August 18, 2025 • 29 mins
Most Christians understand salvation primarily through the lens of forgiveness, but there's a profound truth many overlook – God didn't just forgive us, He adopted us. This remarkable message explores how adoption stands at the very heart of salvation, revealing the breathtaking depths of God's love for us.
Drawing from Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:4-7, and Romans 8:14-17, Dr Timothy Mann unpacks three transformative truths about spiritual adoption that will forever change how you view your relationship with God. First, adoption was God's plan from the beginning – not a divine afterthought but His eternal purpose. Before time began, He had already determined to make you His child, not because of your worthiness but because of His will and love.
Second, our adoption came through Christ's redemption. Jesus didn't just die to save us from God's wrath; He died to bring us into a Father's embrace. The price of our adoption was the life of God's Son – a stunning demonstration of costly grace. At the moment of salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit who enables us to cry "Abba, Father" – an intimate term expressing affection, trust, and nearness.
Third, adoption fundamentally changes our identity and security. We're no longer slaves defined by fear and shame but sons and daughters characterized by belonging, love, and inheritance. Everything changes when we truly grasp this truth – we can approach God not just as Lord but as Father, with confidence rather than fear.
As theologian J.I. Packer wrote, "Adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers." To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is even greater. If you've been seeing yourself merely as a forgiven sinner rather than a beloved child, let this message awaken you to the full wonder of who you are in Christ.
How would your relationship with God change if you truly saw yourself as His beloved child? Take hold of this transformative truth today.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We have been in a particular series that we're
calling Saved UnderstandingGod's Work in Us and we've been
focusing on salvation.
The doctrine of salvation andthe reality is is.
A lot of people might know whatthat is about, understand what
that's about and why do we needto go over this?
I would suggest to you thatactually there's a lot of
(00:46):
misunderstanding about what itmeans to be saved.
There's so many facets of thatdoctrine, of that teaching, the
reality of salvation in God'sWord, and most people maybe
often just think about onecomponent, one aspect, and we've
looked at several already.
I'll be talking about how we gofrom strangers to children, from
(01:09):
strangers to children.
We're going to be looking atthree passages of Scripture.
We're going to start inEphesians 1.
We'll look at one verse inEphesians 1.
And then, from Ephesians 1,we'll be going to Galatians,
chapter 4, galatians, chapter 4.
We'll be going to Galatians,chapter 4.
(01:29):
Galatians, chapter 4.
And then from Galatians 4,we'll go to Romans 8.
Ephesians, chapter 1.
And he writes an incrediblyunder the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, he writes anincredibly long run-on sentence
in Greek and it's a run-onsentence in English, and so I'm
going from one comma to anothercomma and lifting it out,
(01:51):
because in that particularphrase is the doctrine, the
teaching, the truth.
From there we'll go toGalatians and on to Romans, all
right, so today I'm taking averse out of context and maybe
I'll need to repent later, Idon't know.
But you'll see Ephesians,chapter 1, verse 5.
I'm reading from the New KingJames Version of the Bible.
(02:13):
The Bible says havingpredestined us to adoption as
sons by Jesus Christ Himself,according to the good pleasure
of His will, now to Galatians 4.
Galatians, chapter 4.
We'll begin in verse 4 and godown through verse 7.
(02:43):
Galatians, chapter 4, beginningin verse 4, through verse 7.
The Bible says but when thefullness of the time had come,
god sent forth his son, born ofa woman, born under the law, to
redeem those who were under thelaw, that we might receive the
adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, godhas sent forth the spirit of his
(03:05):
son into your hearts, cryingout abba, father.
Therefore, you are no longer aslave but a son, and if a son,
then an heir of god throughchrist.
Now to romans 8.
Romans 8.
Romans 8, beginning in verse 14.
(03:33):
And we'll go down through verse17.
Romans 8, beginning in verse 14, down through verse 17.
The Bible says For as many asare led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God, for youdid not receive the spirit of
bondage again to fear, but youreceived the spirit of adoption,
by whom we cry out Abba, father.
(03:55):
The Spirit himself bearswitness, with our spirit, that
we are children of God, and ifchildren, then heirs, heirs of
God and joint heirs with Christ,if indeed we suffer with him,
that we may also be glorifiedtogether.
And we'll stop here.
(04:15):
And all three passages ofScripture that we've read this
morning is God's Word.
I'll tell you what I think, andyou agree with me.
You might not, but I think youwill.
It's my opinion, at least.
I think.
When most people think ofsalvation, they think of
forgiveness.
Would you agree with that?
I think when most people kindof think of salvation, they
(04:36):
think of forgiveness, andrightly so.
I mean, we need to be forgivenof our sins, don't we, to be
reconciled with God?
We need that.
We need to be forgiven of oursins to be reconciled with God.
But forgiveness alone is notthe full picture.
In Christ we are not justpardoned, we are adopted.
(05:00):
God didn't just clear ourrecord, he welcomed us into His
family.
