Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”
Ephesians 1:5 “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
Slave: someone who is legally owned by another person and is forced to work for that person without pay
Adopt: to take by choice into a relationship; especially, to take voluntarily (a child of other parents) as one's own child
Following are some important facts about our adoption.
1. Our adoption was costly. Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Christ came to buy our freedom from slavery; slavery to sin and death.
2. Our adoption has legally changed our family. Galatians 4:6-7 “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.” We are no longer enemies of God but sons of God. We are legally heirs of the King of Kings!!
3. God poured out the Spirit of sonship on us. Romans 8:15-16 “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” We no longer need to live in fear of the enemy (poverty, sickness, lack of any kind) we are sons of God.
It is important to note that we are “sons” of God.
"And adoption as a son in Roman law was something very specific. Adoption as a son in Roman law meant that you had the right to the name and the citizenship of the person who adopted you, and the right to inherit his property. The adopted son had the same rights and privileges as a naturally born son. These were rights that were not granted to an adopted daughter."
"But as it concerns our redemption, we who are in Christ, men and women and boys and girls alike, are adopted by God as sons - in that sense, as Paul says, 'there is neither male nor female.'l
Taken from http://www.teachingtheword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=59273&columnid=5774
4. God planned our adoption from the beginning. Ephesians 1:4-6 “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” We were chosen even before we were created. Before we took one breath God planned to adopt us into his family. There are no “accidents” in God’s family. We all are loved and wanted.
5. Our adoption gives us legal rights as heirs to everything that is Christ’s. Romans 8:17 “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
"Now that we're no longer under guardianship to the Law, we can take our position as children of God. There is nothing in heaven or earth that is withheld from us. We can go where we want, and we can have what we want - all of which is guaranteed as long as we stay submitted to the Lord Jesus. And the only limitations to enjoying the fullness of what we've inherited are a lack of knowledge of them, and a lack of faith in them. So, don't be ignorant and don't be faithless. Dare to walk as heirs of God. Dare to walk as Sons of God."
Taken from http://www.swordsfc.com/articles/adopted.htm
Let us take our rightful places as sons of God, walking in the freedom and liberty that Christ has purchased for us by his death and resurrection.
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