Page 68 - Gods Plan of the Ages

The Firstborn

s we continue to lay the foundations for understanding God's plan of the ages, the topic
Aof sonship needs to be examined. Yahweh created man because He desired to have sons.
One of the most common titles used to refer to God in the Bible is Father. In
approximately 270 instances the Bible uses the word Father when speaking of Yahweh's
relationship to man. In hundreds of additional occurrences men and women are called the
sons, daughters, children, seed, and offspring of God.
The desire of God to have sons in His image, and after His likeness, was not to be
immediately fulfilled upon the creation of Adam. Sin entered the creation and marred the
image of man. The Earth would not see a son in the image of God until the appearing of
Christ. Of Him, the Father testified:

Matthew 17:5
"This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased..."

Christ is the Firstborn Son of God. He is the express image of His Father.

Hebrews 1:1-6
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of
all things, through whom also He made the ages; who being the brightness of His glory
and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say "You are My
Son. Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be
to Me a Son"? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the
angels of God worship Him."

Christ came into the world to fulfill the desire of Yahweh that He might have sons.
Mankind needed a Savior. Man could not attain to sonship in his fallen state. Humanity
needed to be set free from its slavery to sin. The righteousness and divine nature which man
lacked needed to be imparted to him. The process of restoring fallen man to God was begun
in earnest at the appearing of Christ. Christ made a way for many more brethren to stand
before Yahweh as sons.

Romans 8:29
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of
His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren...

Hebrews 2:10-16
For it was fitting for 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. For
both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason
He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: "I will declare Your name to My
brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You." And again: "I will put My
trust in Him." And again: "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise