Adoption is the “missing link”. It answers the questions about whether someone is real believer, a make believer, or just simply an unbeliever. It is a Christian’s adoption in Christ that holds together the categories of justification and sanctification. It helps us to understand that Christianity is not just facts in the head, but faith in the heart, and that faith produces fruit by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Adoption. All who believe are made sons of God and partakers of the divine nature, and we start taking on the family characteristics (1 John 3:1-3). Natural adoption provides nurture, but doesn’t impart a new nature. However with God, we receive a new nature! As children of God we have family privileges (1 Corinthians 6:17, 12:13), responsibilities (Ephesians 5:1-2 / Philippians 2:14-15 / 1 John 2:15-16, 5:1), and discipline (Hebrews 12:5-6): to know and embrace these is to enter into the fullness of vital Christian living.
Are you following that new nature? What are you most influenced by, what are you consumed with? What you consume has a tendency to consume you. Are you one of the children of God? If you are adopted you are secure, but you will also act like one of the family. |
