“BEHOLD, WHAT MANNER OF LOVE THE FATHER HATH BESTOWED UPON US, THAT WE SHOULD BE CALLED THE SONS OF GOD.” (1 JOHN 3:1, KJV)

ABSTRACT

This article unveils the transformative gift of divine sonship, bestowed by the Father’s sovereign love rather than earned merit. Drawing from the parable of the prodigal son and sanctuary symbols like the altar, ark, and mercy seat, it highlights God’s initiating grace, our elevated status as heirs, responsibilities in obedience and compassion, and the vindication in the heavenly judgment. Through Scripture and inspired insights, it invites embrace of this eternal inheritance, fostering joy and restoration in the family of heaven.

BEHOLD DIVINE LOVE!

In the grand, sweeping narratives of human history and the quiet, personal dramas of our own lives, there is a deeply ingrained principle: status is earned. Authority is achieved through conquest, through merit, through a long, arduous climb. Sonship, the right to an inheritance, is a matter of lineage, a legal and biological fact. We understand the world through these frameworks of effort and entitlement. But what if the highest status in the universe, the most profound authority, the most glorious inheritance, operates on an entirely different economy? What if sonship is not a right to be claimed, but a gift to be ordained? The apostle John, grappling with this staggering truth, could only express it as a question of pure wonder: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1, KJV). This is not a status we achieve, but one that is bestowed. It is a gift. And the authority behind that gift, the power that makes it possible, is the central theme of our study. The gospel reveals that our adoption into the family of God is not an afterthought, but a reflection of a divine principle established in the councils of eternity—the Father’s sovereign ordination of the Son. To see this truth played out in human terms, we must turn again to that dusty road in Galilee, where a broken, undeserving rebel is met not with a negotiation, but with a sovereign decree. In the father’s unilateral, unmerited restoration of his prodigal son, we see a living parable of the sanctuary’s deepest mysteries, a journey that takes us from the Altar of Sacrifice, to the Ark of the Covenant, and finally to the Mercy Seat—the very throne of God’s grace. The Scriptures echo this gift in “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14, KJV) and “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, KJV). Ellen G. White illuminates this reality: “Through Jesus the fallen sons of Adam become ‘sons of God.’ ‘Both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren’” (The Great Controversy, p. 477, 1911). She further reveals: “This passage shows that God loved us while we were yet dead in sins. He gives us His Spirit to make us alive in Christ, and the same Spirit marks our adoption as sons of God” (Christ and His Righteousness, p. 27, 1890). From this flows the divine power that transforms rebels into royalty and sinners into sons, but how does the entire plan of salvation root itself in the Father’s will at the altar’s cost?

SACRIFICE IGNITES REDEMPTION!

The entire plan of salvation, from creation to redemption, is rooted in the perfect, loving unity of the Father and the Son. This was not a partnership of convenience, but a unity of will, purpose, and being. In the eternal councils, it was the Father’s will that the Son would be His active agent in the work of creation. As Ellen G. White was shown, “Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out His will and His purposes, but would do nothing of Himself alone. The Father’s will would be fulfilled in Him” (The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, p. 17, 1870). This creative act, this bringing of life out of nothing, was an act of initiating, self-giving love. This divine principle finds its sanctuary parallel at the Altar of Sacrifice, the place where love gives and initiates at great cost. The father in the parable perfectly illustrates this principle. When his son demands his inheritance, the father gives his “living”—his very life-substance—freely and without reservation. This was a costly, sacrificial act that initiated the entire drama of the son’s departure and eventual return. Just as the Father ordained the Son to be the agent of a creation that would cost Him everything, the earthly father, through his own altar-like sacrifice, created the very possibility of his son’s restoration. The Bible supports this unity in “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30, KJV) and “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10, KJV). Sr. White elaborates: “Finally, we know the Divine unity of the Father and the Son from the fact that both have the same Spirit. Paul, after saying that they that are in the flesh cannot please God, continues: ‘But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his’” (Christ and His Righteousness, p. 9, 1890). She also notes: “The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 422, 1905). It was a love that gave, knowing the potential for loss, a love that initiated a plan of redemption in the face of rebellion, but what role does the Father’s word play in the ark’s authority?