That's the miracle of adoption,and it's not just a legal
transaction, it's a relationaltransformation.
The judge of the universe Imean, think about it the judge
(05:21):
of the universe not onlydeclares us not guilty, but then
he steps down from the bench,takes off his robe and says come
home, you're mine now.
That's the picture.
Theologian JI Packer once wroteadoption is the highest
privilege that the gospel offers.
To be right with God, the judge, is a great thing, but to be
(05:44):
loved and cared for by God, theFather, is even greater.
So today, I think and it's justa need for all of us, and I'm
hoping this to be the case, I'veprayed for it all week I think
we need to see that adoption iscentral to the story of
salvation.
It's not just a side benefit,it's a core part of the gospel.
(06:06):
God's goal in saving us wasn'tmerely or only to make us safe
from His wrath on sin.
It was to make us sons anddaughters, and that truth really
changes everything.
That truth changes everything.
It gives us a new identity, itgives us access to the Father,
(06:29):
it gives us confidence that weare loved and wanted and and
secure.
I think today, in a world thatis filled with relational
brokenness and rejection andfear.
This truth is healing.
In Christ, you are fully knownand fully embraced by the Father
(06:55):
, and so our focus today, forthe next little bit, will be on
three beautiful truths thatwe've just read from the Apostle
Paul's letters.
Three beautiful truths.
I'm just going to go ahead andgive them to you up front.
One is this Adoption was God'splan all along.
That's the first one Adoptionwas God's plan all along.
(07:17):
The second one is adoption camethrough Christ's redemption.
And the third one is adoptionchanges everything about us.
It changes everything about us.
It changes everything about us.
So this morning, whether youhave followed Christ for decades
or maybe you are just stillunsure of where you stand with
(07:39):
God, I am praying for you and Ihave prayed for you that this
message will help you thismorning to see the heart of the
Father and just how deeply hewants you to know that you
belong to him.
So let's go back to Ephesians1.5.
Ephesians 1.5.
Adoption was God's plan allalong.
(08:01):
So we're beginning here withprobably one of the most
sweeping and comforting truthsin all of Scripture.
I'm going to read it againHaving predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christto himself according to the
good pleasure of his will.
So here, in one verse, theApostle Paul really gives us a
(08:21):
breathtaking view of God'seternal plan.
Before time began, before youtook your first breath, before
you ever sinned, god had alreadydetermined that he would make
you as a believer his child.
Adoption is not just a divineafterthought, it's not just a
(08:44):
comforting metaphor, no, andit's not a secondary part of
salvation.
According to Ephesians 1.5,adoption was at the very heart
of God's saving purpose, at theheart of it.
Well, what do we see in thisverse?
Let's kind of walk through it.
Having predestined us, havingpredestined us, so believers are
(09:05):
predestined for adoption.
Having predestined us?
Now, this word can make peopleuncomfortable, but it shouldn't.
It simply means that goddetermined in advance, and he
determined ahead of time what hewould do for those he would say
by grace, through faith injesus.
And what did he decide?
(09:27):
Not only to justify us, notonly to forgive us, but to
justify us.
Not only to forgive us, but toadopt us.
To adopt us, that means thatyour adoption wasn't random, it
wasn't reactive, it wasintentional.
And God didn't adopt youbecause he had to.
He adopted you because hewanted to.
(09:48):
It says to adoption as sons toadoption as sons.
Now, in Roman culture, duringthe time period in which this
was written, adoption was apowerful legal act.
An adopted son was given thefull rights and privileges of a
biological heir, and what's sointeresting about that is he
(10:13):
could not be disowned in thelegal standing of that day.
He could not be disowned.
They could disown a biologicalson, but they couldn't disown a
adopted son and his debts.
If he was an adult, even hispast debts were erased and he
was permanently and fully partof the new family.
(10:34):
That's what the Apostle Paul isdescribing here.
You are not a spiritual orphananymore.
You are not a second-classmember of his family.
I want you to hear that you area full heir, with all the
(10:54):
rights of what it means to be inthe family and in Christ.
You are not just forgiven, youare family.
Look what it says Through byJesus Christ to himself, by
Jesus Christ to himself.
So how did this adoption happen?
Through Jesus, you weren'tbrought into the family by your
(11:16):
good behavior.
Some of you would never qualify.
You weren't brought into thefamily by your good religious
performance.
You were adopted through theredeeming work of Christ, as we
just observed a few minutes agoHis death on the cross for our
sins and Him rising from thedead for our eternal life.
(11:38):
And so Jesus is the true Son ofGod, and by spiritual union
with Him in salvation, throughsaving faith, you become a child
of God too, and so this meansthat your adoption now listen,
this means that your adoption isas secure as Jesus Christ's
(12:01):
sonship.
I mean, think about that.
It's as secure as JesusChrist's sonship If you're in
Him.
If you're in Him, then theFather sees you as His own
beloved child.
