7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Acts 17:24-25
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Paul is on Mars Hill speaking to the religious clergy there. He sees a monument dedicated to the Unknown God; and begins his discourse to them regarding this God whom they admittedly do not know. They did not know Him as the only True and Living God; nevertheless, they worshiped him. But Paul begins to describe or define who this unknown God really is. And in doing so, he makes them to know that he is not to be worshiped with their rituals and ceremonies; that is what he means by “men’s hands.”
Acts 17:26
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Here is where Paul’s revelation of grace and his knowledge of the Old Covenant meet. Notice he starts out with what God has done. Not only is He the maker of all things and the giver of life to all that live; but He has in these days made of one blood all nations of men. It is by the shed blood of Jesus that all men are all able to become Sons of God.
Acts 17:27
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
To ‘feel after him’ means to verify by touch, or to handle. This takes us to the fact that to be born again is an experience. There must be an interaction with God. We must be made to feel His presence in us and He must be touched by the feelings of our infirmities.
Acts 17:28
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
We are the children of the Living God. Satan does not want us to accept this truth as fact. Instead, we hail it through the air as a religious cliché. Nevertheless, Paul said to the Church at Ephesus; “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ”(Eph 4:4-7).
He birthed us into His kingdom, He is Lord over all, He works through all, and He lives in us all. We are the sons of God in every sense of the word “son”.
Acts 17:29
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
We know that here Paul was making reference to the idols or symbols the men of Ephesus worshipped as God. But today the same principle applies. We ought not to measure or equate God with material things.
Acts 17:30
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
These men were ignorant of the grace of God. But that is not true of us today. We have tasted the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost. We know the truth and are held accountable. God is not winking at the church. He is warning them. Turn from the rudiments of this world. Allow the Father to be glorified in the son.
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
We must understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ in order to see the concept of sons of the Living God.
1 Corinthians 15:36-38
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
When Jesus died upon the cross, He was that lonely seed that went into the ground. However, when He rose He did not rise alone, but it was in the deep parts of hell that the church was first variegated. A seed when it is sown, is single; however, the plant that it grows into looks nothing like the seed. Likewise, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not limited to the body that was placed in the tomb, but the seed of Jesus Christ is given a whole new body to express Himself through. When Jesus enters the body of those who receive Him, this is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We look nothing like the first seed, but we, together, form a tree that is filled with many seeds. Jesus, through the believers, lives here on earth in flesh. Even though Jesus died once, He is now resurrected in us. It is so important that we see the Father’s intent when He saved us. All of the New Testament is centered around the revelation of Christ. It is at the heart of all writings.
Hebrews 2:11-13
11 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,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. We are all one in Christ Jesus. There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all (Col 3:11).
It is for this very reason that Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren. We all came forth from Him and are of His kind. We constitute the family of the Father. Jesus is now within us (in the midst of the church), bringing glory to the Father through these bodies. This exemplifies the oneness that verse 11 speaks of while highlighting the purpose of Christ being within us. The oneness that is referenced in verse 11 sets the context for the rest of this scripture. Jesus is in the midst of the church. We are indeed the temple of God, but how did we become one with the Father? How did Jesus enter those who are of the church?
Hebrews 2:14-18
This scripture gives great detail as to what the gospel truly is. It is typical of us to see this in light of Jesus’ death on the cross.
Hebrews 2:14
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
The Lord took on the flesh of Mary and died on the cross. However, every time someone is saved the Lord partakes in flesh once more. Jesus is the new man we (all in Christ) have put on. However, we had to first put off the old man. It is the putting off of the old man that destroyed the works of the devil within the flesh. It also unloose the flesh and soul from the hold of the devil (the strongman) and the bondage of death.
Hebrews 2:15
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Romans 7:24 termed the body before salvation as a body of death. (“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”) Our souls were all doomed to death because of this. It was the great plan of God that we would be delivered from the bondage of death at salvation, by the body of Jesus Christ. It is when we put on the new man that our Lord can sing praises unto God from our midst.
Hebrews 2:16
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
The flesh is the seed of Abraham. Even though some of us may have been born Gentiles, when Jesus enters the flesh we too become of Abraham’s seed.
Hebrews 2:17
17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
The death of Jesus Christ reconciled us all to God. This means that all men were given access to the Father. It is because He took on flesh that He became kinsman to us, and a fit sacrifice for the sins of man. However, at salvation Jesus took away the sins of the flesh, and remained in the flesh. His life within the flesh expresses His faithfulness and mercy unto men.
Hebrews 2:18
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Seeing that Jesus is within the church, by His faithfulness to God within our flesh He is able to aid us in times of temptation and keep us from sin. It is the life of Jesus Christ lived out through our flesh that shall save our souls. Jesus is indeed in our flesh giving glory unto the Father. We must deny ourselves from anything that would reject His leading.
