The Journey from Salvation to Sonship

There's a profound difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing them. You might know facts about a celebrity—their birthdate, their achievements, their public persona—but that doesn't mean you have a relationship with them. The same principle applies to our walk with Christ, and it's one of the most critical distinctions we can make in our spiritual lives.

Four Stages of Relationship

Consider for a moment: How do you relate to Jesus? This question reveals more about our spiritual maturity than we might realize. Many believers find themselves in one of four relational stages, each with distinct characteristics that shape their prayer life, perspective, and spiritual growth.

**The Child** approaches God with neediness and constant wants, lacking the big picture of God's kingdom purposes. Their prayer life centers entirely on personal needs and desires, with little understanding of their identity in Christ.

**The Servant** wrestles with feelings of inadequacy, constantly questioning whether they're doing enough. Their focus on works creates a performance-based relationship that leaves them feeling perpetually unworthy, resulting in a weak prayer life rooted in insecurity rather than intimacy.

**The Friend** represents a significant shift—a focus on cultivating relationship with Jesus that leads to constant transformation and genuine partnership with God's purposes.

**The Son or Daughter** operates from a place of kingdom focus, maintaining a strong prayer life that bears fruit and demonstrates a hunger for the Holy Spirit's presence and power.

The New Creation Reality

Scripture declares boldly in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation. The old has passed away; behold, the NEW has come." Yet somehow, we constantly forget the "new" part. We drag our old identities, old patterns, and old limitations into our new life in Christ.

There's a massive difference between knowing your identity and living it out—between knowing about Jesus and becoming like Him. Romans 8:14 tells us that "all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." This isn't just theological information; it's an invitation into a reality that transforms everything.

John 1:12 reveals that to all who received Him and believed in His name, He gave "the right to become children of God." Notice the word "become"—it's not instantaneous completion but a journey of transformation. Revelation 21:7 promises that "the one who overcomes will inherit all things," emphasizing that sonship involves growth, maturity, and overcoming.

Understanding "In Christ"

We've lost the full understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." This phrase appears throughout Scripture, but we often gloss over its profound implications. Being "in Christ" means being in relationship, in fellowship—continually growing and learning.

Consider these familiar verses with fresh eyes, adding the concept of relationship:

"There is no condemnation for those who are in [relationship with] Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

"Therefore, if anyone is in [fellowship with] Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

"For in [fellowship with] Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith" (Galatians 3:26).

"I can do all things through [relationship with] Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

The difference between being fused and infused matters here. Fused means joined in the process—becoming one with Christ through intimate relationship. Infused simply means something is added to create a mixture. God doesn't want to be an ingredient in your life; He wants to be fused with you in transformative relationship.

You can choose to be in a marriage, but that doesn't mean you're truly present. How present are you in your relationship with Jesus? Without a proper relationship with Him, you cannot have a proper understanding of who you are. Your life has eternal purpose, but that purpose is only discovered and fulfilled through intimate connection with Christ.

Beyond the Pasture

John 10:9 presents a powerful image: "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." Notice the movement—going in and out. We're not meant to stay in the pasture too long.

The pasture represents God's goodness and provision, but it also represents the world and our mission within it. Time with Jesus requires purposeful interaction. The shepherd calls the sheep daily, not once at salvation and then never again.

When we live in the pasture too long, we start to forget why God created us—this is where identity issues emerge. We begin to identify more with the world than with Jesus. Shame, guilt, and condemnation become constant companions. These are the enemy's biggest lies, and we believe them because we've been away from the Shepherd's voice too long.

We must go back through the gate—through Jesus—to re-establish our identity and purpose.

The Cost of Transformation

Ephesians 4:23-24 calls us to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

This is who you are created to be right now, but living it out requires spiritual discipline. This transformation can only happen through the Holy Spirit—refill after refill. Your flesh cannot accomplish this work.

Ephesians 3:19 speaks of knowing "the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Notice it's a knowledge that surpasses knowledge—experiential, not merely intellectual.

First Peter 2:2 urges us to "crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." Salvation isn't the finish line; it's the starting point. We must mature into it.

The Hard Truth About Transformation

Second Corinthians 3:18 reveals that "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." The image we're being transformed into is Jesus Himself.

Here's the hard truth: No transformation equals no relationship. Being saved doesn't automatically equal relationship. Our identity is to grow into the likeness of Jesus—to mature into our salvation.

Knowledge of Jesus can only take you so far. You can read about Indonesia or Mexico, but you haven't truly experienced them until you go there. We must experience Jesus again and again through continual infilling of the Holy Spirit, fellowshipping with Him constantly—daily, hourly—in the secret place.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, all we have is belief without evidence. Knowledge of the Word alone doesn't change you; God's Spirit changes you. Knowledge at some point begins to condemn, telling you that you're not measuring up to Christ-like living.

Freedom from guilt, condemnation, shame, anger, depression, loneliness, and addictions doesn't come from knowledge alone. It comes from a relationship that impacts your life every single day.

Three Critical Questions

Ask yourself honestly:

Am I experiencing the presence of God regularly?

Am I hearing the Shepherd's voice regularly?

Does my life look different this year than it did last year?

These questions cut through religious activity to reveal the true state of our relationship with Christ. We're often good at doing things for God while missing the becoming part entirely.

Stop trying to be a better Christian, trying to have more faith, trying harder. God is more concerned about daily transformation than what you try to do for Him. Jesus didn't call you just once—He's the gate we're called back to regularly.

If you're not hearing His voice lately, you might be out in the pasture too long. Get into that secret place. Get to know who you are by experiencing Jesus daily.

The thief comes to steal your faith and relationship, kill your motivation and purpose, and destroy your identity in Jesus. He accomplishes this by getting you focused on yourself—living for your wants, your feelings, getting offended, harboring unforgiveness. When it's all about you, it blocks your relationship with Jesus.

The Price of Relationship

Jesus paid an extraordinary price for you to have your identity in Him alone. The cross wasn't just for your salvation—it was for the relationship He desires with you.

The question that matters most is this: Is He getting the relationship He paid the price for?

Your identity is found in Christ through the ongoing process of becoming His image, right now, today. Not someday when you're more spiritual or more mature, but in this very moment as you choose to draw near, to listen, to be transformed from one degree of glory to another.

The journey from salvation to sonship is the adventure of a lifetime—and eternity. It's time to step through the gate once more.