The meaning of adoption into the Royal Family of God. Eph 1:5

We have introduced election and predestination. Further on in Eph 1 we will study them in more detail.

 

Every believer has been predestined to have God’s highest and best and God has done all the work in EP so that we can experience His highest and best in time.

 

/Election is God’s desire for your life and predestination is God’s provision for your life. Together they are to result in a believer who knows he’s an adult son and lives as an adult son.\

 

Next we introduced adoption…

 

EPH 1:5 In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself [that’s the environment of royalty], according to the kind intention of His will,

 

/ the preposition eis plus the accusative noun huiothesian = “with the result of the appointment of adult sons.”\

 

Eis, can be translated, “with a view to,” signifying purpose or result.

 

The election of the believer out from the world and the limits set upon him by God in predestination had in view, or was for the purpose of, adopting these elected ones as adult sons.

 

/The desire of God therefore is the appointment of adult sons into the Royal Family of God that have been conformed to the image of His son and enjoy with great capacity, God’s highest and best.\

 

/ROM 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;\

 

/ROM 8:30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.\

 

/huiothesia is a compound word (huio - adult son; thesia - to place). It means adoption as a Roman custom, which was the recognition of maturity.\

 

This is an illustration of the Roman practice of legally adopting a trained young man of the family and thus bequeathing to him the material possessions of the one adopting and also giving him his civil status.

 

Thus God takes the believing sinner, regenerates him, and by means of this makes him His child (teknon in the Greek, a born one). But He not done there, also at the moment of salvation, takes this child and places him in a legal position as an adult son (huios).

 

Roman adoption was based on merit whereas our adoption is based on the merits of Jesus Christ.

 

This is the object, the view, the purpose, or the horizon of God’s predestination.

 

Hence the CA is the only extension of the HU. Both are Chistocentric and the only dispensations to be so.

 

Make no mistake, God has provided all these provisions so that we would be adopted adult sons, conformed to the image of Christ, and experience the inheritance of Christ in time.

 

God has done so much, but He has a purpose, and that is to produce so much in you, but never forget that it is always His word and His work has been completed.

 

/You are an adult son at the moment of salvation in position, but you are still a teknon in condition. Predestination, encompasing God’s plan, is designed to turn experiential teknon into the experiential huios.\

 

Election is God’s highest and best. God’s blessings come to us in two categories.

 

/Logistical grace blessings are for winners and losers alike. Escrow blessings are for winners’ only.\

 

Logistical grace includes everything we need to execute the plan of God. This includes food, shelter, transportation, a PT, a Bible, etc. All the necessities of life.

 

Logistical grace will include some wonderful prosperity. You might be graciously given a beautiful house, a wonderful car,  the best food, etc.

 

However the loser believer has no capacity for these blessings and through his own arrogance they only make him miserable. He gets absorbed with the gift and forgets the Giver.

 

Deut 6:10-12

"Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, lest you forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

 

The winner believer not only has capacity for these things, but he also has capacity for the escrow blessings that are God’s highest and best in election.

 

 

/1 Tim 6:8

And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.\

 

/HEB 13:5

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," [relationship]\

 

/Phil 4:11

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.\

 

/Escrow is a term that means blessings are put on deposit until the conditions of the escrow are met - spiritual adulthood.\

 

You never earn these blessings, but they are so fantastic that they need tremendous capacity to be enjoyed. Without capacity they will only destroy you and take you away from your relationship with God.

 

/God the Father is the Grantor and Jesus Christ is the escrow officer. The Father has set the conditions and Christ holds the blessings as our fellow heir.\

 

When the conditions of the escrow are met then the blessings are conveyed. These are things that go way beyond logistical grace.

 

 

/1 Cor 2:9

but just as it is written,

"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him."\

 

EPH 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

 

The difference between the winner and loser believer is knowing.

 

/The loser believer has not invested the time to know and understand what the riches of His glory are and what are the riches of His inheritance so as to have confidence is His election.\

 

/However, academic knowledge is not enough. Knowledge must be applied so that the wheel tracks of arrogant self-absorption may become the wheel tracks of righteousness.\

 

If the believer does not apply the doctrines of election, predestination, and adoption to his life and circumstances then he will remain a teknon (child) in experience and his escrow blessings will remain on deposit in the Royal Family vault forever.

 

/The inheritance of the adult son can remain in the family treasury if he does not fulfill the conditions of the family purpose. Thus he does not receive the inheritance and he does not glorify the family.\

 

ROM 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" (Father, Father = double righeousness)

 

ROM 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

ROM 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

This is specifically application of doctrine to undeserved suffering, “suffer with Him.”

 

/Phil 3:10-11

that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that (result) I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.\

 

Resurrection from the dead ones is distinction in life as a functioning adult son in contrast to all the zombies that are walking around on this planet.

 

If you do not grow up spiritually you will only experience deserved suffering in time which is designed to enlighten your eyes to the hope of your calling.

 

Once your eyes have been enlightened you will then have the capacity for underserved suffering which comes in four categories.

 

/Undeserved suffering for application: Thought testing, system testing, disaster testing, people testing.\

 

All depends on the exercise of your power options under predestination which is the word of God and the filling of God the Holy Spirit.

