Romans, specifically chapter eight, is such an amazing gift to readers of scripture. Paul discusses so many wonderful things, from life through the Spirit, present suffering and future glory, being more than conquerers, the intercession of the Spirit, and even adoption...
In my opinion, this might arguably be one of the single greatest chapters in all of the Bible! In verse 15, Paul describes to the Romans how, upon acceptance of Christ, we become adopted children of our Abba Father! The imagery here that he paints can be life changing once it is completely understood.
Think for a moment that you are a parentless child, one desperately lacking identity. One with no claim to a family name, history, cause, or purpose. A child with no home, that knows nothing of it's past and has no possibility of any future inheritance. One with no direction and little hope in life. And then, regardless of all of these things being stacked against you, someone steps in. And in a moment, everything becomes new.
In that moment, you are now welcome in the most magnificent house, the House of God, because you have been adopted by its owner. Adoption isn't something that we deserve. It can't be earned. Never ever did a child work so diligently to prove that s/he would be the perfect candidate for adoption, by providing their own clothes, procuring their own transportation and healthcare, saving enough for tuition at a new school, preparing their own meal plan and making their own meals... no!
Rather, adoption is something freely received, by someone who wants to give us a new opportunity, a better chance- a better life, filled with something more. And through that adoption, we receive even more than we could hope- our new name and identity... a family... a purpose and goal to collaborate and work toward, a calling and position in the family business, and a bright future, full of wonder, wealth, and inheritance, so beyond anything that we could ever have imagined before.
With adoption, comes both responsibility and power, each of which must be rightfully managed as to best represent our Father and family, who was willing to give us an opportunity when no one else would, knowing very well how undeserving we actually were. We are given sonship and the Spirit Himself now testifies that we are the very children of the living God, with direct access to our Father, who is Lord of all creation. And now, all that He has, becomes yours by birthright. Wow... Just wow....
But this amazing perspective also comes with a reminder of this harsh reality as well...
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. -Romans 8:5-8
So adoption does, at minimal, require our participation. One in which we experience transformation of the Spirit, Mind, and Body, through faith in Jesus Christ. The old ways of life must die, as adoption into new life would obviously require a new way of living. And while we work diligently to get our bearing on this new life, Romans 8:31 gives us this confidence, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Remember, God isn't seeking perfection in His children. He knows all too well our human condition, however He is very much focused on the posture of our minds and hearts. To live a holy life, we must sanctify ourselves continually, with our energy and focus remaining on the commandments in which God provided, all of which stem from these two most important ones-
- The First and Greatest: Jesus identified the primary commandment as, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).
- The Second Commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself" is considered to be like the first, encompassing the essence of all law and prophets.
If you haven't found your forever family yet, we would love to discuss adoption with you! :) We earnestly want to help people discover their very best lives here and one day hopefully find heaven a little more crowded because of the impact Christ made on their lives through our faithfulness. If you have questions, please reach out, we would love to chat with you!
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
