Adoption- Ephesians 1:5

During this present term of the Radio School of the Bible, we are examining in some detail Paul's letter to the Ephesians. It's a remarkable letter. The first half emphasizes doctrine and the last half emphasizes duty. In the first half of the book, Paul tells us what God has done for us, and in the last half of his letter, he tells us what we must do for God. The Christian life is simply returning to God in gratitude what He has done for us. This is why Paul beseeches us. He doesn't command us, He doesn't threaten us. He beseeches us on the basis of what God has already done for us, that we might live lives that will glorify Him.

Now, here in Ephesians 1, we've been examining in Ephesians 1:4-14 the blessings, some of the blessings that we have as Christians. Now, Paul could not begin to enumerate all that God has done for us. When a person receives Christ as his Savior, it is remarkable how many, many things instantaneously take place in his life.

Now, Paul has told us in Ephesians 1:4 that God the Father has chosen us. In Ephesians 1:5, He has adopted us. And in Ephesians 1:6, He has accepted us. Here are three blessings from God the Father. He has chosen us, adopted us, and accepted us. And please notice in Ephesians 1:6 that He does this, not for our good, but to the praise of the glory of His grace.

In Ephesians 1:7-12, we have the blessings from God the Son. God the Son has forgiven us, He has redeemed us, He has revealed God's will to us, He has made us an inheritance in Himself. And the purpose of all of this, the reason for all of this is given in Ephesians 1:12, that we should be to the praise of His glory. Then Ephesians 1:13-14, we have the blessings of God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God has sealed us, and He is the earnest of our inheritance, the down payment assuring us that we will someday receive all that God has promised to us. And notice, please, in Ephesians 1:14 that the reason the Holy Spirit has done these things is that it might be unto the praise of His glory.

So, regardless of where you look in this chapter, behind all of the great plan of salvation is the praise of the glory of His grace. Now, if you leave grace and glory out of the plan of salvation, you don't have Bible salvation. Any salvation that is by works is not Bible salvation, because there is no salvation by works. Any salvation that is to the glory of man and not to the glory of God is not Bible salvation. The Word of God teaches us very clearly that God has instituted this remarkable plan of salvation, sending His Son to die for a lost world to the praise of the glory of His grace. You know, someday when Jesus Christ returns, all believers are going to be caught up and taken to glory. And there in the presence of our Savior, we are going to praise not our good works, because we don't have any. We're going to praise the glory of His grace. We sing in one of our hymns, "O to grace, how great a debtor daily I am constrained to be. Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." The grace of God is behind the plan of salvation.

Now, salvation begins with God choosing us. This is Ephesians 1:4. As we pointed out last week, there are two parallel lines that run through the Scriptures: God's sovereign will and man's moral responsibility. If salvation were left to man, he would never be saved. Romans 3:10-12 makes it very clear that there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none righteous, no, not one.

Salvation begins in the loving heart of God. And way back in eternity past, before the foundation of the world, God the Father chose us in Christ. Then God the Son came and died for us on the cross. And then God the Holy Spirit was sent that He might convict men and and open their hearts to receive the Savior. Now, as I mentioned in our last lesson, we don't go down to the rescue mission or to an evangelistic service and preach election. Election is a family secret. It's one of the precious truths of the Word of God that belongs to God's people. When we go out to preach the Gospel, we do as Paul did. We preach, whosoever will, let him come. We open widely the door of salvation for men to enter. But once they have entered and received Christ as their Savior, they discover the remarkable fact that they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Now, election is a reason for adoration and love. In Romans 11:33, the Apostle Paul has been examining this intricate doctrine of election. And when he comes to the end of the chapter, having discovered all that God has done in His sovereign will, he says, "O the depth, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His ways!" The doctrine of election should not cause men to despair or to be disappointed or to be critical. The doctrine of election ought to make us bow down in humble adoration that Almighty God in His sovereign will should even think of us. And the doctrine of election is a source of strength and power to the Christian, because we know that since God has chosen us, we never can be lost. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

