Verses 5,6 of Ephesians 1 tell us, "In love He predestined 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."
I want to focus on the idea of being adopted by God in Christ first. Yesterday our focus was on our unworthiness to be adopted but today I want to look into what this adoption means to us and does for us.
When a child is adopted the judge makes sure the adoptive parent fully understands what is taking place and how it will affect the parent and the child. The child becomes a "full heir" to everything the parent has just as though the child were his or her biological child. The child is entitled to all material and worldly goods, the parent's name and heritage. The child is placed into the adoptive family by legal decree and it is a binding and permanent action once it is done.
The Bible teaches us that in eternity past God predestined us (chose us out of the rest) to be adopted as His children. This means that God intended you and I to be in His family and took the steps needed to make it so. When we accepted Christ (got saved) we came into the family of God. We were placed into the family of God by the choice and will of the Father through the actions of the Son. We became heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ! "...you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..." Romans 8:15-17
Think with me- the wealth of riches that is available to us as children of God! God no longer considers us His enemy; He proclaims joyfully He is our Father! There is no reason for us to approach God with fear and trembling we are to come "boldly" into the throne room and in effect run across the floor and bound into the arms of the living God! (Heb. 4:16) Oh, what a Savior!
I have trouble understanding (from a human standpoint) that He has done these things for me. I have an occasional glimpse of how horrible I am inside and know that I am worth nothing apart from Him. I remember clearly many of my sins before I became a Christian and I hang my head in shame as I think of how He loved me before I ever knew Him (Romans 5:8).
In ways that remain mysterious to me God is glorified through the redemption of a sinner such as I. I do understand that saving the sinner puts His grace on display to the world. Grace is getting something I do not deserve and mercy is not getting what I do deserve. Both grace and mercy are abundant with God in the saving of the sinner and His motive dear friend is pure love. Imagine that.
Origin: healing-magic.blogspot.com
