Adoption
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:4-7
Several of my best friends have adopted small children and it is a beautiful picture of love and grace in our world.
One family in particular had to wait an extremely long time and spend a lot of money and effort to finally be able to bring their new child home. In the end, it was worth the time, money, and effort because they were able to provide a new home for a precious little child.
Think about what actually happens when a child is adopted. A helpless baby is taken into a new family, given a new name, and given all the privileges of being in the family. How much did it cost the baby to be adopted? Nothing. How much did it cost the family to adopt the child? A lot.
This passage talks about one of the greatest truths in Scripture- spiritual adoption. This is one of the many things that make the Gospel good news for us today.
When humanity was held captive as a slave to sin, at just the right time, God sent Jesus to rescue and adopt us into the family by living the life we could never live and dying the death we deserved. Because of Christ we have been given a new name and a new hope. Because of Jesus we have access to all of the privileges of God’s house and it didn’t cost us a dime.
What did it cost God to adopt us? Everything. But, he willingly did it because he knew that we could not help ourselves. Why did God adopt us? Simply because He loves His children.