Our Riches In Christ (2): Adopted In Christ

In the book ‘Be Rich’, Warren Wiersbe tells a story of how late American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst once read of valuable pieces of art and decided that he wanted to add them to his collection. Hearst had been collecting great pieces of art from around the world and had been keeping them in warehouses in different locations. He sent his agent abroad to find and secure them. After months of searching his agent came back and told him that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst’s warehouse all along, he had purchased the pieces of art years before but had forgotten. He had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned! Mr. Hearst would have saved himself a good deal of stress and money if only he had read the catalogue of his treasures.

                                               

Quite a number of us believers in Christ are like Mr. Hearst, scrambling around for the things we already possess because we do not remind ourselves of our riches in Christ. We do not take time to go through our catalogue of treasures.

Adopted In Christ

“…He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will….”

Ephesians 1:5 NIV

The word translated adoption in this verse of Scripture means literally “to place as a son”. The Israelites had a different social system for taking care of orphans so they did not usually practice adoption. The term was borrowed from Greek and Roman culture with roots in perhaps ancient Egyptian or Oriental practices as we read of Moses and Genubath in Exodus 2 and 1^st Kings 11 respectively go through processes that could be termed adoption.

Adoption is a legal process by which a man brings an “outsider” into his family. It signifies the legal act of placing a child with parents other than the birth parents. Through adoption, a new status is conferred on a child who did not naturally belong to the family. An adoption order has the effect of severing the parental responsibilities and rights of the birth parents and transferring those responsibilities and rights onto the adoptive parents. After the adoption process is finalized, there is no legal difference between adopted children and those naturally born to the parents. Once adopted, a person has all the rights of a natural-born child.

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” 

Galatians 4:4 & 5 NIV

 We are no longer fatherless, hopeless, dejected, left alone on our own (Ephesians 2:11-13). God has brought us into His family, we now have a loving Father and have become members of His household (Ephesians 2:19). He has also given us the full privileges of His family, the full rights of sons by adopting us in Christ.  

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ”

Romans 8:15-17 KJV 

From our catalogue of riches in Christ this week I say to you dear believer in Christ: Christ’s position is your position, His possession is your possession, and His privileges are your privileges. You are adopted by God in Christ. Live in this consciousness.

My song for the week is "No Longer Slaves" by Jonathan David.