WORD WIELDS AUTHORITY!

The Father’s ordination of the Son was not limited to the work of creation; it extended to the very governance of the universe. The Father invested the Son with absolute and co-equal authority. As Sr. White states, “The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host” (The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, p. 17, 1870). This divine, authoritative word finds its sanctuary symbol in the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred chest that contained the tables of the law—the very word of God—and represented His authority and divine presence. The father in the parable demonstrates this same principle of restorative authority. The son returns with no claim to authority, ready to be a servant. But the father’s word, which is the law of his household, overrules the son’s unworthiness. His commands—“Bring forth the best robe… put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (Luke 15:22, KJV)—are a sovereign decree that restores the son’s authority and status. The ring was a sign of command and trust, the shoes a mark of a free son, not a slave. Just as the Father invested the Son with authority in heaven, the earthly father, by the power of his own word, reinvests his repentant child with the authority of sonship. The Scriptures affirm this authority in “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18, KJV) and “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22, KJV). Sr. White explains: “The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race. His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 63, 1890). She adds: “Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy. My authority, He said, is that I am the Son of God, one with Him in nature, in will, and in purpose” (From Heaven With Love, p. 177, 1984). This is a powerful illustration of the Ark’s truth: that our restoration is based not on our own merit, but on the authoritative, covenant-keeping word of our Father, but how does the Father’s presence culminate in the mercy seat’s grace?

GRACE GLOWS ETERNAL!

The ultimate expression of the Father’s ordaining will was the declaration of the Son’s absolute equality. This was not a status that was earned, but one that was inherent and divinely affirmed. “The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence” (The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, p. 17, 1870). This sovereign decree, this establishment of equality and shared presence, finds its most profound sanctuary symbol in the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat was the very throne of God, the place of His manifest presence, from which His sovereign will and unmerited grace flowed. The father’s actions upon his son’s return are a perfect parable of the Mercy Seat. He does not wait for a legal transaction to be completed. He runs to meet his son, covering him with mercy and authority, not because the son is worthy, but because it is the father’s sovereign will to do so. This is a decisive act of grace that flows from the father’s own throne of love. Just as the Father in heaven ordained the Son’s equality, making His presence a reflection of His own, the father in the parable ordains his son’s reinstatement, making him a full and honored member of the family once more. The Bible underscores this grace in “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, KJV) and “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4, KJV). Sr. White describes: “The adversary seeks continually to obstruct the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by earnest supplication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation” (Steps to Christ, p. 95, 1892). She also affirms: “Beneath it is the mercy seat, and whosoever avails himself of the provisions of mercy that have been made and appropriates the merits of the life and death of Christ has in the rainbow about the throne the assurance of his acceptance with God” (Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, p. 461, 1977). Both reveal a power that flows not from law or merit, but from the sovereign, gracious, and restorative will of a loving Father, but what concepts represent God’s love in adopting and adorning us?

ADOPTION AWAKENS ROYALTY!

