In
the first-century Roman world of the Ephesians, being adopted meant
receiving a new identify and a new name. No matter what had happened
in your past, you were given a clean slate on adoption day. It was
irrevocable. There was no going back to the way it was before. It was
once and for all—a permanent arrangement.
When
the apostle Paul compares our life in God to adoption, he is saying,
“You are part of the family now.” It’s an invitation to get
comfortable and to settle into this new relationship. We need not
live in fear anymore because we belong to the Father. He has claimed
us as his own. God invites us to relate to him as his cherished
children.
No
matter what has happened in your past, God sees the person you are
becoming. So don’t live like an orphan. Recognize who you are in
Christ. You have been preapproved by God. He has adopted you and
blessed you, and he is ready for you to join in the work and
livelihood of his kingdom. You have been redeemed and forgiven. Your
sin is paid for.
Christian
faith is about more than believing certain facts; it means living
into the lordship of Christ and letting that reality permeate every
aspect of life. You are a child of the King, a recipient of the
ultimate act of hospitality—God’s hospitality. Everything has
changed. Thanks be to God!