all men, all men are not the children of God: in other words, God always realizes completely the idea of Father to every man; but the majority of men realize only partially the idea of sonship.” Texts referring to the special Fatherhood of grace are: _John 1:12, 13_—“_as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God_”; _Rom. 8:14_—“_for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God_”; _15_—“_ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father_”; _2 Cor. 6:17_—“_Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty_”; _Eph. 1:5, 6_—“_having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself_”; _3:14, 15_—“_the Father, from whom every family_ [marg. “fatherhood”] _in heaven and on earth is named_” (= every race among angels or men—so Meyer, Romans, 158, 159); _Gal 3:26_—“_for ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus_”; _4:6_—“_And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father_”; _1 John 3:1, 2_—“_Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; __ and such we are.... Beloved, now are we children of God._” The sonship of the race is only rudimentary. The actual realization of sonship is possible only through Christ. _Gal. 4:1-7_ intimates a universal sonship, but a sonship in which the child “_differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all_,” and needs still to “_receive the adoption of sons_.” Simon, Reconciliation, 81—“It is one thing to be a father; another to discharge all the fatherly functions. Human fathers sometimes fail to behave like fathers for reasons lying solely in themselves; sometimes because of hindrances in the conduct or character of their children. No father can normally discharge his fatherly functions toward children who are unchildlike. So even the rebellious son is a son, but he does not act like a son.” Because all men are naturally sons of God, it does not follow that all men will be saved. Many who are naturally sons of God are not spiritually sons of God; they are only “_servants_” who “_abide not in the house forever_” (_John 8:35_). God is their Father, but they have yet to “_become_” his children (_Mat. 5:45_).