Embracing Adoption in Christ
In the Christian faith, adoption carries great spiritual significance. Beyond its conventional meaning of legally taking someone into one's family, adoption in Christ is an integral aspect of the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ that results in profound spiritual transformation. This article looks at how that is true and why God adopts us into His family, by closely looking at some truths from the bible.
Most people understand adoption as a general legal process as explained above. And so, it is easy to become confused when we talk about God adopting us into His family, as we know that God is not a human being. Firstly, we need to understand how this happens. Essentially, becoming a part of God’s family requires the following;
· Recognize that we are all sinful and cannot always live up to God’s perfect standard (because of our sin making us unholy),
· Abandon our sinful ways that are keeping us from God (repenting) and
· trust His great plan and power to bring us into his family through His Son who makes us holy, accepting that there is nothing we can ever do on our own that can achieve this. Peter explains it perfectly in Acts 2:38 when he says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”. At this point, some people could go “how is that adoption into God’s family?”.
When we look at Galatians 4:3-7, verse 3 better expands what Peter said in Acts 2:38. Verses 6 and 7 clarifies for us what happens after receiving the Holy Spirit. It says, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So, you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”. Now verse 3 explains our condition without the Holy Spirit “we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world”. Which means we were completely defenseless against all sorts of dangers, like a child on the street with no shelter, food and family to protect them, so were our souls before receiving the Holy Spirit.
I know some of us may come to learn these truths and go “AHA! I am royalty which means I can rule and get whatever I want because I am a child of the Highest God!”. I am sorry to break it to you but that is not what it means. God didn’t save and adopt us into his kingdom to fulfil the desires of our hearts, (He can and is very much capable of doing that, nothing is impossible for him. But trust me, God’s purpose for saving and adopting us is way more than that). Here are a few truths about God adopting us:
1. God predestined for us to be adopted
God began our adoption and decided to make us His offspring before we or the world existed. God's aim is to grow His family by admitting rebels and sinners like us. Ephesians 1:4-6 says, “in love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”. God has saved us for the praise of his glorious grace.
2. It is God’s Grace.
The act of adoption is entirely due to God's kindness in giving you faith to believe in Christ and proclaiming you righteous. You lack the authority, power and even ability to ask God to adopt you, and there was no way for you to earn your way into God's family.
3. It is All Love
We’re saved and adopted because God loves us. God could have watched us drift away from him and live in sin like it’s no-one’s business but Ephesians 1:4-5 shows God’s motives, “In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ”. God is full of love because He is love. (1 John 4:8). And Love saw fit to take us into His Family, so we enjoy Him as His beloved children. Adoption, even though it is a good and honorable thing, it can be corrupted by human sinful desires of wanting a family because they idolize it, or you want to be deemed a good person or a “good Samaritan”. God’s basis of adopting us into His family is plainly love, He lavishes us with his love by giving us a place to belong to, forever! We can be assured that the adoption is completely secure and free from selfish ambitions.
Well friends, a daily decision to walk in the reality of who we are, to put our faith in God's unwavering love, and to live a life filled with purpose and hope is to embrace adoption in Christ. To strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father and become more like His Son, Jesus Christ, is a process of constant development, transformation, and discovery. Thus, let us fully accept adoption in Christ and allow it to influence our attitudes, deeds, and interpersonal interactions. Let us live as God's cherished children, safe in His love and assured of His promises. And let us invite others to encounter the transformative love of our Heavenly Father by showcasing the beauty of this adoption to the world.
