Another aspect of the God-men’s divine right to participate in God’s divinity is the right to participate in God’s sonship (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:23). We can have God’s life, God’s nature, God’s mind, God’s being, God’s image, and God’s glory because we are God’s sons. Just as a human son has the life, nature, mind, being, and image of his human father, so the sons of God have the life, nature, mind, being, and image of their divine Father. Furthermore, as a human son shares the glory or prestige of his human father, the sons of God share in the glory of their divine Father.
Ephesians 1:5 tells us God has predestinated us "unto sonship." The Greek word for predestinating in this verse may also be translated "marking out beforehand." Before the foundation of the world, that is, in eternity past, God predestinated us, marked us out, unto sonship. Before time began God intended and determined that we would participate in His sonship.
As God-men we will participate also in God’s manifestation (Rom. 8:19). When Christ our life is manifested, we will be manifested with Him in glory (Col. 3:4.) Today God is hiding, but one day He will be manifested to the whole universe. Romans 8:19 indicates that when God is manifested, revealed, we, the sons of God, will participate in that revelation, in that manifestation. God will be manifested with His sons, who will be the same as He in life, in nature, in mind, in being, in image, and in glory.
The God-men’s divine right to participate in God’s divinity includes the right to bear God’s likeness. First John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is." This clearly reveals that we will bear God’s likeness. We will not only participate in God’s life and nature but will also bear God’s likeness. To bear God’s likeness will be a great blessing and enjoyment.
Finally, the God-men have the divine right to be Godkind—God’s species (John 1:12; Rom. 8:14, 16). We have been regenerated to be Godkind. As God’s sons we are God’s kind, God’s species.
John 1:12 says, "As many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God." We have received the Lord Jesus by believing into Him, and God has given us the authority, the right, to be God’s children. "The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16). Such a witnessing testifies to us and assures us that we are children of God, who possess His life. We need to realize this and remember it. Wherever we may be we need to remember that we are God-men with the divine right to participate in God’s divinity.
(Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)