Note: This manuscript is taken directly from my current small group series at church on Exploring the Unseen: The Supernatural World of the Bible. Contextual references to other lessons have been retained.
Romans 8:16–19 (KJV 1900)
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 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. 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. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Big picture: The theme of the Bible is not merely redemption from sin, but elevation to glory in righteous rule with God over the nations.
I. Our divine calling
A. God intends for us to share in his divine nature
- “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)
- “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.” (1 John 3:2)
Christian theologians have described this as the divinization of mankind, appealing to the promise of 2 Peter 1:4: “That through these you may be partakers of the divine nature , having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (nkjv). The word we itch to understand is theios, which is the adjective equivalent of the noun theos (“God/god”), recommending to us the odd but accurate idea of “god-ish.” The promise is mind-boggling, but it’s right there in the text. The believer will someday become god-ish or god-like (see 1 John 3:1–3). It is a promise we cannot begin to understand, but one which compels us to appreciate what we have learned about the gods that rule our present world. Johnson, R. (2015). Supernatural (A Study Guide). Lexham Press.
B. Jesus became man so we could become divine
- “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” (Hebrews 2:10-13)
- “He became the way for me to be like him, when he became like me.”
C. We are adopted into God’s divine family - Called “sons of God”, “children of Abraham”, “heirs according to promise”
In Christ , all who embrace the gospel are children of Yahweh , the true God , the God of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob ( John 1 : 12 ; Gal . 3 : 26 ; Rom . 8 : 14 ) . This is why the New Testament talks about believers using family terms ( sons , children , heir ) and the language of being “ adopted ” by God ( Rom . 8 : 15 , 23 ; Eph . 1 : 5 ; Gal . 4 : 4 ) . The language of inheritance is crystal clear and deliberate . It tells us who we are : the new divine – human family of God . The believer’s destiny is to become what Adam and Eve originally were : immortal , glorified imagers of God , living in God’s presence . (Heiser)
II. Our destiny
A. We will enter God’s heavenly council
- “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” (Hebrews 2:11-12)
B. We will rule over the nations with Christ
- “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” (Revelation 2:26-27)
- “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
Paul makes a curious connection backward in Galatians 3:29: “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed” (nkjv). It is as though Paul is saying the story becomes complete only when we revisit the beginning to become what we were originally intended to be. The original intention, we recall, was that the family of Abraham would bless the world through its covenant with God. Abraham was chosen to be blessed, but not for his sake alone. It appears that Paul’s Christ-to-Abraham connection places the resurrected believer back into the position of being a blessing as Abraham was. We are identified not only with Christ, but with Abraham. We fulfill both of their stories. But this only leads us to ask, “Who will the resurrected believer bless in the next world?” Here we must tread rather lightly, as there is much we do not know. Listening to the Bible describe our afterlife is like reading signposts pointing into a fog, as one writer says. But Paul adds an important piece to the puzzle when he makes the comment, still in Galatians 3:29, that when we are in Abraham we are actually “heirs according to the promise.” So we are heirs … of what? We are pushed back once again to the start of the story—back to Eden. Johnson, R. (2015). Supernatural (A Study Guide). Lexham Press.
C. We will live eternally in the new Eden
- “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:1-5)
Many Christians have an inadequate view of the afterlife . Scripture doesn’t tell us everything about what it will be like , but some aspects are certain . We aren’t going to be playing harps or singing endlessly while floating around on clouds . We won’t just be sitting on celestial couches chatting with departed loved ones or well – known believers from the past . Rather , we will be living the life Eden offered — we will be busy enjoying and caring for what God has made , side by side with the divine beings who remained loyal to him . Heaven and earth will no longer be separate places . (Heiser)
IT’S AMAZING HOW LITTLE WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR ETERNITY!
III. Applying our destiny now
A. Keep an eternal perspective
- “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
B. Live as adopted sons and daughters
- Act in gratitude for our inheritance, not duty
- In other words our attitude is not, “Thanks for the get out of hell free card.” It’s, “Thank you for adopting me, giving me a seat at your table, and allowing me to share in your kingdom rule.”
- E.g., Joseph, Mephibosheth, etc
C. Reign now by extending Christ’s kingdom
- Free those in darkness, spread truth, defend the gospel
In summary, God calls us to share in his divine nature and reign with Christ forever. How will we live today in light of that divine calling and glorious destiny?
The story of the New Testament is that a descendant of Abraham—Jesus—died and rose again to redeem not only Abraham’s ethnic descendants (Israelites/Jews) but also all the people among the nations who had formerly been disinherited from the true God…Paul called the inclusion of Gentiles in the family of God a mystery. It astonished him that people from the nations God had cast off, and which were under the control of other gods, could inherit the promises given to Abraham.
In Christ, all who embrace the gospel are children of Yahweh, the true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26; Rom. 8:14). This is why the New Testament talks about believers using family terms (sons, children, heir) and the language of being “adopted” by God (Rom. 8:15, 23; Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:4). The language of inheritance is crystal clear and deliberate. It tells us who we are: the new divine-human family of God. The believer’s destiny is to become what Adam and Eve originally were: immortal, glorified imagers of God, living in God’s presence. [[ Heiser, M. S. (2015). Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World—And Why It Matters (D. Lambert, Ed.; pp. 149–150). Lexham Press.