And look what else it saysAccording to the good pleasure
(12:25):
of His will.
According to the good pleasureof His will this might be the
most beautiful phrase in theverse.
God adopted you because hewanted to, not reluctantly, not
under pressure, not because youfinally got your act together,
which is futile, by the way.
No, he saved you and he madeyou his child because it pleased
(12:51):
him to do so.
This is the heart of the Father.
This is the heart of the Father.
This is the heart of the Father.
Not cold obligation butoverflowing affection.
Not mechanical or arbitrarykind of precision but no joyful
intention.
(13:11):
Not a transaction, but arelationship, a relationship.
So what does this mean for youas a genuine believer in Jesus.
Let this settle deep in yourheart this morning.
Let this settle deep in yourheart you are not just accepted,
(13:35):
you are adopted.
You are not.
You're not barely tolerated,you are deeply wanted.
You are not on spiritualprobation, you're securely loved
and you are not defined by yourpast.
(14:00):
You are named and claimed bythe father.
That's who you are if you're inchrist a son, a daughter, a
child of god.
Imagine imagine a couplepreparing to adopt jesse I know
you and jenna can relate to thisand there's others in the room.
(14:21):
Imagine a couple preparing toadopt and they set up a room in
their house, they pick out aname, they decorate the walls
and they prepare their hearts,not because the child has earned
anything, but because they'vealready chosen to love that
child.
That's what my parents did forme the year I was born.
(14:46):
They were 36 years old.
They'd been married for 10years and were unable to have
children and they decided toadopt.
Able to have children, and theydecided to adopt and one month
one month before I was born theybelieved on the lord jesus
christ as their lord and saviorand was baptized.
One month before I was born andthen, almost four months after
(15:09):
I was born, they got me thesecond best thing that ever
happened to them in their lifeother than becoming a Christian,
and I was adopted.
I was adopted through the socialservice system in North
Carolina, out of an orphanage.
And look, before they everpicked me up from the social
(15:32):
worker, they had set up a roomfor me, they had bought me
clothes.
They had picked out a name inadvance.
They had determined in advancethat they would love me as if I
were natural to their family,and they claimed me as their own
.
I didn't have a name and theygave me theirs.
They gave me theirs.
All they said on my birthcertificate was baby boy.
(15:55):
All they said on my birthcertificate was baby boy, but
they gave me theirs.
And that's what God did Beforeyou ever came to repentance and
faith.
He loved you, he prepared aplace for you and he called you
His own, not because of yourworthiness, but because of His
(16:22):
will and his love.
You know what the world triesto do.
The world will try to label youby your past.
The world will try to label youby your mistakes or, on the
other end of that spectrum, theworld will try to label you by
(16:42):
your status or by your success,but if you are in Christ, listen
to me very carefully none ofthose define you.
If you're in Christ, you arechosen, you are wanted, you are
loved and you're adopted by theKing of heaven.
You are a part of His foreverfamily, not because of your
merit, but because of His mercy.
Because of His mercy.
(17:04):
So I just want to say to youthis morning don't lose sight of
your identity.
Don't lose sight of youridentity.
You are not just a servant,you're a child of God.
You are not just a servant,you're a child of God, and let
(17:25):
that truth deepen your intimacywith the Father and let it renew
your joy.
This isn't about this, isn'tjust about being saved from hell
Although that sure is a goodthing, isn't it?
This isn't about just beingsaved from hell.
It's about being brought intothe family.
It's about the fact that youare now God's child.
(17:45):
Walk in that freedom, and ifyou're not saved this morning,
if you're not a follower ofJesus, you're not truly a
Christian, if you're not saved.
I want you to hear me.
God is not offering youabstract religion.
He's offering you arelationship.
(18:07):
He wants you to know Him asFather, will you receive the
gift of adoption?
Let's go to Galatians,galatians 4.
(18:28):
We also see that adoption camethrough Christ's redemption,
galatians 4, verse 4 through 7.
Let's reread that.
But when the fullness of timehad come, god sent forth His Son
that's verse 4, born of a woman, born under the law, that is to
(18:49):
say the law of God, to redeemthose who are under the law,
that we might receive theadoption as sons.
And because you are sons, godhas sent forth the spirit of his
son into our heart, into yourhearts, crying out abba, father.
Therefore, you are no longer aslave, but a son, and if a son,
then an heir of god throughchrist.
(19:10):
I think this is probably one ofthe clearest passages in
Scripture, connecting redemptionand adoption together
Redemption and adoption.
In other words, adoption is notjust an act of love Although it
is that it's not just an act oflove.
It's an act of costly grace,and the price was the life of
(19:32):
God's Son.
Look what it says when thefullness of the time had come,
god moved at the right time.
When the fullness of time hadcome, god's plan of redemption
was not rushed, it was notdelayed and it was not reactive.
It unfolded precisely onschedule, as god planned.
(19:54):
The fullness of time refers tothe moment in history when all
was prepared for Christ's comingculturally, politically and
spiritually.
