Adopted: The Father's Great Delight Series

Introduction

In our world, adoption is one of the most beautiful pictures of love. A child, often with no hope for a family, is deliberately chosen, given a new name, a new home, and a new future. Last week, we saw from verse 4 that God has chosen us. Today, in verse 5, Paul reveals the incredible purpose for which we were chosen: not just to be servants or subjects, but to be sons and daughters. This is the doctrine of adoption, and it reveals the very heart of God.

I. The Plan of God: A Predestined Purpose

Before we explore the privilege of adoption, we must see that it was part of God's eternal, unshakeable plan.

A. A Determined Destination: "Having predestinated us..."

This word, "predestinated," means to "mark out a boundary or destination beforehand." Long before you took your first breath, God had already determined your final destination: to be a member of His family. Your salvation is not an accident; it is the unfolding of an eternal, deliberate design.

B. An Unbreakable Security:

This truth gives us profound security. Our standing as a child of God does not rest on our fluctuating performance, but on the unchanging, predetermined plan of the Almighty. He who planned your adoption is faithful to complete it.

II. The Privilege from God: An Adopted Position

The destination God planned for us is the highest privilege imaginable.

A. A New Legal Status: "...unto the adoption of children..."

In the Roman world that Paul wrote to, an adopted son was legally and permanently transferred from his old family to the new one. He received a new name and all the rights and inheritance of a natural-born heir. For us, this means we are no longer orphans in sin's family; we have been legally transferred into God's family with all the rights of a child of the King.

B. A New Intimate Relationship:

This is more than just a legal change; it's a relational one. We are no longer strangers or enemies of God. We are His beloved children, able to cry out "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15). We have intimate access to the throne of the universe because our Father sits on it.

III. The Person for God: An Accomplished Work

How can sinful people become holy children of a perfect God? This radical transformation is only possible through one person.

A. The Agent of Our Adoption: "...by Jesus Christ..."

We are adopted by or through Jesus Christ. He is the eternal, natural-born Son of God. It is through His perfect life and sacrificial death that the price of our adoption was paid. He brings us into the family that has always been His. We are sons by grace because He is the Son by nature.

B. The Goal of Our Adoption: "...to himself."

Why did God do all this? To bring us "to himself." This is deeply personal. God wasn't just tidying up the universe or solving a sin problem. He was gathering a family for Himself. He desires fellowship with you. He wants you close.

IV. The Pleasure of God: A Delighted Will

Finally, Paul reveals the ultimate motivation behind our adoption. It was not duty, but delight.

A. A Joyful Decree: "...according to the good pleasure of his will,"

God did not adopt us reluctantly. He did not save us out of a grudging obligation. He did it because it was the "good pleasure of his will." It brought Him joy to make you His child. Your adoption was, and is, a source of divine delight.

B. A Grace-Filled Motive:

This reminds us that our place in God's family is based purely on His grace and love. We are not a burden He must carry, but a treasure He joyfully claims. This should move us to worship with overwhelming gratitude.

Conclusion

Your identity is not defined by your past, your failures, or what others say about you. If you are in Christ, your identity is this: You are a predestined, adopted child of the living God. This was His eternal plan, accomplished by His Son, for the purpose of bringing you to Himself, all because it brought Him joy. You are not a spiritual orphan; you are a child of the King. Live today in the confidence and joy of that glorious truth.