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Think about the difference between being a guest at someone's house and being part of the family. A guest knocks and waits at the front door. Family walks straight in and opens the fridge. A guest waits to be told where to sit. Family has their own key, shows up in the family photos, and (yes) gets told off when they do something wrong.
Can a guest ever become family? How would it feel to be told, "You're not visiting any more. You live here now"? As we keep asking "Who am I?" this term, today's answer is a big one. The Bible says that through Jesus, God doesn't just let people visit his house. He adopts them as his children.
What you'll learn
- The blessings God gives his people in Ephesians 1, and how Father, Son and Spirit are each involved
- What adoption meant in the world of the New Testament
- What "Abba, Father" shows about how God's children can talk to him
Every blessing in Christ
Paul wrote a letter to Christians in Ephesus, a big city in what is now Turkey. In Paul's original Greek, Ephesians 1:3–14 is one long sentence, as if he's so excited he can't stop for breath! If you read it, count how many times you see "in him" or "in Christ".
"For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will." (Ephesians 1:4–5)
Here are the blessings Paul lists:
| Blessing | Verse | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Chosen | 4 | God picked his people before the world began. |
| Adopted | 5 | God made them his children through Jesus, because he wanted to. |
| Redeemed and forgiven | 7 | Jesus' death paid to set them free and wipe out their sins. |
| Let in on God's plan | 9–10 | God shows them his plan to bring everything together under Jesus. |
| Given an inheritance | 11, 14 | They have a share in everything God has promised. |
| Sealed with the Holy Spirit | 13–14 | God's Spirit marks them as his and guarantees the rest is coming. |
Notice the shape. The Father chooses and adopts (verses 3–6). The Son redeems and forgives (verses 7–12). The Spirit seals and guarantees (verses 13–14). The whole of God is involved in bringing people into his family. (A seal was a stamp pressed into wax to show who owned something. The Spirit is God's "this one is mine" stamp.)
What adoption meant
In the Roman world, adoption was well known. Often an older boy, or even a grown man, was adopted so he could carry on a family's name and inherit everything. When he was adopted:
- he took the new family's name;
- he had the same rights as a child born into the family, including the inheritance;
- his old situation no longer defined him. He started a new life as a full member of the family.
The word Paul uses means "adoption as sons". In Paul's day, sons were the ones who inherited. So when Paul says all believers, girls and boys, are adopted as sons, he is saying they all get the full inheritance. Nobody in God's family is second-class.
From fear to family
"For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." (Romans 8:15–16)
- Not slaves, but children. A slave obeys out of fear. A child obeys because they are loved and belong. God's children don't need to tiptoe around him.
- "Abba, Father." Abba is an Aramaic word for "father" that children used at home, a warm and close word. Jesus himself prayed "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). Christians get to speak to God the way Jesus does.
- The Spirit tells us we belong. On days when Christians don't feel like God's children, God's Spirit reminds them that they are.
- Heirs with Christ. God's children share in everything Jesus receives. Paul is honest that they share in his sufferings too (Romans 8:17). Being in God's family doesn't mean life is easy. It means you're never alone in it.
Families look very different, and for some people adoption is a happy story while for others it's painful. And not everyone has a good dad. God is the Father that every good dad reflects, not a copy of the worst dad someone knows.
How do you become God's child?
Everyone is made by God. But the Bible says people become God's children by trusting Jesus (John 1:12), not by being born into a Christian family or going to a Christian school. Adoption is God's gift through Jesus, and it's offered to everyone.
Who God says I am
- Adopted as God's child, with a full place in his family (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:15–16).
Key words
- Adoption: bringing someone into a family as a full son or daughter.
- Redeemed: set free by someone paying a price.
- Inheritance: what children receive from their family; here, everything God has promised.
- Sealed: stamped as belonging to someone and kept safe.
- Abba: a warm, close word for "father".
How this points to Jesus
Jesus is God's one and only Son by nature. Christians become God's children by adoption, through him: every blessing in Ephesians 1 is "in Christ", not earned. Jesus' death is the price that makes adoption possible, and because they're joined to him, God's children can call God "Abba" just as Jesus did.
Think about it
What is the biggest difference between a guest and family?Show answer
A guest is welcome to visit, but family belongs. Family has a permanent place, a share in what the family has, and doesn't need an invitation to come in.
Why do you think Paul says believers are adopted "as sons", even the girls?Show answer
In Paul's world, sons received the full inheritance. Paul is saying every believer, girl or boy, gets the full inheritance. Nobody is second-class.
What is the difference between earning your place in a family and being given it?Show answer
If you earn your place, you could lose it by failing. If it's given as a gift, it rests on the giver, so you can be secure.
Take it further
Which is harder for you to believe: that God wants you, or that you don't have to earn your place? Think about it this week. Your worksheet helps you fill in your own "adoption certificate" from Ephesians 1 and Romans 8.
If you'd like to, you could pray:
Father, thank you that through Jesus you don't just let people visit; you bring them into your family. Thank you that your children never have to earn their place. Help me to come to you without fear. Amen.