A blessed sweet time spent with Karen! Thank You, Father, for the gift of her in my life! I could not have a better helpmate and companion to love and be loved by. All praise to You!

Romans 9:4-5 (<<click here to read the passage)

I wrote of adoption back in 2016 (Adopted into the Family << click to read) but I feel that it’s important to go a little deeper into what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote this epistle (letter) to the church in Rome.

In this particular passage, he is speaking of his Jewish brothers and sisters stating that they…

…are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. v4 NLT

But as he makes clear multiple times in his writings, Paul points out that all who accept Jesus’ gift of salvation are adopted into God’s family, as well.

Doing a little online research, I came across an article on Tabletalk, an online affiliate of Ligonier Ministries, founded by R.C. Sproul, whom I have referred to before. Here is a portion of the article entitled – Adoption in the Roman World (<<click to read).

For Paul to declare that those who were once slaves to sin were adopted was an influential message. The slave metaphor was personal to many. Furthermore, when a person was adopted, a change in commitment was expected. It was the norm to carry the name, estate, and religious rites of the adoptive family. It was a new lineage. The notion that they had been brought into the household of God through adoption was transformative. They were not simply freed slaves who were often considered only slightly better than slaves who were still in bondage. Even a manumitted [freed] slave who amassed wealth still faced class restrictions. So, when Paul states that the Christians were not simply freed but adopted, they understood that they had received greater privileges.

Reading through what Paul wrote regarding his own people shows that status of adoption.

    • chosen to be God’s adopted children
    • God revealed his glory to them
    • He made covenants with them
    • …and gave them his law.
    • He gave them the privilege of worshiping him
    • …and receiving his wonderful promises.

They [and we!] were [are] not in servitude toward God. They [and we!] were [are] not His employees. The marvel of biblical adoption is that [they and] we are given the status of children with all its rights and privileges.

Stand tall and unashamed! May we live like who we are – God’s children!

July 3rd, 2023, Mon, 9:17 pm