ADOPTION

  

I have an announcement to make, one that I’ve never made before in public or in a private setting. So here goes: “I’m adopted!”

 Is that a shock? Even a little surprise? Well, it’s true of you, too. You are adopted!

At the moment of salvation we are both justified and adopted. When we invite Christ into our life the legal question of our sin is dealt with by God (justification) and simultaneously He adopts us into His family.

For some reason we do not hear much spoken about adoption in the church. We are continually and properly reminded about the importance of justification, how God in His mercy deals with the issue of our sin — and that’s a blessing that cannot be overlooked.

But justification (the legal issue) is not the only blessing of salvation. Adoption is a family issue and the blessings of adoption are incredible. 

God didn’t have to do things this way. By that I mean He didn’t have to include adoption in the salvation/justification package. He could have cleared away our sin and proclaimed us clean and made us His servants, His slaves, from that point forward. As a Master He then would cover us, protect us, provide for us — but as servants our rights would be limited. 

God could have cleared away our sin and declared that from then on we were His friends. As a friend one has occasional visiting rights and the hand of friendship is always extended.

But God said no to both of those options because that was not what He wanted for His people. Instead, God said, “I will adopt you. I will take you into My family and you will be My son/daughter. As a member of My family you have rights, privileges and responsibilities that servants and friends do not have.”

Justification and adoption are incredible pictures of grace. God did not have to wash away our guilt — but He did, and that’s grace. He did not have to take us into His family — but He did, and that’s grace.

Adoption is about family and was conceived in love. Adoption views God as Father and He takes us into His family as His children. Being in right standing with God as Judge of the universe is a wonderful thing but being loved by God, being taken into His family and made His heir, is even greater. I do not for a moment diminish the importance of justification but I am saying that adoption takes us into a relationship with our Father that is not implied in justification.

There is a huge difference between a servant and a son. Before Calvary, Jesus said to His disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends” (John 15:15). After Calvary, Paul said to the Galatian church, “You are no longer a slave [servant], but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7). We see this more intimate and endearing relationship with the Father underscored: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God [son or daughter] and so we are” (1 John 3:1).

We are the children of God through adoption. By Him we are given the rights of being one of His heirs. It’s because of this that we can boldly, confidently enter His presence and make our requests known. Servants cannot do that and friends cannot do that, as they do not have the rights of the heirs. But the Father has adopted us and so we become one of His children — a son or a daughter.

I am not sure why the church says so little about adoption because it’s not as though it’s a taboo subject. I don’t think I’ve heard more than passing references to adoption in all my years as a follower of Jesus.

I can honestly say that nothing has liberated me more in my spirit than coming into the understanding of what it means to be adopted by Father God as a son and an heir. Suddenly I realize why I can confidently talk to the Father, not brashly, not aggressively, but with confidence because He sees me as a son, as an heir, and He treats me as a son, not a servant.

I am not interested in going around aggressively demanding my rights from God. People who do that are nothing more than spoiled brats and need to be dealt with in that way. As a son I know my Father is going to give me a fair hearing and will help me find the best way to proceed, no matter what the issue. As a son I know that God always has my best interests at heart — He loves me!

Thank You, Father, that in love and mercy You adopted me.