18 Mar What About Spiritual Mothers and Daughters?

As people have heard talk of spiritual fathering and spiritual sons, the question has inevitably risen, what about spiritual mothers and daughters? The simple answer is that the language of fathers and sons is inclusive, and includes women and girls in every way. This is the Bible pattern and example, and the language which we also follow.

The Bible language used to describe these things is almost exclusively “father” and “son”. Concerning God and Christ, this must never be changed, but in the church there has to be some understanding, for scripturally, all believers, men and women, boys and girls, are sons of God. Furthermore, we are considered first-born sons (Hebrews 12:23), since we are in Christ. If we were not counted as first-born sons, we could not share a joint inheritance with Christ, it would instead be a partial inheritance. But we are joint heirs, and each of us, with Him, inherits all the Father has.

In addition (because God loves to use analogies) the Church is the “Bride of Christ” and that includes all the men and the boys too. The language used in Scripture is always inclusive like this. We believe that if women are ok to be sons, then the men should be ok to be included as the bride also. The language is used to help us understand.

Furthermore, the apostle John refers to all believers as being either infants, children, young men, or fathers. In a book like the Spirit of Sonship, or in these articles which summarise that book, you would soon grow tired of reading, if in every place that required personal pronouns I recorded he/she, or him/her, and if, instead of simply saying “sons” it was always ‘sons and daughters’, or where required, ‘fathers and mothers’.

We have simply taken the liberty of speaking using Bible terminology, and we trust that the reader of these articles, or the Spirit of Sonship book itself, simply put yourself into the picture on each page, so as to aid simplicity and directness of communication.

So let it be clearly stated that women are included and have a great part in what Christ is doing. The language is meant to include them and we trust they will feel included.