Friends of mine who were adopted give varying accounts of the experience. "These were the only parents I ever knew." "I don't think my adopting mother really wanted me." "All I ever felt was love." "I was always afraid I might be turned back in for another adoption." "I didn't know I was adopted until my aunt let it slip out." "I always liked the way my family said they had picked me out." "I am no biological kin to my brother and sisters, but we love each other."
Paul says that we with faith are heirs of all that God has to give (Galatians 4:7). That's what it means to be adopted by God. The kind of dividing lines we usually draw are erased: "No longer Jew or Greek ... slave or free ... male and female" (Galatians 3:25).
The other day I had some leftover food. I didn't want to toss it into the dump, so I threw it out into my backyard. I was offering it to the deer, the squirrels, the wild birds, and the occasional fox that visit. I was glad to share my bounty. These creatures could have nourishment rather than hunger. That was four days ago. I just looked out the window. My offering is still there ... untouched. It makes me feel sad. What could have been a feast of grace is still there ... untouched. It makes me feel disappointment. What could have been does not seem to be happening. I offered it, but they didn't accept.
Am I stretching a point to say that God must feel that way when we decline the fullness of God's offering? Under the law (Galatians 3:19-23) we could be saved only by our righteousness, our right-living. Which one of us would meet that standard! But our faith in Christ saves us into the family by adoption (Galatians 3:26). It is as ifbecause our sin leaves us a few dollars short of the full price, Christ Jesus has paid the difference, so we get the full benefit. We have become heirs of all that God would give. Heirs through adoption!
In Ephesians 1 :5-6, Paul repeats this blessing from God: adoption as God's children. Galatians 3:27 sees baptism as the sign of God's adopting us. As the new year begins, we do well to recall what it means to be in God's family. Adopted as an infant...adopted as a teen-ager ... adopted as an adult...Might we say "adoptetf' in order to be "adaptetf'-according to the will and purposes of God's love!
What Someone Else Has Said:
In commenting on Galatians 3:28 (Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female), Hans Dieter Betz (Galatians, Fortress Press) writes: "It is significant that Paul makes these statements not as utopian ideals or as ethical demands, but as accomplished facts."
Prayer:
As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: "Who, me, Lord? ... "