God had been preparing theworld and your story for this
moment and when the moment wasright, he acted.
(20:14):
I think it would be helpful forus to remember this this
morning, not just related tothis, but a lot of things.
God doesn't just work in time,he rules over it.
That'd be good for some of usto remember.
(20:35):
That related to whatever'sgoing on in our own lives.
He doesn't just act in time, herules over it.
And look what it says God sentforth his son, born of a woman,
born under the law.
These words describe what wecall the incarnation, that
theological term, theincarnation.
Jesus was sent from heaven, yetborn of a woman, fully divine
(21:01):
and fully human.
He was born under the law, thatis to say, to live in obedience
to God's law, fulfilling everyrequirement.
We failed to meet that youfailed to meet and still fail to
meet Now.
Why is that important?
Well, it's because our adoptionrequired redemption and
(21:25):
redemption required a perfectsubstitute.
And it says here to redeemthose who were under the law,
that we might receive theadoption as sons.
So we were redeemed to beadopted.
Now, this is another aspect ofsalvation.
We'll touch on it just a littlebit Redemption.
Redemption is the language ofthe marketplace.
(21:48):
It's a price to be paid to freesomeone.
A price paid to free someone.
See, we were enslaved to sin,we were condemned under the law
of god and, as we recognize thismorning symbolically, jesus
paid the price with his ownblood.
(22:09):
And.
And he didn't just come torelease us from slavery, he came
to bring us into sonship, intointo the family as children.
He didn't just free us, hebrought us home.
This really is to me the, thebreath taking truth.
(22:30):
Christ died not only to forgiveyour sins, but to secure your
place in the family of God.
Look what it says and God hassent forth the Spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying outAbba, father.
So the moment we're adopted, wereceive not just a new name,
(22:56):
but a new spirit, capital s, theholy spirit, the very spirit of
christ himself.
The bible says the holy spiritand the spirit.
The holy spirit gives us bothassurance and security.
Intimacy, intimacy with thefather.
The Holy Spirit enables us tocry, to say Abba, father.
(23:21):
Abba is an Aramaic term.
Aramaic is a biblical languageoriginating in Assyria and
closely related to Hebrew andArabic.
And this term, abba, it's aterm of closeness, it's a term
(23:50):
of intimacy, it's something likebut not exactly like Papa or
Daddy.
It expresses affection, itexpresses trust, it expresses
nearness.
This is not just theology, it'srelationship Through the Spirit.
We don't just know God as King,although that's important.
(24:11):
We don't just know God as King,we know Him as Father.
And it says here Therefore, youare no longer a slave, but a
son, and if a son, then an heirof God through Christ.
So we're no longer slaves, butchildren of God and heirs.
So in Christ, we are no longerslaves.
(24:33):
Slaves are defined by fear,slaves are defined by shame,
guilt, but now we are sons anddaughters, and sons and
daughters are defined bybelonging, by love, by
inheritance.
It says heirs of God, heirs ofGod who are promised eternal
(24:57):
life, who are promised thekingdom, promised the full
riches of god's grace.
And so this means everythingchanges, not just in our eternal
destiny, but in how we liveright now.
You are not spirituallyhomeless, you are not
(25:18):
relationally abandoned.
If you are saved, then you area child of the living God with
all of the rights, all of thesecurity and all of the joy that
comes with that.
Let's go back to the adoptionillustration in real life.
I mean, imagine a teenager.
A teenager standing before ajudge guilty, broken, without
(25:49):
hope, and the judge issues apardon, clearing the charges.
Well, that's incredible in andof itself it's amazing.
But then he does something more.
He steps down, he removes hisrobe, he walks across the room
and he says I'm not justforgiving you, I'm adopting you.
(26:10):
Come live in my home, call mefather, and everything I have is
yours.
That's the gospel.
That's the gospel.
That's the gospel.
Justification, one of our otherbig theological terms.
Justification says you'reforgiven.
Adoption says you're family.
(26:32):
You're family, your family,your family.
So let this truth renew yourgratitude, let it renew your
gratitude.
Christ didn't just die to saveyou from God's wrath.
He died to bring you into afather's embrace and, like a
(26:56):
loved child that you are, youshould live like that.
Live like a loved child, not afearful slave.
Your status has changed.
You're no longer under law orcondemnation.
You belong in the family of God.
(27:17):
So start talking to Him not justas Lord, although we should
never lose that reverence, thatrespect.
Start talking to him not justas Lord but as Father.
And if you are still lost Imean, if you're honest about
that, you're still lost.
I mean, if you're honest aboutthat, you're still lost you're
(27:38):
still not a Christian.
You're outside of God's family.
Christ came for you.
He paid the price to set youfree and bring you home.
There's a place for you in theFather's house.
Will you come to Him inrepentance and faith?
(27:59):
Let me ask you a personalquestion.
Can I just get personal withyou?
How would your relationshipwith God change?
