I know it’s a shocker, but Jesus is not a Christian. God is not Jewish, by the way. And by the way, Jesus never, ever quoted the New Testament even once in the entire Gospel. Paul never used the New Testament to preach. I’m not trying to put down anything. I’m just trying to tell you, going to church today with only the New Testament and the Psalms is half the Bible, and I hope you paid half the price for it.
Galatians 4 says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” He was a Jew of the tribe of Judah. “…to redeem those who were under the law, that we…” – say “we” – “…that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
We’re all adopted. You understand that in the rabbinical writings, adoption is even stronger than being born of your own mother and father. Do you know that being born to your own mother and father could be a planned thing or accident? Hello, you know? Something happened, you know? But there is no accidental adoption. You don’t live your life and accidentally you have adopted someone. To adopt someone is to choose someone as he is and to say, “I want him.” That’s the adoption that we all have.
The concept of “adoption” in scripture gives us two important points of understanding. The first comes from the Gospel of John:
John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
We often hear repeated the statement that we are “all God’s children” by those seeking to proclaim equality of all behaviors and beliefs. Here, John says this is not the case at all. Only those who have received Christ through belief in His name are God’s children. After all, you don’t have to adopt your own children.
The second point comes from Roman law. In ancient Rome, adoption had a powerful meaning. When a child was born naturally to its biological parents, the parents had the option of disowning the child for a variety of reasons. Thus, if the relationship or child was not necessarily desired by the parent, it could be disowned. In contrast, an adopted child could never be disowned because it was a conscious decision of the parents to to adopt the child.
Romans 8:15-17
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Ephesians 1:13-14 remind us that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our future inheritance. Add to that what Paul says in Romans 8 and we can see that the presence of the Holy Spirit is also proof of our adoption, for it is by the Spirit that we can cry out “Abba Father!”
That means that as His adopted children, we cannot be disowned. Even when we blow it, even when we doubt, and even when we despair, we are still His children.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That is the best news you’re going to hear all day!
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus