washing from sins by real union to the Saviour. Most coininentators, however, cunsidei that there is no rciusonable doubt that by baptism into Christ he means the sacrament. But it this bo so, the apostle certainly assumes that it was received in faith and sealed a real union to Christ, which is the ground of our sonship.
The sonship of believers in Christ, St. Paul con- nects with the or view of the Israelites being God's sons in virtue of the covenant and promise to Abraham (Gal 3^), and lie proceeds to exidain the special privileges brought uy Clirist by com- paring the position of Israel under the law to that of children under age, who, though really sons and heirs, have not practically more liberty tlian servants, but are under guardians and stewards by wliom they are governed and their property is managed. So God's children, before Clirist came, being immature, were in subjection to what St. 1 'aul calls ' the rudiments of the world,' i.e. elementary teaching by precepts relating to outward things, such as meats, times, and seasons. But it is remarkable that the apostle speaks of the Gentiles also as in their heathen state having been under such rudiments {Gal 4'-°), so that we may infer that he recognized a certain divine training even of them, as elsewhere he speaks of them being a law to themselves (Ro 2'*''"). He views Christ's coming and work both as giving sonship to those who were only servants, and also as giving full filial rights to those who were children under age. But not as if it were the former only to Gentiles and the latter to Jews as such ; but that it was a real gift of sonship to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who were without God ; and to all who were really seeking him, in whatever nation, though they might be very immature in their spiritual life, it was the bestowal of the fuU pri\aleges of sons of full age having free and direct access to God as their F'ather. This view is in accordance with the highest conception attained in the OT, that in Deutero-Isaiah from which am/ other prophetic Scriptures St. Paul quotes in his discussion of the relations between Israel and the Gentiles in Ro 9-11.
In order to bring out the privilege of behig made sons of God, St. Paul employs the notion of adoption as recognized in the Roman law. See Adoption.
Among the privileges flo\ving from sonship in Christ he mentions the bestowal of the Spirit, as the Spirit of God's Son, or of adoption, who cries in us, i.e. moves us to cry, 'Abba, Father' (Gal 4*, Ro 8"), and with this is connected the access we have with boldness to God as our Father (Eph 2'^ 3'-). Another benefit flowing from sonship is the inheritance which we have in and with Christ (Gal 3=«-^ 4', Ro 8"). This means that the glory that is to be revealed is as sure to us as if we had a right to it in strict law, and at the same time is the free gift of the F'ather'a love. In con- nexion with this St. Paul develops the idea that believers in Christ, though poor, afflicted, and per- secuted in this world, yet really have the Messianic blessings promised in the OT as those of the kingdom of God, because they can rejoice in their tribulations, since these are means of their per- fection, and are inconsiderable in \iew of the promised glory (Ro 5'"" 8'^-^, 2 Co 4'«-o9). The further notion that afllictions are chastisements sent by God in love, and for our real and truest good, is expressed in the Ep. to Hebrews (12'-") as a special blessing of God's chUdren more distinctly than in the Pauline Epistles. For St. Paul does not conceive our relation to God as that of youn§ children needing discipline, but rather as that ot sons of full age in a relation of freedom and Ioto to our heavenly Father. Hence he is not fond of
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the expression children (riKva.) unless when the form or his argument from (JT leads him to use it, as in Ro 9'-". So, too, he does not use the idea of our being begotten anew of the Spirit to describe the be^mning of Christian life ; lie con- ceives it rather as a new creation or a raising from death. In Tit 3Hhe word ' rejjeneration ' is not the common expression for what is generally so called, and it is not certain that it refers to the new birth of individuals.
3. TiiK Teaciiino in Hebrews. — Here again the notion of children is more prominent than that of sons, an<i the idea in ch. 12 is the position of young chihlren needing eilucation and chastise- ment. This writer also has in view the beginning of the relation in a birth rather than in adoption, for ho calls God the Father of spirits in contrast with the fathers of our flesh (12"). It is unnatural to sujipose that he meant by these words to tench the philosophical doctrine that men derive from their earthly parents only their bodies, and their spirits directly from God. Whether this be true or not, the idea of the writer was manifestly the religious one, that while our relation to oar earthly parents is jjhysical, our relation as children to God is spiritual. But that he does not .fonceive this relation as a universal one, is jdair from the fact that he speaks of the possibility jf 'jeing without chastisement, and so being bastards and not sons (v.*), here using the Pauline term for the relation.