How would your relationshipwith God deepen if you truly saw
yourself as a beloved child,not just a forgiven sinner?
(28:25):
How would it change if youactually began to see yourself
as a beloved child and not justa forgiven sinner?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
You've been listening to.
Foundations of Truth, the Bibleteaching ministry of Pastor
Timothy Mann at ProvidenceChurch, ormond Beach, florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach Forservice times, bible fellowship
groups and more information onactivities at Providence Church.
Go online totheprovidencechurchorg.
(29:00):
If you feel led by God tofinancially support Foundations
of Truth, visit the giving linkat theprovidencechurchorg.
Until next time, continue tobuild your life on the
foundations of truth throughJesus Christ and God's written
word.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
We have been in a particular series that we're
calling Saved UnderstandingGod's Work in Us and we've been
focusing on salvation.
The doctrine of salvation andthe reality is is.
A lot of people might know whatthat is about, understand what
that's about and why do we needto go over this?
I would suggest to you thatactually there's a lot of
(00:46):
misunderstanding about what itmeans to be saved.
There's so many facets of thatdoctrine, of that teaching, the
reality of salvation in God'sWord, and most people maybe
often just think about onecomponent, one aspect, and we've
looked at several already.
I'll be talking about how we gofrom strangers to children, from
(01:09):
strangers to children.
We're going to be looking atthree passages of Scripture.
We're going to start inEphesians 1.
We'll look at one verse inEphesians 1.
And then, from Ephesians 1,we'll be going to Galatians,
chapter 4, galatians, chapter 4.
We'll be going to Galatians,chapter 4.
(01:29):
Galatians, chapter 4.
And then from Galatians 4,we'll go to Romans 8.
Ephesians, chapter 1.
And he writes an incrediblyunder the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, he writes anincredibly long run-on sentence
in Greek and it's a run-onsentence in English, and so I'm
going from one comma to anothercomma and lifting it out,
(01:51):
because in that particularphrase is the doctrine, the
teaching, the truth.
From there we'll go toGalatians and on to Romans, all
right, so today I'm taking averse out of context and maybe
I'll need to repent later, Idon't know.
But you'll see Ephesians,chapter 1, verse 5.
I'm reading from the New KingJames Version of the Bible.
(02:13):
The Bible says havingpredestined us to adoption as
sons by Jesus Christ Himself,according to the good pleasure
of His will, now to Galatians 4.
Galatians, chapter 4.
We'll begin in verse 4 and godown through verse 7.
(02:43):
Galatians, chapter 4, beginningin verse 4, through verse 7.
The Bible says but when thefullness of the time had come,
god sent forth his son, born ofa woman, born under the law, to
redeem those who were under thelaw, that we might receive the
adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, godhas sent forth the spirit of his
(03:05):
son into your hearts, cryingout abba, father.
Therefore, you are no longer aslave but a son, and if a son,
then an heir of god throughchrist.
Now to romans 8.
Romans 8.
Romans 8, beginning in verse 14.
(03:33):
And we'll go down through verse17.
Romans 8, beginning in verse 14, down through verse 17.
The Bible says For as many asare led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God, for youdid not receive the spirit of
bondage again to fear, but youreceived the spirit of adoption,
by whom we cry out Abba, father.
(03:55):
The Spirit himself bearswitness, with our spirit, that
we are children of God, and ifchildren, then heirs, heirs of
God and joint heirs with Christ,if indeed we suffer with him,
that we may also be glorifiedtogether.
And we'll stop here.
(04:15):
And all three passages ofScripture that we've read this
morning is God's Word.
I'll tell you what I think, andyou agree with me.
You might not, but I think youwill.
It's my opinion, at least.
I think.
When most people think ofsalvation, they think of
forgiveness.
Would you agree with that?
I think when most people kindof think of salvation, they
(04:36):
think of forgiveness, andrightly so.
I mean, we need to be forgivenof our sins, don't we, to be
reconciled with God?
We need that.
We need to be forgiven of oursins to be reconciled with God.
But forgiveness alone is notthe full picture.
In Christ we are not justpardoned, we are adopted.
(05:00):
God didn't just clear ourrecord, he welcomed us into His
family.
That's the miracle of adoption,and it's not just a legal
transaction, it's a relationaltransformation.
The judge of the universe Imean, think about it the judge
(05:21):
of the universe not onlydeclares us not guilty, but then
he steps down from the bench,takes off his robe and says come
home, you're mine now.
That's the picture.
Theologian JI Packer once wroteadoption is the highest
privilege that the gospel offers.
To be right with God, the judge, is a great thing, but to be
(05:44):
loved and cared for by God, theFather, is even greater.
So today, I think and it's justa need for all of us, and I'm
hoping this to be the case, I'veprayed for it all week I think
we need to see that adoption iscentral to the story of
salvation.
It's not just a side benefit,it's a core part of the gospel.
(06:06):
God's goal in saving us wasn'tmerely or only to make us safe
from His wrath on sin.