Now, in Ephesians 1:5, we have a second blessing from God the Father: "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." Now, first, I want to discuss this word adoption. Then we'll go back and pick up the word predestination. Now, adoption in the New Testament is not what adoption is in the Western world today. We admire a childless couple or perhaps a couple that has a family that would go down to a children's home or an orphanage and pick out a an orphan child and take that child home and adopt it. Take that child into their home as their own. Now, that's not what he's talking about here. We are not saved by being adopted. We are saved by being born again. And I want to make just as clear as I can the difference between being born again – now, that's regeneration. The word regeneration simply means to be born again. The difference between being born again and being adopted.

Now, the basic difference is this: Regeneration is a miracle that happens to sinners. Once we were children of wrath, children of disobedience. And then we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we were regenerated. We were born again, and the sinner became a child of God. But as many as received Him, Christ, to them gave He the power, the privilege, to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name. Jesus said to Nicodemus, who was very proud of his birth, for he was born a Jew and he was a Pharisee. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again," regenerated, born from above, "he cannot see the kingdom of God." Now, regeneration is something that happens to sinners and makes them saints. Adoption is something that happens to saints. After I have become a child of God, then God adopts me in His family. Now, what was adoption? Adoption was the process in a Roman or a Greek household whereby a son was given adult standing in the family.

Now, you'll recall in the Greek household, they used to have slaves who used to teach the young children, and who used to be their guides. They'd take them to school, they'd bring them back. They would keep these children under control until they came of age. Now, the law was a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:24 tells us this. The law was our school teacher. The law kept the Jewish nation under control until Jesus came and the program of God came of age, until the fullness of time was come. Now, a minor in a household cannot inherit anything. A minor in a household has no adult standing. He's a child. But adoption was the legal process whereby a Roman or a Greek father – primarily, this was Roman – whereby a father could give to his son adult standing in the household. Now, this meant that he would receive the inheritance. This meant that he had power. This meant that he was not treated as a child.

Now, the amazing truth is this: when you were saved, you were adopted. Once you had become a child of God by faith in Christ, then God gave you an adult, mature standing in His family. Now, as far as time is concerned, there are Christians of all ages. There are some who are little babes in Christ. Peter writes and says as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. There are some who are young men in Christ. There are some who are old fathers in Christ, mature warriors who have walked the path and and fought the battles. There are different levels of development. Peter writes and says, "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Paul wrote to the Corinthians and says, uh, that he had to feed them with milk and he couldn't feed them meat because they hadn't grown up. They were little children. The Hebrew writer says that for the time that these people had been saved, Hebrews 5:12, they ought to be teaching others. But someone has to teach them again, even the first principles. They'd gone back into a spiritual second childhood.

Now, as far as time and development are concerned, we all are at different ages and different levels of the Christian life. But as far as our position is in Christ is concerned, we're all in the same place. We have all been adopted to the maturity and the mature standing of sons. Now, this adoption does not show. The Word of God tells us in Romans 8:23 that the whole creation is waiting for the adoption of the children of God. All of creation, Romans 8:22 says this: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body." You see, the adoption that we have assures us of receiving the inheritance. Now, some of the inheritance we've already received. Ephesians 1:3 says, "we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ." But, you know, one of these days our bodies are going to be changed. Philippians 3:20-21 says our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we look for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change these bodies of humiliation to be made like unto His glorious body. 1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Now, this adoption, this declaring that we are God's adult sons, has not yet been made public. Now, spiritually speaking, it has already taken place. The fact of the matter is we have already been glorified. It's interesting to read over in Romans 8:30 – we'll have occasion to come back to this verse in a little while. Romans 8:30: "Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Past tense. Doesn't say them he also will glorify, future. We are already glorified in Jesus Christ. It doesn't look like it. You attend the morning worship service in your church, and you don't see much glory, perhaps. Most of us don't look very glorious, but we have already been glorified. We have already been adopted. The only thing God has to do is reveal it. And when Jesus Christ comes back, He is going to reveal to all of creation how glorious His children really are.

