“So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.”
Every adoption begins with trauma. There is always a reason that a child needs to be adopted into a new family. The trama could be absent parents, an unhealthy family situation, neglect, or the loss of their parents. Whatever the reason for the adoption, there is a need for the child to be welcomed into another home.
The Bible frequently uses the phrase “family of God” to describe the relationship God has with humans who have repented of their sins and follow Jesus. Christians are adopted into the family of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Repentance will not occur until a person realizes that sin is enslaving them. The trauma of sin is the reality for every human. Sin cannot be overcome by our own attempts to find freedom or liberation. We need to be welcomed into a new family and given a new identity and a new way of life.
There is one aspect of adoption that I find especially interesting — only the head of the house can invite someone to be a part of the family. An underage brother or sister cannot legally adopt another person. On the opposite side, a person can’t pick a family and declare that the family has to adopt them. Adoption is dependent on the head of the household.
God has welcomed all humanity into the family of God. Through Jesus, all who repent of their sins have access to God the Father. Another person’s faith cannot usher you into the family of God, nor can you force your way in. God graciously adopts all who call on the name of the Lord. Once adopted, they are now a son or daughter of the King of the Universe — an heir in the Kingdom.
Live It:
- Think back to your life before you became a Christian. How often do you express gratitude to God for the new life that you have in Him?
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Chase Snyder
Writer, Pastor
