Blog
Adoption
Written by Beliza Patricia, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Joao Pessoa, Brazil.
In Brazil we have an expression: “But I’m also a son/daughter of God!”
Usually, people will say this after spending more money than they should, or after reacting badly to a situation. In other words, they will use this expression in an indirect way, when what’s really being said is: “Because I am a child of God, I have certain rights…”
The fact is that not everybody is a son/daughter of God, even though we are all His creation. And indeed, His children receive privileges, but none of it is because of our own merits. So how do I know if I am a child of God or not?
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)
What makes us children of God is the belief in Jesus Christ. It is receiving Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. And the truth is that God was the one who made all of this possible.
While some people will use the expression “I am a son/daughter of God” as a fundamental and inalienable right, the Bible tells us something different.
“among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Eph. 2:3)
Sin pushes us away from God. We were deserving of God’s wrath because we disobeyed. We didn’t obey His will. But God’s love is so immeasurable that through Jesus, He saved us! And there’s more! There was nothing we could do to obtain that through our own efforts.
Through Jesus, He redeemed us: He resurrected us and promised us eternal life while we were dead in our transgressions. He justified us: He declared we were righteous even though we didn’t deserve it. He adopted us: He received legally as His children, part of His family. Adoption is a blessing decreed by God.
The adopted ones receive guidance, instruction, protection, correction, and safeguarding from God. And one last gift that is so important: He gives us eternal life.
Try to comprehend how big God’s love is for us: He could give us eternal life through Jesus and still reserve for us the role of being just servants. That would already demonstrate mercy from Him. But He does more than that!
We cannot forget that our adoption into God’s family happens only by His grace, not by our works. But what we receive freely had a high cost for God.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4:4-5)
Redemption is a rescue that means obtaining or freeing, upon the payment of a price. Our adoption was very costly to God. It cost His Son’s life. Yes, Jesus had rights, but He never sinned (1 Pet. 1:22). Through Him all things were created (Col. 1:16). Without Him nothing would have been made (John 1:3). And yet, because He loved us, He emptied Himself and became like us to pay the price for our sins (Phil. 2:6-8). We can never forget that free adoption for us was costly to God.
I said that the adoption (that is undeserved) gives us privileges. Some of the privileges for those adopted by God are:
- Having a Father/son or Father/daughter relationship with God. (1 John 3:1)
- Knowing God takes care of our necessities. (Matt. 6:32)
- Knowing God blesses us (Matt. 7:11)
- Being guided by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14)
- Being disciplined by God (yes, discipline is a privilege!) (Heb. 12:6)
And returning to the famous phrase: “But I am also a son/daughter of God!”, those who claim to be sons and daughters must remember that the adoption as His children comes with a transformation guided by the Holy Spirit. Our actions, our thoughts, desires, words, everything is modified when we become children of God. Our behavior must be like our Heavenly Father’s (Eph. 5:1).
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Gal. 3:26)
Prophecy and Fulfillment
Written by Deanna Brooks, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
December… it’s the time of year when people around the world turn their thoughts to a small village in what is now the nation of Israel. While Scripture never tells us when Jesus was born, we take this opportunity to share His complete story with the world. Jesus, the Christ… the promised Messiah… is much more than the Baby born in Bethlehem. He is our Savior, the One sent to redeem us from the evils of Satan.
In this lesson you will find groups of scriptures after a statement about the Messiah. Those from the Old Testament will be prophecy, and the New Testament scriptures that follow are fulfillment of those prophecies.
Before the foundation of the earth, Paul tells us that God set this plan into place, that a Redeemer would come to restore the relationship that was broken by Satan in the Garden of Eden (Eph. 1:4.) There are over 300 Old Testament prophecies for the coming Messiah. In the New Testament we read how Jesus, born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, was the fulfillment of those many years of prophecies.
The first set of prophecies and fulfillment are about the birth of our Lord. Early in Scripture we read of the promised Messiah and His birth:
Blessings would come through Abraham.
“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2)
“And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Acts 3:24-25)
“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”” (Galatians 3:8)
A virgin would have a son.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”” (Luke 1:34)
This promised Child would be born in Bethlehem.
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2)
“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:3-6)
The ministry of the promised Messiah would be special, different from Old Testament prophets:
The Messiah would have a forerunner.
“A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”” (Isaiah 40:3)
“He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”” (John 1:23)
“This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist….”” (Matthew 11:10-11)
The Messiah would have a miraculous ministry.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy…” (Isaiah 35:5-6)
“And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4-5)
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
The Messiah would be despised and rejected.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
“When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.” (Luke 4:28-29)
“So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:59)
The life of this Messiah would end with death and resurrection:
They would cast lots for His clothing.
“they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (Psalm 22:18)
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”” (John 19:23-24)
His hands and feet would be pierced.
“…they have pierced my hands and feet.” (Psalm 22:16b)
“So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”” (John 20:25)
“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” (Luke 24:39a)
None of His bones would be broken.
“He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:20)
“But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” (John 19:33)
The Messiah would not remain in the grave.
“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10)
“And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”” (Luke 24:5-7)
The story of Jesus our Redeemer shows the marvelous love that that our Heavenly Father has for us.
Our Savior is not just the Baby born in Bethlehem. He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), and He has gone to prepare a place for us. (John 14:1-3)
We give thanks for our promised Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy and our Way to the Father.
[All scriptures are ESV]