Now, the important thing is this: God has adopted us and given us an adult standing in His family. We aren't little children. We are adults. We ought to live like it. We ought to realize that God has given to us His inheritance. He has placed within our hands privileges, privileges that adults have that children can't have. How important it is that we as God's children live up to our wonderful position in Christ, adopted. Now, keep in mind, regeneration is something God does for sinners, changing a sinner into a saint, into a child of God. Adoption is something God does for saints. He takes the regenerated person, He takes the child of God, and declares that he is an adult with adult standing in His family.

Now, regeneration makes us born again. We are children. Adoption makes us to be sons. Now, let me read Ephesians 1:5 to you. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ." The word children there literally is the word sons. The word adoption simply means in the Greek language, the placing as a son. Now, we all know what a child is. We are the children of God by faith in Christ. But adoption means we are not only children, we are sons.

Regeneration means we have been elected in God's love. Adoption means we have been predestinated in His love. Notice Ephesians 1:4 ends with the two words in love. It's very likely that these two words belong at the beginning of Ephesians 1:5. Look at Ephesians 1:4: "that we should be holy and without blame before Him. In love having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ." Did you notice that election was by Jesus Christ? Adoption is by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Now, this leads us to this difficult word predestination. And I suppose the thing that frightens people is the word destiny right in the middle, because people have a way of equating destiny with fate. Now, we have to believe one of several things about this universe. Either there is no God and everything is running around pell-mell without any control. Now, I have a hard time believing this. All of modern science is based on the fact that there's some kind of order and sense to the universe. Or we can believe that there is a God somewhere who is controlling everything so that we have no thoughts of our own. Now, I can't believe this, because the Word of God commands us to make decisions.

Now, somewhere in between these two extremes, we have the truth of the Word of God. As I mentioned before, there are two parallel lines that run in Scripture. There is God's sovereign will. God is not the victim of my mistakes. God is never at the beck and call of man's whims and fancies. Almighty God is on the throne. He knows what He's doing. He has a plan. He has planned His work and He is working His plan. Now, the way it has been illustrated to me, I think it's Dr. A. W. Tozer, who's now home with the Lord, who used to illustrate this wonderful truth this way. He says, imagine a boat, a passenger liner, leaving New York Harbor going to Southampton, England. On board this ship are several hundred people. They can play shuffleboard, they can swim, they can lie in the deck chairs and soak up the sun, they can read, but that boat is going to go to England. Now, the world is this way. Today you may go shopping, you may uh, write a letter, you may go to church, there may be many things you will do, but God has a plan and He's going to get His boat to England.

Now, election has to do with people. God chooses people. Predestination has to do with purposes. Predestination simply refers to God's plan for those whom He has chosen. May I repeat that? Predestination simply refers to God's plan for those whom He has chosen. Now, Ephesians 1:5 does not say we were predestinated to be saved. Predestination refers to people who already are saved. God predestined even before we were saved that all of those who are saved should be adopted. In Romans 8:28-30, I read them just a moment ago. God makes it clear that He has predestinated that all who have been called should be glorified, that we should someday be conformed to the image of His Son.

Now, predestination simply means to mark off beforehand. The death of Christ was predestinated, Acts 4:28. Romans 8:29-30, we are predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. Ephesians 1:5, we were predestinated to be adopted. Ephesians 1:11, we are being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will. So, predestination is the wonderful plan that God has for His children. We're not floundering, we're not worrying, we're in His hands, and He's going to work out a wonderful plan for our lives.

So, here then are two blessings from God the Father: He has chosen us, He has adopted us, and all of this is a part of His wonderful plan for our lives. Our Father, we thank Thee that salvation is not the end, it's the beginning. Thou dost stay with us and Thou dost work out Thy wonderful plan in our lives. Help us to be faithful, and we thank Thee that one day we shall be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.