Adoption into God’s Family

 

The adoption takes place when we place our faith in Christ. We cannot earn our way into God’s good graces. We must simply trust that what He did on the cross is good enough and claim it for ourselves.

  • Galatians 3:25-29 HCSB  But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,  26  for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  28  There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  29  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise.

 

The Father is willing to allow us into His family.

  • 1 John 3:1-2 HCSB  Look at how great a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God's children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him.  2  Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.

 

God had a plan since before time began to make Jesus the firstborn of many siblings.

  • Romans 8:29 HCSB  For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

 

Jesus’ humble willingness to not cling to His deity made it all possible. He took on the wages of our sin (death) so that we might live eternally. If we end up in hell it is literally over His dead body.

  • Philippians 2:5-11 HCSB  Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,  6  who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.  7  Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,  8  He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death--even to death on a cross.  9  For this reason God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name,  10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow--of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth--  11  and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  • Galatians 4:4-7 HCSB  But when the completion of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  5  to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  6  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father!"  7  So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
  • Ephesians 1:4-5 HCSB  for He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love  5  He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will,

 

We are called to take on a family likeness. We strive to be holy – not to BE in the family but BECAUSE we are in the family. We want to please our Father and once we have been adopted He gives us the power to imitate Him.

  • Philippians 2:13-15 HCSB  For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose.  14  Do everything without grumbling and arguing,  15  so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.
  • John 14:12 HCSB  "I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

 

At one time God worked through one man, Abraham. Then He expanded His work to include Abraham’s family, then all of Israel. Now Gentiles can be in God’s family too.

  • Ephesians 2:11-20 HCSB  So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh--called "the uncircumcised" by those called "the circumcised," done by hand in the flesh.  12  At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, with no hope and without God in the world.  13  But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.  14  For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh,  15  He did away with the law of the commandments in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.  16  He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it.  17  When Christ came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  18  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  19  So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God's household,  20  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

 

Now Jews and Gentiles will be heirs together.

  • Romans 8:16-17 HCSB  The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children,  17  and if children, also heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ--seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
  • Ephesians 3:6 HCSB  the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
  • Titus 3:6-7 HCSB  This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  7  so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

 

There are costs to being in the Father’s family. The Lord disciplines His children.

  • Hebrews 12:5-12 HCSB  And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly, or faint when you are reproved by Him;  6  for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and punishes every son whom He receives.  7  Endure it as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?  8  But if you are without discipline--which all receive--then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  9  Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn't we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?  10  For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.  11  No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  12  Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,

 

You can recognize a child of God. The Ransomed are led by the Spirit.

  • Romans 8:14-15 HCSB  All those led by God's Spirit are God's sons.  15  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father!"

 

The Ransomed strive for purity. They don’t claim perfection, but when they sin they show remorse, godly sorrow, repentance and restitution.

  • 1 John 1:5-10 HCSB  Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.  6  If we say, "We have fellowship with Him," and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.  7  But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  8  If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10  If we say, "We have not sinned," we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
  • 1 John 2:3-6 HCSB  This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands.  4  The one who says, "I have come to know Him," without keeping His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  5  But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him:  6  the one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.

 

Though they live in the world and use the world’s culture as a meeting ground on which to testify as to God’s grace, the Ransomed do not allow the wicked parts of the world’s culture to cling to them.

  • 1 John 2:15-16 HCSB  Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world--  16  the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle--is not from the Father, but is from the world.
  • Romans 12:1-2 HCSB  Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.  2  Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

 

The Ransomed love each other.

  • 1 John 2:9-11 HCSB  The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now.  10  The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.  11  But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he's going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.