storehouse, which was in the middle of the Temple. The Spirit tells you that now the storehouse is the people of God because the people of God are His Temple.