It was to make us sons anddaughters, and that truth really
changes everything.
That truth changes everything.
It gives us a new identity, itgives us access to the Father,
(06:29):
it gives us confidence that weare loved and wanted and and
secure.
I think today, in a world thatis filled with relational
brokenness and rejection andfear.
This truth is healing.
In Christ, you are fully knownand fully embraced by the Father
(06:55):
, and so our focus today, forthe next little bit, will be on
three beautiful truths thatwe've just read from the Apostle
Paul's letters.
Three beautiful truths.
I'm just going to go ahead andgive them to you up front.
One is this Adoption was God'splan all along.
That's the first one Adoptionwas God's plan all along.
(07:17):
The second one is adoption camethrough Christ's redemption.
And the third one is adoptionchanges everything about us.
It changes everything about us.
It changes everything about us.
So this morning, whether youhave followed Christ for decades
or maybe you are just stillunsure of where you stand with
(07:39):
God, I am praying for you and Ihave prayed for you that this
message will help you thismorning to see the heart of the
Father and just how deeply hewants you to know that you
belong to him.
So let's go back to Ephesians1.5.
Ephesians 1.5.
Adoption was God's plan allalong.
(08:01):
So we're beginning here withprobably one of the most
sweeping and comforting truthsin all of Scripture.
I'm going to read it againHaving predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christto himself according to the
good pleasure of his will.
So here, in one verse, theApostle Paul really gives us a
(08:21):
breathtaking view of God'seternal plan.
Before time began, before youtook your first breath, before
you ever sinned, god had alreadydetermined that he would make
you as a believer his child.
Adoption is not just a divineafterthought, it's not just a
(08:44):
comforting metaphor, no, andit's not a secondary part of
salvation.
According to Ephesians 1.5,adoption was at the very heart
of God's saving purpose, at theheart of it.
Well, what do we see in thisverse?
Let's kind of walk through it.
Having predestined us, havingpredestined us, so believers are
(09:05):
predestined for adoption.
Having predestined us?
Now, this word can make peopleuncomfortable, but it shouldn't.
It simply means that goddetermined in advance, and he
determined ahead of time what hewould do for those he would say
by grace, through faith injesus.
And what did he decide?
(09:27):
Not only to justify us, notonly to forgive us, but to
justify us.
Not only to forgive us, but toadopt us.
To adopt us, that means thatyour adoption wasn't random, it
wasn't reactive, it wasintentional.
And God didn't adopt youbecause he had to.
He adopted you because hewanted to.
(09:48):
It says to adoption as sons toadoption as sons.
Now, in Roman culture, duringthe time period in which this
was written, adoption was apowerful legal act.
An adopted son was given thefull rights and privileges of a
biological heir, and what's sointeresting about that is he
(10:13):
could not be disowned in thelegal standing of that day.
He could not be disowned.
They could disown a biologicalson, but they couldn't disown a
adopted son and his debts.
If he was an adult, even hispast debts were erased and he
was permanently and fully partof the new family.
(10:34):
That's what the Apostle Paul isdescribing here.
You are not a spiritual orphananymore.
You are not a second-classmember of his family.
I want you to hear that you area full heir, with all the
(10:54):
rights of what it means to be inthe family and in Christ.
You are not just forgiven, youare family.
Look what it says Through byJesus Christ to himself, by
Jesus Christ to himself.
So how did this adoption happen?
Through Jesus, you weren'tbrought into the family by your
(11:16):
good behavior.
Some of you would never qualify.
You weren't brought into thefamily by your good religious
performance.
You were adopted through theredeeming work of Christ, as we
just observed a few minutes agoHis death on the cross for our
sins and Him rising from thedead for our eternal life.
(11:38):
And so Jesus is the true Son ofGod, and by spiritual union
with Him in salvation, throughsaving faith, you become a child
of God too, and so this meansthat your adoption now listen,
this means that your adoption isas secure as Jesus Christ's
(12:01):
sonship.
I mean, think about that.
It's as secure as JesusChrist's sonship If you're in
Him.
If you're in Him, then theFather sees you as His own
beloved child.
And look what else it saysAccording to the good pleasure
(12:25):
of His will.
According to the good pleasureof His will this might be the
most beautiful phrase in theverse.
God adopted you because hewanted to, not reluctantly, not
under pressure, not because youfinally got your act together,
which is futile, by the way.
No, he saved you and he madeyou his child because it pleased
(12:51):
him to do so.
This is the heart of the Father.
This is the heart of the Father.
This is the heart of the Father.
Not cold obligation butoverflowing affection.
Not mechanical or arbitrarykind of precision but no joyful
intention.
(13:11):
Not a transaction, but arelationship, a relationship.
So what does this mean for youas a genuine believer in Jesus.
Let this settle deep in yourheart this morning.
Let this settle deep in yourheart you are not just accepted,
(13:35):
you are adopted.
You are not.
