1. God adopted Israel in the Old Testament. Romans 9:1-5
'Theirs is the adoption to sonship...' Paul is talking about the Israelites. Since Genesis 12, God had chosen them out of all the nations in the world to be his people - his kids - and to be a blessing to the rest of the world. They were meant to belong to God, to know him, be loved and nurtured by him, love him back and grow to be like him by being in his family.
2. God was adopted so we could be adopted. Galatians 4:4-7
'...that we might receive adoption to sonship.' Jesus was born to an unmarried teenage mum in a barn in the least significant town in Israel and adopted by Joseph so that he could live, die in our place for our sin and rise again to make a way for us to become God's children - forgiven, right with God and becoming like him because his Spirit lives in us and empowering us to live the life we were made for.
3. God chose us to be adopted into his family. Ephesians 1:3-14
'In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship in Jesus...' God has made choices about who will be his people, who will trust and follow Jesus and know him personally and be in his family. Our wills are real and important too but not before or more so than God's. In love he chooses his kids. We don't earn it because it's all about God's grace to us. God gives us dignity, value and worth we didn't have before and could never have without him.
4. God adopts us spiritually when we trust and follow Jesus. Romans 8:14-17
'...the Spirit you received brought about your adoption...' God himself moves into our hearts when we decide to trust and follow Jesus. He awakens love for him inside us and we have the strong assurance that we are part of his family forever. We are loved, safe and protected. We can call God our Dad.
5. God adopts us physically when we get to heaven. Romans 8:22-25'...we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.' One day, the spiritual reality of our belonging in God's family will become a physical reality for us forever. All sin, shame, suffering an struggle will be gone. We will be made whole and be perfectly like our heavenly Father. Family forever with God.
Bring it on!
