God actually adopts us into His family as His child when we believe in Christ (Rom. 8:15)! It seems too good to be true but it is. This is our new core identity and we need to remind ourselves of this daily. When we remember who we are we will find strength to become more like Christ.
When people adopt a child they often go to great expense and effort. God did the same thing for us: the Son came to earth as a human and endured opposition and execution just so that God could adopt us as His child. And once He adopted us we became one of His heirs (Rom. 8:16). In fact, Scripture says that Jesus is our brother (Mt. 12:49-50 (Mk. 3:34-35); Heb. 2:11, 17) and just as He receives an inheritance from the Father so too we are fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
But God is not going to die and leave us a bunch of money like a father on earth; rather, we get some of our inheritance now in the new life He gives and we receive our full inheritance in the next age after Jesus returns. God’s New (Will and) Testament has the instructions for this future distribution of God’s “assets”. We will receive a new corruption-free body and soul and we will enjoy the happiness that God originally intended for us in the Garden of Eden.
So we are God’s children now and He is our Father. He watches us, He stays with us, He provides for us, He desires our love and He delights in us. He will “graciously give us all things” (Rom. 8:32 ESV) He wants to see us grow up from newborn babes (I Pet.2:2). His Spirit is constantly working in us so we will develop into adolescents, young adults and finally mature adults in Christ. He is looking forward to what we will become, especially what “career” we will have in the Body of Christ. He wants to be proud of us so we are not ashamed when His Son returns (I Jn. 2:28). He wants us to have an important role in the future eternal community of love with Himself and His followers.
Application.
First ask yourself these two questions then ask God these two questions and listen.
- Is there any truth about my adoption that I don’t fully believe? If so, will I choose to believe it now?
- Is there any action I should take because of my adoption? If so, will I commit to doing it?
