REVEALING THE SONS OF GOD

Romans 8:1-30
The apostle Paul wrote that the whole creation groans as it waits for the unveiling or "revealing of the sons of God" when God's Sons will be revealed to the whole world. Paul taught that through the indwelling Spirit of God believers are victorious over the sinful carnal nature and one day their mortal bodies will be quickened by God's Spirit to receive full redemption. He described it as the "glorious freedom" of the "sons of God" for which the whole of creation awaits. Believers will be set free from the bondage of the mortal body; carnality, sickness, pain, weakness and death. When this happens believers will conform to the image of Christ and be the "Sons of God". Nothing will be able to harm them. It will be a public display of God's Power and Glory in believers. At that time the Glory of God will be unveiled in His "Sons" and evident for all to see.
John the apostle confirmed this. 1 John 3:1,2 - "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is."
The statements Paul made in Romans chapter eight cannot be fully appreciated unless they are placed in the context of chapter seven in which he described the conflict within each believer between the carnal sinful nature and the spiritual nature that desires to serve God. The carnal nature fights against the Spirit. (Gal 5:17) Paul said that he was "carnal sold under sin" and described the law of sin and death which he was powerless to overcome. This war was within the members of his body and worked in him to produce death. There is tension within every believer between the carnal nature and the Spirit. In a very real sense believers are caught between two dimensions or ages. As children of Adam they are subject to the law that in Adam all die. Spiritually however, they have passed from death to life. The day will come in the new age of glory when the tension between the two realms will cease. Paul cried out "Who can set me free from the body of this death?" He longed to be free of the power that worked death in him and it is this very question that he answered in chapter eight. It is through Jesus that it is possible to be victorious and to be controlled by the law of the Spirit of life. Believers receive the “first fruits” or pledge of this when they receive the Spirit of God by which they know that one day they will receive the completed work. (Romans 8:23, 2 Cor 5:5) The infilling of the Holy Spirit is not the final work but only a foretaste of it. Paul declared that one day there is coming total release from the law of death and corruption when the body itself will be set free into glorious liberty. The complete revealing will come when "He shall appear and we shall see him as he is".
How then will this work? When Jesus appears, all those who are walking in His Spirit will be “quickened” by His Spirit. (Rom 8:11) There is an order to follow; first we “walk” in the Spirit and overcome the carnal nature. (Rom 7:23,24) By living in the Spirit we have entry into a new dimension of life in the Spirit. (Rom 8:9,10) By living in His Spirit we are victorious over the carnal nature and then at His Coming His Spirit will fully redeem and quicken (2227 make alive) our mortal bodies. Jesus “shall quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit in you”. Then full resurrection life will be unveiled within our bodies as the “Sons of God”. (Rom 8:19-23).
When this happens believers will become like Jesus. When Jesus walked on earth he was as immortal as when he arose after death. In the earthly body he had no sickness and was not subject to the restrictions of his body for he could walk on water, go from one place to another instantaneously, could be invisible and so on. He was only limited to earthly boundaries because he chose to be. If he had chosen he could have stepped into glory without experiencing death but he chose to go to the cross. When the sons of God are revealed they too will have bodies like he had and be able to do amazing things. For them death will lose its power, they will not see corruption and will be able to step through the veil into his Presence.
There is coming a "day" when the world will enter a new age of blessing. This is a transitional period during which there is an ever increasing growth of His power and glory through the whole world as nations submit to him and even nature itself will share and benefit from the glorious liberty of God's Sons and be brought into harmony and freedom. The entire creation will begin to enter into a new freedom from the suffering which came about by sin and which brought decay and death. When will this happen? When the “Sons of God" are set free. “The universe itself is to be freed from the shackles of mortality and enter upon the liberty and splendour of the children of God”. (Isa 11:4-10, Romans 8:21 NEB) Christ's initial reign will last a thousand years and that is only a foretaste of more!