Yesterday we began to talk about our inheritance through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing, and we are chosen to be holy and blameless in God’s sight. The second blessing listed is our adoption as His children. Not only has God chosen us to be made holy, but He grants us full status as His children, with all the benefits thereof. “In love He predistined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:4b-6)

Adoption in God’s mind was not “Plan B”. He predestined us for adoption before the creation of the world. “Plan A” was not lots of children who never sin and never need to be redeemed. “Plan A” was creation, fall, redemption, adoption so that the full range of God’s glory and mercy and grace could be known by His adopted children. Adoption was not second best. It was planned from the beginning. God planned to adopt us as His children because this gave Him pleasure. Think of that! God chose to adopt you because the thought of this gave Him joy.

In the Old Testament, Israel is called God’s son (Hosea 11:1). Now, in Christ, all believers are His children. Just as your child (or grandchild) has full rights to climb into your lap and talk with you about whatever is on their mind, we have that same right with our heavenly Father. “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

In his letter to the Galations, Paul says it like this: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ…If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26-27, 29) In Christ, we have all privileges and responsibilities of a child in God’s family. One of these outstanding privileges is being led by the Spirit.

We have the intimacy to sit with the Father, to pour out our hearts, and allow Him to reveal Himself to us. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:14-16)

God does not leave us floundering when He adopts us, without feelings of acceptance and love. Rather, He pours His Spirit into our hearts to give us the experience of being embraced in the family. Praise God that He gives us both legal standing as His children and the very Spirit of His Son so that we find ourselves saying from a heart of deep conviction, “Abba, Father”. He did this for us because He loves us, and it brings Him joy. Let’s praise Him for the glory of His grace!

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