February 12- Spiritual Adoption

February 12- Adoption as Salvation

Scripture: Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry “Abba, Father.” Rom. 8:14,15; Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6

Calvin: “With what confidence would anyone address God as “Father”? Whou would break forth into such rashness as to claim for himself the honor of a son of od unless we had ben adopted as children of grace in Christ? (3:20.36)
The name “Son,” which had been somewhat obscure under the law, was to be illustrious and
known everywhere. Paul concurs: because we are now sons of God through Christ, we freely and confidently cry, “Abba! Father!” [Romans 8:14-15; Galatians 4:6]. Were not the holy patriarchs of old also held to be among the sons of God? Yes — relying upon this right, they called upon God as Father. But after the only-begotten Son of God was brought into the world, the heavenly fatherhood
became more clearly known. Accordingly, Paul assigns this privilege, as it were, to Christ’s Kingdom. Yet this ought to be unwaveringly maintained: to neither angels nor men was God ever Father, except with regard to his only-begotten Son; and men, especially, hateful to God because of their iniquity, become God’s sons by free adoption because Christ is the Son of God by nature.(II.14. 5)
The first name of the Holy Spirit, is the “spirit of adoption” because he is the witness to us of the free benevolence of God with which God the Father has embraced us in his beloved only-begotten Son to become a Father to us; and he encourages us to have trust in prayer. In fact, he supplies the very words so that we may fearlessly cry, “Abba, Father!” [Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6]. For the same reason he is called “the guarantee and seal” of our inheritance [ 2 Corinthians 1:22; cf.Ephesians 1:14] e because from heaven he so gives life to us, on pilgrimage in the world and resembling dead men, as to assure us that our salvation is safe in God’s unfailing care. (III.1.3)

Every now and then someone asks me, “When were you saved?” Some are turned off by this question. But in a way it is a beautiful question. If I have time, I point out that my salvation is a multifaceted thing. In one sense I was saved when God predestined me (Eph. 1:4). In another sense I was saved when Christ died for me on the cross. In another sense I was saved when I accepted the gift of salvation (commonly called conversion-this is the date they are looking for). In another sense I was saved when I was baptized and promises were made in my behalf (though baptism and promises alone do not save us). In another sense I am being saved as I “work out my salvation” in sanctification (Eph. 2:10). In a sense I will be saved when I get to heaven (glorification). The focus should not be just on conversion, though that should not be left out either (contra to some ultra Calvinists and liberals). There is a sense, however, in which conversion (regeneration), justification (acceptance), adoption (being claimed) all happen at once. For some baptism also occurs about the same time.
Adoption is an important part of the order of salvation (ordo de saludis), but it is not a headlining act for Calvin. He mentions our adoption extensively in books 2 and 3 of the Institutes.
In his catechism- Calvin speaks of faith as “placing our whole confidence in God- which includes believing God is Almighty and good” but also that “God loves us and is willing to be our Father and author of our salvation.” Adoption is the focus and assurance that we are loved by God, included in God’s family, and heirs of the blessing. Adoption, as all the other parts of salvation for Calvin, is purely of God’s grace, and has nothing to do with how we look, what we do, our ancestry, or anything else in us except for His good pleasure.
Years ago some of my charismatic friends talked about being “a child of the king” and how important that was for them. In a sense, that is an important aspect of adoption. Knowing that you are part of the family gives assurance, confidence (not in self- but in God). Personally, this idea of being a part of God’s family was life-changing. I hope it is for you too.

February 9- Predestination- before we had ears to hear

February 9

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3-6

But there are two things which show us that this doctrine [of predestination] must be preached, and that we reap such great profit from it, that it would be better if we had never been born than be ignorant of what St. Paul shows here…The one is the magnifying of God as He deserves, and the other the assurance of our salvation, so that we may call upon him as Father with full liberty. If God draws all people alike, and if their salvation comes from their own will and self moving, then we deserve to be in God’s presence, and we are rewarded according to what we deserve. But how is God’s goodness magnified like that? God’s glory does not appear and shine forth unless it be known that he sheds his goodness and love exactly where he pleases to do so. (Sermons on Ephesians).

Being a Christian does not begin with us. It begins with God. The idea of our existence in this life and in the life to come does not begin with our will, our desire, our need as much as with God’s will. God spoke and the world existed. The world does not exist for us, but for God. God speaks and calls us to Himself. Not because he has seen something in us to deserve his calling us to heaven. But simply out of his own love and grace. In point of fact, none of us deserve to go to heaven. It is a miracle any of us have the hope of heaven inside of us. Calvin’s theology is focused on God. This is the best focus. Calvin was deeply aware of human frailties, failures and sin. So the focus is not on us, but on the God who draws us away from these flaws toward Himself.
Salvation is not simply a matter of our choice. Too often in post-modern America, the belief is that we can pick our gods like we pick our food from a buffet line- “I’ll have a little bit of Buddha, a few pillars of Islam, and a slab of Jesus.” But we do not choose God. God chooses us. It is an illusion that we freely choose God. No choice is made in a vacuum. Our choice is limited by the gods we have heard about, from whom we have heard about them, and how we have heard about them. We are not fully conscious of the influences upon our choices, including our genetic leaning, our environmental influences, or the power of the human will. But even more, we are not aware of the power of God to draw us to Himself. He may draw us by the Gideon Bible left in the hotel drawer. He may draw us by an aunt who continually prayed for us. He may draw us by someone telling us what a difference God has made in their lives. He may draw us by the beauty of an ocean wave, or the majesty of a thunderstorm. There are a million different ways that God may draw us. Yet we must confirm that “No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).
God’s glory is seen clearest when we see our salvation lies not in what we do. Our salvation actually began before we were able to do anything- before the foundations of the world. Our assurance of salvation is not based on what we do or fail to do, but on what God has done before the world began. It is certain and trustworthy. It is not that we go bobbing up and down in our salvation like a yoyo. God knows who are His, and has planned on their being on board before they arrived at the station. Let us thank God today for his grace that calls us before we had ears to hear!