Adoption

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:18

How great and wonderful it is that we are called sons and daughters of God. We who were once slaves of sin are now sons and daughters of the Creator. Adoption is an amazing thing.

“Adoption is the highest privilege available to fallen children of Adam, with all its privileges accruing to the one who enjoys the status of being an heir of all the promises of God and of everlasting salvation – access to the Father’s throne of grace, his pity, protection, provision, and chastening, and the seal of his Spirit unto the day of redemption.” (Robert Reymond)

In my reading on adoption I came across 6 wonders of adoption that I think will increase our awe of our God. (This is from the book “Body of Divinity” by Thomas Watson)

1. God adopted us when he already had a son of his own. Normally, people adopt because they want kids but don’t have any. In God’s great love he adopted us though he had a son.

2. We have been adopted from the worse situation possible. Slavery to sin. Watson says,
“Pharaoh’s daughter took Moses out of the ark of bulrushes in the water, and adopted him for her son; God did not take us out of the water, but out of our blood, and adopted us. He adopted us from slavery; it is mercy to redeem a slave, but it is more to adopt him.”

3. Our adoption was costly for God. “It was no easy thing to make heirs of wrath (into) heirs of promise”. He sealed the adoption papers by the blood of his own Son.

4. God adopted his enemies. “If a man adopts another for his heir, he will not adopt his mortal enemy; but that God should adopt us when were not only strangers, but enemies, is the wonder of his love.”

5. God is taking great numbers out of the Devil’s family and adopting them into the family of heaven. “God is resolved to increase his family, he brings many sons to glory.”

6. What an honor it is to be adopted by God. We are sons and daughters of the Most High. We are sons and daughters of the great “I AM”.