 

Never forget the needed power of the Spirit. The word and the Spirit are like the two terminals to a battery. If they are both connected there is power; however is either one of the terminals is disconnected then there is no flow of power.

 

/The Spirit of God makes the deep things of God understandable to the believer priest, 1 Cor 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. \

 

There is an inheritance that we all possess in position and it remains in the family vault. There is the distribution of that inheritance when the adult son executes the family purpose by applying his training. It was for this purpose that he was elected for adoption.

 

If we refuse to suffer with Christ in time then the inheritance will remain in the family vault for all eternity. However, once a son always a son, we will never lose our sonship thus no one is able to snatch us out of God’s hand.

 

And in fact, we will never lose our inheritance. It will remain in the Royal Family vault for all eternity.  

 

Adoption therefore gives you the freedom to pursue your sonship without outside hindrances and without the fears that most people associate with failure.

 

If you fail, you are still an adult son of God and therefore can pick yourself up and re-enter the plan of God.

 

This is the privilege of the son; though he will fail, he is always a son and so without guilt or condemnation he can pick himself back up and through rebound move on.

 

/John 8:34

"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.\

 

/John 8:35

"And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.\

 

This was said by our Lord after He said that the truth shall set you free. The Pharisees said, “Wait a minute, we’re not slaves right now.” But what missed the Pharisees’ notice is that they were not set free from the bondage of sin through faith in the Savior.

 

Anyone who believes in Christ will become a son forever, and as such he will be set free from sin.

 

Some religious idiot will take this verse and convince himself that he must become sinless. When he realizes in himself that he cannot, he will try and convince others that they must become sinlessly perfect while attempting to pretend that he is. What slavery that must be.

 

Christ through the unlimited atonement has set everyone free from sin. The difference between a slave and an adopted son is faith in Christ for salvation - deliverance from sin.

 

That’s why the Lord concludes:

 

/John 8:36

"If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.\

 

Never before and never again will all believers be sons of royalty and believer priests who can pursue the extended plan from Christ.

 

Adoption is one of the 40 things that every believer receives at the moment of salvation, and it has to do with the believer’s freedom.

GAL 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

 

You have freedom as a son to pursue the plan of God.

 

/The PPOG is the palace of the royal son. The dungeon of that palace is for the loser believer who refuses to execute the plan.\

 

The loser believer receives this freedom but continues to live for self and ignores this tremendous plan of predestination which is the place of manufacturing of functioning adult sons.

 

GAL 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

 

We would be lying if we didn’t acknowledge that this is always a temptation since we all continue to possess an OSN.

 

But God has given us solutions through predestination.

 

GAL 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

 

GAL 5:21 I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

There it is, a loss of inheritance through neglect of the royal palace, the PPOG.

 

Things of the flesh are 16 fold - 4² which is a doubling of the earthly which is in direct contrast to God’s righteousness.

 

There are several things on that list and possibly all things on that list that tempt us continually. With temptation there is not sin, but a choice - will you reside in the palace of the PPOG or will you copulate with the temptation.

 

/James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth [temporal] death.\

 

/James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.\

 

/Arrogance and pride blinds the believer to his true options. Humility protects free will.\

 

/James 1:17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.\

 

/The palace of the RFOG is not constructed of earthly things, but of the very righteousness of God the Father and God the Son.\

 

Our living in that palace produces paths of Righteousness. We did not work for this palace, God the Father did. We do not construct the paths of Righteousness, God the Son leads us in them. We do not power the palace, God the HS does.

 

In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is the product of residing in your very own palace.

   

GAL 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

9 fold - meaning 3² which is a doubling of God’s righteousness in execution.

 

GAL 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 

GAL 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

 

GAL 5:26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

 

At the moment you believe in Christ spiritually you are brephos, another word for child, but this means a child on mother’s breast.

 

But you are at the same time in union with Christ who is the Son of God, huios.

 

/You are a child spiritually, experientially, but positionally you are an adult son. This indicates that every believer, no matter how he fails, is still another huios of God; he is in union with Christ.\

 

This gives the believer the freedom to apply doctrine without fear of failure. This boldness makes for a lot of success. The timid believer who is afraid to fail will generally opt out of application and resort to human defense mechanisms for solutions to life’s problems.

 

The mechanics of adoption is the baptism of the Holy Spirit where every believer enters into union with Christ. Positional truth, therefore, is the mechanics of adoption.

 

/1 Cor 12:13

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.\

 

At the moment of salvation every believer is an adult son.

           

/The time of adoption is the point of salvation.\

 

/John 1:12

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,\

 

   

/GAL 3:26

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.\

 

/Titus 3:5

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,\

 

/The implications of adoption are freedom to have relationship with God and serve Him — Galatians 4:5.\

 

/GAL 4:4

But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,\

 

/GAL 4:5

in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.\

 

/GAL 4:6

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"\

 

Remember that adoption as well as salvation in general gives us freedom toward God, not freedom in the human race. Therefore full time Christian service is nothing more or less than the believer free to have relationship with God — Romans 8:15.

           

There is also a future aspect of adoption — Romans 8:23, the resurrection body, minus the old sin nature, minus human good. In other words, the future aspect of adoption is ultimate sanctification.

 

/ROM 8:23

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.\

 

 

EPH 1:5 In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself [that’s the environment of royalty], according to the kind intention of His will,