The Father’s sovereign will to ordain sonship is the highest and most incomprehensible expression of His love, a love that does not simply pardon but adopts, a love that does not just forgive but elevates us to the status of royalty. This is a love that was conceived not in time, but in eternity. The apostle Paul, attempting to plumb the depths of this mystery, could only describe it as a divine pre-destination rooted in love: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:4-5, KJV). Our place in God’s family is not an accident; it is the result of a deliberate, eternal choice, a sovereign act of adopting love. This is the love that transforms our very identity, as Paul triumphantly declares, “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7, KJV). This bestowed sonship is not a mere legal fiction; it is a lived reality, made possible by the impartation of divine power. “God was to be manifest in Christ, ‘reconciling the world unto himself.’ Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible for him, in himself, to come into harmony with Him whose nature is purity and goodness. But Christ, after having redeemed man from the condemnation of the law, could impart divine power, to unite with human effort. Thus by repentance toward God and faith in Christ, the fallen children of Adam might once more become ‘sons of God’” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 64, 1890). This imparted power is nothing less than the life of Christ Himself dwelling within us. “When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 314, 1900). It is this indwelling life that allows us to approach God with the intimacy of a child, a privilege Paul describes with tender emotion: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15, KJV). This is a love that finds its ultimate joy and purpose in our elevation. As Sr. White states, looking to the final consummation, “It was for the joy that was set before Him—that He might bring many sons unto glory—that He endured the cross and despised the shame” (The Great Controversy, p. 671, 1911). The Scriptures reinforce this adopting love in “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:5, KJV) and “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, KJV). Sr. White further declares: “Only to those who receive Christ as their Saviour is given the power to become sons and daughters of God” (Sons and Daughters of God, p. 12, 1955). She emphasizes: “God’s mercy reaches to the deepest depths; that faith lifts up the repenting soul to share the adoption of the sons of God” (Education, p. 151, 1903). The love of God, therefore, is a love that is not content to leave us in the pigsty of our sins, but, by a sovereign act of its own will, lifts us up, clothes us in the royal robes of Christ’s righteousness, and ordains us as sons and daughters, joint-heirs with Christ to an eternal kingdom, but what represents our responsibility to God in this sacred duty of the saved?

OBEDIENCE OVERFLOWS GRATITUDE!

The unmerited, sovereign gift of sonship, ordained by the Father and purchased by the Son, completely redefines our responsibility to God. We are no longer slaves, toiling under the lash of fear to earn our salvation, but sons, serving out of a heart overflowing with love and gratitude. Our duty is to live in a way that honors our new name and our new family. This means a life of willing, joyful obedience, not as a means to sonship, but as the evidence of it. The apostle Paul describes this beautiful transformation: “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22, KJV). This is a service born of love, a holiness that is the natural expression of our new identity. As Sr. White clarifies, “Obedience and submission to God’s requirements are the conditions given by the inspired apostle by which we become children of God, members of the royal family” (Testimony Treasures, vol. 1, p. 349). Our responsibility to God, therefore, is to walk in the light of our adoption, to submit our will to His, not out of a sense of slavish duty, but out of a deep and abiding love for the Father who has called us His own. The Bible echoes this duty in “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, KJV) and “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh” (Romans 8:12, KJV). Sr. White instructs: “As parents try to keep judgment and the fear of the Lord before them, difficulties will arise. The children will reveal the perversity bound up in human hearts. They will rebel against parental authority and control” (Child Guidance, p. 292, 1954). She also teaches: “Fathers and mothers, you take the responsibility of bringing children into the world. Will you consider it is not for you to work in vain, but to do something to save the souls that are placed in your charge?” (The Upward Look, p. 302, 1982). But how does this vertical relationship translate into responsibility to our neighbor?

COMPASSION CONNECTS FAMILY!

This vertical relationship of loving obedience to God must then be translated into a horizontal ministry of compassionate grace toward our neighbor. Having been granted the full rights and privileges of a son when we were worthy only of the lowest servitude, we are now called to see every other person, no matter how far they have wandered, as a potential brother or sister in the family of God. Our duty is to reflect the Father’s ordaining, restorative grace, to treat others not as outcasts to be judged, but as beloved children to be welcomed home. The apostle Peter beautifully summarizes this responsibility: “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8, KJV). This is a call to create a family atmosphere in all our interactions, to treat others with the tenderness, respect, and honor due to a member of the royal household. As Sr. White describes this sacred work, “We are to bind up the bruised and wounded soul; and if a brother or a sister has erred, we are not to join with the enemy in destroying and ruining, but to work with Christ to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness” (In Heavenly Places, p. 294, 1967). Our responsibility to our neighbor, therefore, is to be an agent of the Father’s restorative will, to see past the rags of their rebellion, and to help them, through love and compassion, to see themselves as the sons and daughters God has ordained them to be. The Scriptures highlight this compassion in “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18, KJV) and “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34, KJV). Sr. White urges: “Our neighbors are the whole human family. We are to do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. We are to give to the world an example of what Christians should be” (Sons and Daughters of God, p. 53, 1955). She adds: “The Lord bids us, ‘Bring the poor that are cast out to thy house.’ Christianity must supply fathers and mothers for these homeless ones. The compassion that Christ manifested is to take possession of the hearts of His followers and find expression in their actions” (Welfare Ministry, p. 168, 1952). But what concepts represent the prophetic anti-type in the judgment set where the saints enthroned?

