"Adopted"
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (Galatians 4:4-7 NLT)
Wow. Could this verse really be true? This is one of the most precious truths about the gospel. We know about God's forgiveness. We know about his atoning sacrifice for us. We know about his substituting his life for ours. We know about justification & sanctification. We know about the gospel & salvation but do we know about adoption?
We have been adopted by God. We are his children, sons & daughters of the king!
Imagine being held prisoner & awaiting to die. Day after day being faced with the reality of impending death. And at the last minute someone steps in & takes our place. We are free. We are forgiven. We have been released. We are not going to die. We are free to live. This is great news! The king has pardoned us. And this is great news but do we know that the gospel goes further?
Not only are we forgiven & freed but we are rushed to the palace of the king where he wants us to live with him as his children forever. From rebels waiting to die to children of the king. That's good news!
See, when we come to Jesus in salvation, we not only are forgiven but adopted. We are sons & daughters & what's more, heirs of God. We have all the rights & privileges of being sons of God. We have the same standing with God that Jesus himself has. The same! We have the same righteousness that he has! We can never be unadopted! We are forever his.
This is good news. This gospel that includes adoption is so life changing & life forming. Since we are his & we can never be separated from his family, how then should that affect the way we see ourselves? How should that affect the way we see others? How should that affect the way we live & love? It surely has a multitude of implications but one that we often forget is adoption.
We are adopted. Cared for & brought into the family of God. We were orphaned & helpless but God reached out to us.
Similarly, God commands his church to imitate him. We are commanded to care for the orphan. It is not an "if" but a "how." Not all of us can adopt but all of us can & must care for orphans! Why? Because we too were orphans once & someone brought us in, showed us unconditional love, & gave us life. How can we do the same?
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