You're not barely tolerated,you are deeply wanted.
You are not on spiritualprobation, you're securely loved
and you are not defined by yourpast.
(14:00):
You are named and claimed bythe father.
That's who you are if you're inchrist a son, a daughter, a
child of god.
Imagine imagine a couplepreparing to adopt jesse I know
you and jenna can relate to thisand there's others in the room.
(14:21):
Imagine a couple preparing toadopt and they set up a room in
their house, they pick out aname, they decorate the walls
and they prepare their hearts,not because the child has earned
anything, but because they'vealready chosen to love that
child.
That's what my parents did forme the year I was born.
(14:46):
They were 36 years old.
They'd been married for 10years and were unable to have
children and they decided toadopt.
Able to have children, and theydecided to adopt and one month
one month before I was born theybelieved on the lord jesus
christ as their lord and saviorand was baptized.
One month before I was born andthen, almost four months after
(15:09):
I was born, they got me thesecond best thing that ever
happened to them in their lifeother than becoming a Christian,
and I was adopted.
I was adopted through the socialservice system in North
Carolina, out of an orphanage.
And look, before they everpicked me up from the social
(15:32):
worker, they had set up a roomfor me, they had bought me
clothes.
They had picked out a name inadvance.
They had determined in advancethat they would love me as if I
were natural to their family,and they claimed me as their own
.
I didn't have a name and theygave me theirs.
They gave me theirs.
All they said on my birthcertificate was baby boy.
(15:55):
All they said on my birthcertificate was baby boy, but
they gave me theirs.
And that's what God did Beforeyou ever came to repentance and
faith.
He loved you, he prepared aplace for you and he called you
His own, not because of yourworthiness, but because of His
(16:22):
will and his love.
You know what the world triesto do.
The world will try to label youby your past.
The world will try to label youby your mistakes or, on the
other end of that spectrum, theworld will try to label you by
(16:42):
your status or by your success,but if you are in Christ, listen
to me very carefully none ofthose define you.
If you're in Christ, you arechosen, you are wanted, you are
loved and you're adopted by theKing of heaven.
You are a part of His foreverfamily, not because of your
merit, but because of His mercy.
Because of His mercy.
(17:04):
So I just want to say to youthis morning don't lose sight of
your identity.
Don't lose sight of youridentity.
You are not just a servant,you're a child of God.
You are not just a servant,you're a child of God, and let
(17:25):
that truth deepen your intimacywith the Father and let it renew
your joy.
This isn't about this, isn'tjust about being saved from hell
Although that sure is a goodthing, isn't it?
This isn't about just beingsaved from hell.
It's about being brought intothe family.
It's about the fact that youare now God's child.
(17:45):
Walk in that freedom, and ifyou're not saved this morning,
if you're not a follower ofJesus, you're not truly a
Christian, if you're not saved.
I want you to hear me.
God is not offering youabstract religion.
He's offering you arelationship.
(18:07):
He wants you to know Him asFather, will you receive the
gift of adoption?
Let's go to Galatians,galatians 4.
(18:28):
We also see that adoption camethrough Christ's redemption,
galatians 4, verse 4 through 7.
Let's reread that.
But when the fullness of timehad come, god sent forth His Son
that's verse 4, born of a woman, born under the law, that is to
(18:49):
say the law of God, to redeemthose who are under the law,
that we might receive theadoption as sons.
And because you are sons, godhas sent forth the spirit of his
son into our heart, into yourhearts, crying out abba, father.
Therefore, you are no longer aslave, but a son, and if a son,
then an heir of god throughchrist.
(19:10):
I think this is probably one ofthe clearest passages in
Scripture, connecting redemptionand adoption together
Redemption and adoption.
In other words, adoption is notjust an act of love Although it
is that it's not just an act oflove.
It's an act of costly grace,and the price was the life of
(19:32):
God's Son.
Look what it says when thefullness of the time had come,
god moved at the right time.
When the fullness of time hadcome, god's plan of redemption
was not rushed, it was notdelayed and it was not reactive.
It unfolded precisely onschedule, as god planned.
(19:54):
The fullness of time refers tothe moment in history when all
was prepared for Christ's comingculturally, politically and
spiritually.
God had been preparing theworld and your story for this
moment and when the moment wasright, he acted.
(20:14):
I think it would be helpful forus to remember this this
morning, not just related tothis, but a lot of things.
God doesn't just work in time,he rules over it.
That'd be good for some of usto remember.
(20:35):
That related to whatever'sgoing on in our own lives.
He doesn't just act in time, herules over it.
And look what it says God sentforth his son, born of a woman,
born under the law.
These words describe what wecall the incarnation, that
theological term, theincarnation.
Jesus was sent from heaven, yetborn of a woman, fully divine
(21:01):
and fully human.
He was born under the law, thatis to say, to live in obedience
to God's law, fulfilling everyrequirement.
We failed to meet that youfailed to meet and still fail to
meet Now.