JUDGMENT JUSTIFIES HEIRS!

In light of these concepts, the prophetic anti-type of the father’s personal, sovereign act of ordaining his son finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the final scenes of the pre-advent Investigative Judgment. This heavenly assize, far from being a source of terror for the righteous, is the final, public vindication of the sonship that was granted to them by faith in Christ. The father’s decisive act of restoring his son in the parable becomes a cosmic, judicial act in the heavenly sanctuary. The prophet Daniel was given a vision of this very moment, when the judgment would be decided in favor of the faithful: “Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22, KJV). This is not a judgment to determine if the saints have earned their salvation, but a judgment that ratifies the Father’s sovereign decision to adopt them and grants them their eternal inheritance. It is the ultimate confirmation of their sonship. This final vindication is based solely on their connection to Christ, who, having been invested with all authority by the Father, now claims His people as joint-heirs. Sr. White, describing this heavenly court scene, writes, “The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as joint heirs with Himself to ‘the first dominion’” (The Great Controversy, p. 484, 1888). The judgment, therefore, is the anti-typical fulfillment of the father clothing his son. It is the moment when the repentant sinner is publicly and eternally declared righteous, not in his own merits, but in the merits of his Substitute. This is the culmination of Christ’s own mission, the joy that was set before Him. As Sr. White states, “The hour has come when Christ occupies His rightful position and is glorified above principalities and powers and every name that is named. It was for the joy that was set before Him—that He might bring many sons unto glory—that He endured the cross and despised the shame” (The Great Controversy, p. 671, 1911). The Scriptures confirm this vindication in “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Corinthians 6:2, KJV) and “For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psalm 37:28, KJV). Sr. White proclaims: “The judgment scene will take place in the presence of all the worlds; for in this judgment the government of God will be vindicated, and His law will stand forth as ‘holy, and just, and good’” (The Investigative Judgment in the Writings of Ellen G. White, p. 113). She also declares: “God’s Character Vindicated… Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Maranatha, p. 341, 1976). The prophetic anti-type of the father’s ordination of his son is thus the final, glorious scene of the judgment, where the Father’s sovereign will is vindicated before the universe, and every true child of God is welcomed into their eternal inheritance, not as servants, but as sons and daughters of the King, but how does this journey conclude from servant to son?

SERVANT SOARS TO SON!

The story of the prodigal son is often read as a story about forgiveness, and it is. But at its heart, it is a story about status. It is about a son who was willing to become a servant, and a Father whose sovereign will was to ordain him a son. This is the radical, counter-intuitive truth of the gospel, a truth that flows directly from the Mercy Seat, the throne of God. Our sonship is not an achievement to be earned, but a gift to be received. It is not the result of our own striving, but the result of a divine decree, an ordination made in the heart of the Father from the foundation of the world. This truth should revolutionize our Christian experience. It calls us to cease from our futile attempts to make ourselves worthy and to simply rest in the status that has been freely bestowed upon us through Christ. It calls us to look upon our fellow human beings, not as they are, but as who the Father can ordain them to be. The Scriptures reinforce this transformation in “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5, KJV) and “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26, KJV). Sr. White reflects: “By disobeying the commands of God, man fell under the condemnation of His law. This fall called for the grace of God to appear in behalf of sinners” (God’s Amazing Grace, p. 10, 1973). She concludes: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (God’s Amazing Grace, p. 10, 1973). The parable does not end with a quiet pardon; it ends with a joyous feast, a celebration of restored sonship. This is the destiny that God has ordained for every soul who will come home to Him—not just a release from the pigsty, but a ring on the finger, a robe on the shoulders, and a permanent, glorious, and unmerited place as a child at the Father’s table.

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 (Romans 8:17, KJV).

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