God's Plan to "Bring Many Sons to Glory"

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God's Plan to "Bring Many Sons to Glory"


The Father and Jesus Christ existed from the beginning and always will exist. It is Their plan and desire to add to Their kind—"bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10 Hebrews 2:10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
American King James Version×). Just as all life was made to reproduce after its own kind as stated throughout Genesis 1, so God patterned man after the God kind. This is the ultimate meaning of Genesis 1:26 Genesis 1:26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
American King James Version×, where God says, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness."
This is a two-stage process. First, God made mankind physical, of the dust of the earth. Then, through conversion and faith in Christ and obedience to God's spiritual law of love, each person becomes spiritually a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17 2 Corinthians 5:17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
American King James Version×; Ephesians 4:24 Ephesians 4:24And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
American King James Version×). This leads to the final birth of new children into the divine family, who are then "like" Christ, Himself the firstborn Son of God (Romans 8:29 Romans 8:29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
American King James Version×; Galatians 4:19 Galatians 4:19My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
American King James Version×; 1 John 3:2 1 John 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does 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.
American King James Version×).
Indeed, just as human children are the same kind of beings as their parents (that is, human beings), so will God's children be the same kind of beings as the Father and Christ (that is, divine beings). This is the awesome destiny of mankind! The God family will expand through God's wonderful plan as revealed in His Word.
All children of this family—including Jesus Christ, who has always been with the One whom He revealed as "the Father" (John 1:18 John 1:18No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
American King James Version×; Matthew 11:27 Matthew 11:27All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
American King James Version×)—will forever in the future willingly be under the ultimate sovereignty and leadership of the Father (1 Corinthians 15:28 1 Corinthians 15:28And when all things shall be subdued to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
American King James Version×). Led by the Father and Jesus Christ, the members of this divine family will share a glorious and righteous future into eternity.
This, then, is the sense in which God is a family—indeed a growing family, presently comprising two divine Beings, the Father and Jesus Christ the firstborn, yet ultimately to be joined by a vast multitude of others.
For more details on God's intention to make human beings part of His divine family, see the last chapter of this booklet.