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I thy true...son??


I love the old hymn Be Thou My Vision, it's one of my favorite songs. And I don't feel weird singing "Thou my great Father and I thy true son" even though I'm a girl. 

Because of 1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children (sons) of God!

In the ancient world women could not inherit, and as Paul says in Romans 8:17 

Now, if we are children (sons), then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ

The Greek word for children in both verses is téknon, while it's technically gender neutral it's most often translated "son". I think using context we can confidently interpret Paul's use of téknon as "sons" because he makes the connection to a position as heirs, which in ancient Rome did not exist for women. Thus, the statement "if we are children, then we are heirs" would be poor logic to the original audience. Being a child doesn't constitute being an heir unless you are a son. Since téknon is often used as "son" it's likely the readers at the time would have understood both John and Paul's meanings to say 'you have been promoted in the family'.

Since ancient Romans lived within a class system this idea would not only have been good news to women! Men who were descendants of slaves or poor families would not be an heir to anything, only wealthy families have an inheritance to give. In our modern context, think of what we call a "trust fund kid" as someone who is an actually an heir, not necessarily your common man. Everyone in God's family has been placed on a level playing field, and for many of us we are promoted to the position of "heir". Even someone who has an earthly inheritance can surely also feel upgraded to a spiritual inheritance in God's Kingdom. 

We can proudly accept the title as "son" for both men and women, rich or poor because in Biblical context it carries the connotation of heir (to God's Kingdom) and descendant of God. 

So, next time you sing "I thy true son" as man or woman, sing it proudly with a smile on your face. Let it remind you of the great love the Father has lavished on you by welcoming you into his royal family and giving you a wonderful inheritance, the very kingdom of God and access to Himself in relationship as your great Father.


♡Nikki


Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich

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