Jesus and the apostles in their teaching apparently were not concerned with the "goats," but were only interested in lost sheep. When the first commission was given to the twelve, they were forbidden to go to any except lost sheep. (Matt. 10:6.) Due to the fact that God had promised the heathen to Jesus on his asking (Psalm 2:8), he demonstrated beyond any doubt that his mission was to bring the Samaritans and Gentiles into a vital relationship in order that they might live with Him in Glory, but nowhere in the gospels do we find instructions for making sons of God except in a manifest sense.  Jesus reserved the making of vital sons unto himself, through the work of the Holy Spirit according to the choice made before the foundation of the world. (See Ephesians 1:3-4.)

     In order to understand the obligations and blessings of discipleship, a proper understanding of the three separate relationships of sons of God which are clearly shown in the Bible must be comprehended.

     The first relationship is a legal one and was procured by adoption as stated elsewhere in this work and has been in force since the wondrous plan of redemption was engineered.  It has to do with the standing of God's elect before him and was designed to procure for all of the beloved an eternal inheritance with no chance of one of the heirs failing to receive what the Father desired for them to have.  Lack of knowledge of the will in which the inheritance was bequeathed or of the legal work done to insure the proper distribution of the estate has no effect whatever on the standing of the heirs.  The heirs were all adopted before any of them were in existence; the name of every heir was written in the Lamb's book of life and will remain there until the great white throne judgment with not one added or removed.  More about this in detail later in this work.

     The second aspect is the vital one, the one by which adopted sons become partakers of the very life and character of God.  It is a life suited to the heavenly environment and eternal bliss; a life that is completely free from sin and the consequences of sin, which are pain and all related suffering. (This does not mean that every specific pain and sorrow that we experience is due to some particular act that we have committed or is punishment for something in our lives.  It simply means that all pain and suffering are because of the general sinful condition of mankind; that all of the posterity of Adam are subject to these things and pain and suffering comes indiscriminately upon any or all of them at sundry times and in divers manner.) The life of God imparted in the new birth makes one a vital son, in addition to being an adopted son.  However, it does not set one free from still being a sinner in the flesh.    

     The third aspect is that of manifest sons and has to do with the state of God's heirs while they live in this world.  Without any doubt, discipleship in its most profound form is the only way to completely manifest, or show to the world, that one is a son of God. The primary thrust of the preaching of Jesus and the apostles had the making of disciples as the ultimate goal in order that they who became disciples might have the witness within themselves that they were sons of God and by their actions demonstrate to others that they have been born of God.  In John 3:16, Jesus called it "everlasting life"; in John 1:11-13, He called it becoming sons of God; in Mark 16:16, he called it being saved; in every instance, in the New Testament where gospel obedience is admonished, the reward has to do with one becoming a manifest son of God or displaying more clearly that he is a member of God's family.

     If we will remember these three clear distinctions when studying the portions of the Bible that deal with sonship, it will make the word of God come alive to us.  Texts that appear to be contradictory will become completely complementary and the full majesty and beauty of the scriptures will be displayed before us. 

     God, by his sovereign power, in eternity, before time began, made all his beloved, adopted sons.  The Spirit is calling, at the appointed time, each one of the beloved to vital sonship by an irresistible call; everyone of them will respond to that call. Then, the gospel comes to many of them who have been called by the Spirit and calls them to become manifest sons; to become disciples. 

     However, it appears that only a few respond to the gospel call and enter the strait gate and traverse the narrow way to abundant life, the life of a disciple. By "manifest sons" we mean that the gospel was given in order that men might be instructed in the things necessary for them to display to the world that they are sons of God.  In John 1:11-13 we read:

     "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

      The key word in this passage is "POWER" which literally means "authority" and is translated from the Greek word "EXOUSIA" which came from a root word meaning it is lawful; meaning it gives leave or permission or right to "become." The word "BECOME" is translated from the Greek word "GINOMAI" which has a wide range of meanings among which are the following: "be found; be published; be shown." This has to be the sense of this text because they "were born of God" already.  If we were to translate verse 12 in the light of the above, it would read: "But as many as received him, to them gave he authority to be shown (as) sons of God" or "to be found (to be) sons of God." The phrase "which were born . . of God" with which the passage ends lets us know that becoming sons was not a vital work but an experiential one.

      When the great commission was given (Matt. 28:19), they were told to go and "teach" (disciple, Greek "MATHETEUO," literally to make disciples).  This has been the mission of the church since Pentecost following Jesus' resurrection, but it seems just about every branch of the Christian religion has missed this import and much effort and many dollars have been put into the attempt to make sheep, both of goats and lost sheep.  According to the scriptures this is futile.  God has kept the sheep making in his care and has committed unto his disciples the task of making other disciples.

      It is true that most of the Reformers and Baptists of the reformation era were committed to trying to make sons because of the erroneous idea that it was necessary to follow some of the traditions of the fathers in order to be the church.  There is a tendency in all people to be conformists--to be like others.  This tendency finally led to the division in the Baptist ranks, beginning with the mission efforts introduced about 1790 and gradually becoming more intense until a final separation in 1832.   

     Presently, there is an effort among some of the Baptists to try to get back to the doctrines and practices prior to the separation, but it appears that those leading the effort--and it is a noble effort--are not going back far enough for their foundation on which to build a true New Testament church.  Anything practiced or promoted this side of the first century can very well be questioned, and must be weighed against the authority of the scriptures to verify whether it is authentic or not.  "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20.) There is no way to bridge the gap between the first and third century with documentary evidence.    

     With the present condition of religion in the world, with so much that is definitely not New Testament, particularly in the area of making sons of God, it appears that it is time for all the Lord's people to stop, stand in the ways and see, inquire for the old paths and walk therein (see Jer. 6:16), not in order to be sons, but in order to be disciples and find the promised rest.