Why is that important?
Well, it's because our adoptionrequired redemption and
(21:25):
redemption required a perfectsubstitute.
And it says here to redeemthose who were under the law,
that we might receive theadoption as sons.
So we were redeemed to beadopted.
Now, this is another aspect ofsalvation.
We'll touch on it just a littlebit Redemption.
Redemption is the language ofthe marketplace.
(21:48):
It's a price to be paid to freesomeone.
A price paid to free someone.
See, we were enslaved to sin,we were condemned under the law
of god and, as we recognize thismorning symbolically, jesus
paid the price with his ownblood.
(22:09):
And.
And he didn't just come torelease us from slavery, he came
to bring us into sonship, intointo the family as children.
He didn't just free us, hebrought us home.
This really is to me the, thebreath taking truth.
(22:30):
Christ died not only to forgiveyour sins, but to secure your
place in the family of God.
Look what it says and God hassent forth the Spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying outAbba, father.
So the moment we're adopted, wereceive not just a new name,
(22:56):
but a new spirit, capital s, theholy spirit, the very spirit of
christ himself.
The bible says the holy spiritand the spirit.
The holy spirit gives us bothassurance and security.
Intimacy, intimacy with thefather.
The Holy Spirit enables us tocry, to say Abba, father.
(23:21):
Abba is an Aramaic term.
Aramaic is a biblical languageoriginating in Assyria and
closely related to Hebrew andArabic.
And this term, abba, it's aterm of closeness, it's a term
(23:50):
of intimacy, it's something likebut not exactly like Papa or
Daddy.
It expresses affection, itexpresses trust, it expresses
nearness.
This is not just theology, it'srelationship Through the Spirit.
We don't just know God as King,although that's important.
(24:11):
We don't just know God as King,we know Him as Father.
And it says here Therefore, youare no longer a slave, but a
son, and if a son, then an heirof God through Christ.
So we're no longer slaves, butchildren of God and heirs.
So in Christ, we are no longerslaves.
(24:33):
Slaves are defined by fear,slaves are defined by shame,
guilt, but now we are sons anddaughters, and sons and
daughters are defined bybelonging, by love, by
inheritance.
It says heirs of God, heirs ofGod who are promised eternal
(24:57):
life, who are promised thekingdom, promised the full
riches of god's grace.
And so this means everythingchanges, not just in our eternal
destiny, but in how we liveright now.
You are not spirituallyhomeless, you are not
(25:18):
relationally abandoned.
If you are saved, then you area child of the living God with
all of the rights, all of thesecurity and all of the joy that
comes with that.
Let's go back to the adoptionillustration in real life.
I mean, imagine a teenager.
A teenager standing before ajudge guilty, broken, without
(25:49):
hope, and the judge issues apardon, clearing the charges.
Well, that's incredible in andof itself it's amazing.
But then he does something more.
He steps down, he removes hisrobe, he walks across the room
and he says I'm not justforgiving you, I'm adopting you.
(26:10):
Come live in my home, call mefather, and everything I have is
yours.
That's the gospel.
That's the gospel.
That's the gospel.
Justification, one of our otherbig theological terms.
Justification says you'reforgiven.
Adoption says you're family.
(26:32):
You're family, your family,your family.
So let this truth renew yourgratitude, let it renew your
gratitude.
Christ didn't just die to saveyou from God's wrath.
He died to bring you into afather's embrace and, like a
(26:56):
loved child that you are, youshould live like that.
Live like a loved child, not afearful slave.
Your status has changed.
You're no longer under law orcondemnation.
You belong in the family of God.
(27:17):
So start talking to Him not justas Lord, although we should
never lose that reverence, thatrespect.
Start talking to him not justas Lord but as Father.
And if you are still lost Imean, if you're honest about
that, you're still lost.
I mean, if you're honest aboutthat, you're still lost you're
(27:38):
still not a Christian.
You're outside of God's family.
Christ came for you.
He paid the price to set youfree and bring you home.
There's a place for you in theFather's house.
Will you come to Him inrepentance and faith?
(27:59):
Let me ask you a personalquestion.
Can I just get personal withyou?
How would your relationshipwith God change?
How would your relationshipwith God deepen if you truly saw
yourself as a beloved child,not just a forgiven sinner?
(28:25):
How would it change if youactually began to see yourself
as a beloved child and not justa forgiven sinner?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
You've been listening to.
Foundations of Truth, the Bibleteaching ministry of Pastor
Timothy Mann at ProvidenceChurch, ormond Beach, florida.
You're invited to join us onSundays at 1151 West Granada
Boulevard in Ormond Beach Forservice times, bible fellowship
groups and more information onactivities at Providence Church.
Go online totheprovidencechurchorg.
(29:00):
If you feel led by God tofinancially support Foundations
of Truth, visit the giving linkat theprovidencechurchorg.
Until next time, continue tobuild your life on the
foundations of truth throughJesus Christ and God's written
word.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.