Day 73: You Are Adopted In Father God’s Family
We were once “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath.” But now, In Christ, through faith, have been freed from the cruel tyranny of our old “father”—Satan—and have been placed under the love and care of our gracious and merciful Heavenly Father. We are now part of God’s family and He determined this for us, before He created the world!!!
WORDwork:
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:4-7
But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! – Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.
How is the Spirit described in Romans 8:15? How does the Spirit lead us to address God?
How is the Spirit described in the Galatians passage above? What is common in both of these passages?
We have all heard Jesus referred to as God’s “only begotten son” in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son…” What does that phrase “only begotten” mean? Some used to think that it meant God’s “only born” Son. Although that is close to the meaning of the term, it is not quite accurate. The term that is used here is better translated, God’s “one unique Son” or “one-of-a-kind Son.” It still points to the fact that Jesus is God’s only literal human son, which highlights the fact that there is no one else like him. We have already heard how we have to be “born again” spiritually to enter God’s family. Now we want to consider another way to think about what Father-God has done for us: He has adopted us.
What Does Adoption Mean?
As we heard earlier, God predestined us to this adoption as His children (Ephesians 1:5). Whereas Jesus and Peter speak about our “new spiritual birth,” Paul chooses to express these same ideas in terms of our adoption. The reason for this is probably because the idea of a new birth would have been a more powerful and provocative idea for a mainly Jewish audiences, whereas the idea of adoption would have been more meaningful to Paul’s largely Gentile audiences.
Paul is probably drawing his analogy from the Roman Laws concerning adoption that existed in his day. In these times, the father had absolute rights and absolutely authority over all aspects of the Roman family. When a man wished to adopt another son, two steps were taken. First, the son to be adopted would have to be released from the authority of his natural father. Second, the son to be adopted would be placed under the authority of the new father and granted the position of a “natural son” so that the father could then pass on his rights, authority, and inheritance to the new son. In this way, the family could be sustained and maintained from generation to generation.
So how does this help us understand our position before God? This means that we who were once “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:2-3) have been freed from the cruel tyranny of our old “father”—Satan (see John 8:38, 44; Ephesians 2:2)—and have been placed under the authority of our gracious and merciful Heavenly Father. We are now part of God’s family and He predestined us for this—He determined this for us, before He created the world!!!
By being adopted into God’s family, we gain a new position and a new inheritance. Our “old father” the Devil only sought to terrorize and ultimately destroy us. Our inheritance with him was only death and eternal condemnation. Now, we have been adopted into God’s family with Jesus as our “older brother” (Hebrews 2:11-15) who gives us a share in His glorious and eternal inheritance! In Christ, we have been adopted into God’s family as sons with full rights! This means that we have a claim on the family inheritance and all the blessings that go along with being part of the family.
Women should remember that you are included in this as “sons” as well. Paul always calls us “sons” whether we are male or female because in the first century, only male sons received inheritances. In Christ, we are all “sons” sharing in the inheritance and women are likewise “fellow heirs of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).
Father-God Chose You!
What makes this blessing of “adoption” so meaningful? Natural parents differ in many ways from adoptive parents. Natural parents don’t really know anything about their children before they are born. They may know whether they are having a boy or a girl, but the baby’s personality will know be known until later. Adoptive parents however can know a lot more before deciding whether to accept or reject a child as their own. Adoptive parents choose to take a child who is not biologically their “own” out of their love and concern for that child.
When Father-God adopted you into His family, it was His deliberate voluntary choice and was made with total knowledge about you: your past, present and future! He knew exactly what He was getting! You should experience tremendous joy knowing He voluntarily chose you for His own family. He knew all about your glories and strengths, even your faults and failures and still said “I choose this child for my own.” Nothing that ever shocks you about yourself has ever shocked God! It is so wonderful to be adopted. Adoption means you were chosen and accepted while still “in Adam” with all your sins and imperfections. Your being adopted by God proves His unconditional acceptance of you “in Christ.” Being adopted should give you direction and purpose for the rest of your journey.
In the memory verse from James at the beginning of this session, we hear that our Heavenly Father has given us a new birth so that we could be a kind of “first-fruits” of all that He created. As God’s beloved children, we now serve as a model for what the Creator desires for all His creation. As beloved children, we give those around us a “taste” of what it means to find security, fulfillment and significance in our Father who chooses and calls, our older Brother Jesus who sacrifices Himself for us, and the Spirit who indwells us to empower us.
Take a few minutes to review what we have discussed this week.
What truths are you most thankful for? How do these blessings help you understand how Father-God sees you and relates to you? What do you need to change in the way you view yourself and your relationship with Father-God in Christ to be in-line with these truths?
Take a few minutes now to pray for people you know who need to know these truths, asking Father-God to open their eyes so that they can see all that He is offering them in Christ.
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
