Our Position in Christ – Adopted as Sons – Pt. 3

“having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” (Eph 1:5)

God decided before the foundation of the world that you and I would be adopted as sons of God. How great is that?! To be adopted means you were an outsider to a family and were welcomed in.

Israel itself was adopted by God. When Moses was commissioned by God to set Israel free from Egypt He said “Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.” (Exodus 4:22) This sonship was the basis for their deliverance. It was the love of the Father. We see this loving heart of the Father in Hosea 11.

“When Israel was a [a]child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
As they called them,
So they went [c]from them;
They sacrificed to the Baals,
And burned incense to carved images.

‘I taught Ephraim to walk,
Taking them by [d]their arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
I drew them with [e]gentle cords,
With bands of love,
And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their [f]neck.
I stooped and fed them.” (1-4)

Look at the words: “loved,” “called My son,” “drew them with gentle cords,” “bands of love,” “fed them.”

We must remember that prior to Jesus this adoption was only for the Israelites. (see Romans 9:4) But thank God, now through Jesus, we have been adopted into the family of God.

See this verse:

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29)

Jesus was the firstborn among many brethren. That’s you – and me. Take that truth in and savor it.

With sonship comes authority and responsibility. We see this in John 1:12.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

The Greek word for “power” here is exousia, meaning authority. We get our English word executive from it. Notice it says the power was to “become.” God has called us to “be” and not do. And when we become sons we will automatically do the things a son does. It becomes who we are.

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

This is my prayer that as we read and understand our sonship, as shown in Eph 1, the spirit of adoption within us will cry out Abba Father. He is your Father and He loves you very much. I am praying that you get a deep revelation of His love today. You have been adopted into the family of God, with Jesus as your big brother.