Adopted In

If you read my last post, you know that I have challenged myself to memorizing passages of scripture each week. This week's passage is Ephesians 1:3-6. I'm not just memorizing words, I meditate over the words as I repeat them over and over, and I pray that God will speak to me through that passage.

This week, one word really stood out to me; adoption. Verse 1:5 says "[In love] he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will." Why is the word adoption used there and in several other places? Why doesn't Paul just say we are sons through Jesus Christ? I think it's all in the meaning of the word.

Adoption is defined as taking [a child] into one's family through legal means and raising as one's own child. When I think of an ideal adoption in today's society, I picture a mother and father who takes a child into their home and makes them a part of their family. That family is not obligated to give that child anything, yet they give them love and care just as if they were their own child. It's a beautiful picture to me. In the same sense spiritually, we are that adopted child. Not only does God regenerate our spirit, and justify us through his son Jesus, he also adopts us into his family. We were not entitled to be sons and daughters of God. We were sons of wrath, yet God graciously opens his arms and calls us his own. We were not entitled to any inheritance. We were entitled to death, but yet God has given us the inheritance of eternal life and many other rich blessings. Through adoption, we are able to have a relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. That didn't have to be part of our salvation. Like I said we weren't entitled to it, but God bestowed upon us the gift of his fatherly love and granted us a place in his family. Do you see how important and how precious this should be to us?

I think the following section from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (pg 738-739) explains things well:

"Although adoption is a privilege that comes to us at the time we become Christians (john 1:12; Gal. 3:26, 1 John 3:1-2), nevertheless, it is a privilege that is distinct from justification and distinct from regeneration. In regeneration we are made spiritually alive, able to relate to God in prayer and worship and able to hear his Word with receptive hearts. But it is possible that God could have creatures who are spiritually alive and yet are not members of his family and do not share the special privileges of family members- angels, for example, apparently fall into that category. Therefore, it would have been possible for God to decide to give us regeneration without the great privileges of adoption into his family.
Moreover, God could have given us justification without the privileges of adoption into his family, for he could have forgiven our sins and given us right legal standing before him without making us his children. It is important to realize this because it helps us to recognize how great are our privileges in adoption. Regeneration has to do with our spiritual life within. Justification has to do with our standing before God's law. But adoption has to do with our relationship with God as our Father, and in adoption we are given many of the greatest blessing that we will know for all eternity. When we begin to realize the excellence of these blessings, and when we appreciate that God has no obligation to give us any of them, then we will be able to exclaim with the apostle John, 'See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.' (1 John 3:1)"

As you go about your week, think about what extravagant love God has poured out on us by allowing us to be adopted into his family. Don't take for granted the relationship you are able to have with your Heavenly Father.

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