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of Adoption from our Confession 
of Faith, Chapter 12. Once again, one paragraph but 
a glorious doctrine that we have. To be called the sons of God 
is something that the Apostle reflects upon or calls his audience 
to rejoice in, in his first epistle, John the Apostle. It's something 
that Christians throughout every age rejoice in, the privilege 
it is to have God as our Father. So I'm going to read the paragraph 
of Chapter 12 of Adoption, the single paragraph, and then we'll 
have a look at this wonderful doctrine. All those that are 
justified, God vouchsafed, in and for the sake of His only 
Son, Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by 
which they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties 
and privileges of the children of God, have His name put upon 
them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of 
grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are pitied, 
protected, provided for, and chastened by Him as by a father, 
yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and 
inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation." That's 
wonderful language there. Hopefully, as you see there, 
in just reading a simple paragraph, we see the beauty of the doctrine, 
to be given the privileges and the benefits and the advantages 
of being a son or a daughter of God. We can think of not much 
more glorious with respect to salvation than to be redeemed 
from out of slavery and to be brought into the household of 
the triune God. a beautiful doctrine that we 
have summed up here by the Confession. A definition of doctrine is already 
given in the paragraph. To condense it, we can understand 
adoption as the Shorter Catechism summarizes, adoption is an act 
of God's free grace whereby we are received into the number 
and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God." You see 
how the confession there reiterates, with regards to every point of 
salvation, it is an act of God's free grace, and we'll have time 
to reflect upon that more as we continue in this study, but 
at every point of doctrine that the Catechism rehearses, because 
at every point of doctrine that the Bible rehearses and sets 
forth to us, with regards to man's salvation, it is an act 
of of God's free grace and adoption is no stranger to that blessed 
divine reality. Adoption assumes, but some introductory 
subject matter here, adoption assumes and asserts that those 
adopted were not God's children beforehand. There's a fluffy 
emotionalism out there, a religious ambiguity that says we're all 
the children of God We all just need to float around and seek 
after our better uses. The Bible doesn't present that 
as a reality. Yes, we are all the offspring 
of God, Paul asserts at the Areopagus, but that's in the context of 
God's sovereign creatorhood. He has created all things, he 
upholds all things. In him we live and move and have 
our being. In him we have our isness. But 
the reality is that redemptively speaking, salvifically speaking, 
we are not all the children of God, but rather as Christ says, 
you are of your father the devil. The desires of your father you 
want to do outside of Christ. We are the sons of disobedience 
and children of wrath. Just a summary of sonship in 
the Bible. There's a number of aspects of 
sonship that come up in the Bible, so to sort of coordinate ourselves 
or locate ourselves with regards to the sonship of adoption, there 
is the sonship according to eternal generation in the Bible. That 
is a unique sonship, peculiar to the Son of God. He is eternally 
generated by the Father. That doesn't mean he has a beginning. 
It's eternal generation. The peculiar relative property 
of the Son is that He is eternally begotten of the Father. That's 
why He is the Son of God. He is eternally begotten of the 
Father. So Christ has a unique Sonship. 
The Sonship of the Son of God is not our Sonship. There is the creative sonship 
of all men to God. We just noted that. All men are 
the offspring of God. Each and every one that draws 
breath in God's universe is a son in that respect, but only by 
virtue of God's sovereign creatorship. of over and of all things. There is sonship to Adam, our 
representative head. This is clear. We are the fallen 
sons and daughters of Adam outside of Christ. Those who do not have 
Christ as head, and it is only those who are saved by Christ 
in the new covenant that truly have Christ as head. Those who 
do not have Christ as representative and federal and glorious covenantal 
head, are the fallen sons and daughters of Adam and have him 
as their representative head. So there is sonship to Adam in 
that respect. There is sonship according to 
ordinary generation. We are physical sons and daughters 
of a physical father and son. Ordinary generation, the manner 
by which people are brought into this world under God's sovereign, 
creative, and providential guidance, direction, and decree. sonship 
legally according to adoption. There are not that many instances 
that we have really in the Old Testament because the Israelites 
didn't really have a culture of adoption much. You don't see 
the word or the concept all that much referred to with the exception 
of Israelites in the context of a pagan environment. For example, 
Moses in Egypt is an adopted son, but there isn't any sort 
of developed cultural societal adoption within Israel as there 
may have been and as there was with surrounding pagans, especially 
when we get to the New Testament and we see the Greco-Roman principle 
of of adoption, that sort of thing. There is as well sonship 
with respect to the theocratic sonship of Old Covenant Israel. 
They're called God's son. In fact, Paul uses the term adoption 
in the New Testament in Romans 9 to refer to Old Covenant Israel. Theirs was the adoption, the 
promises, the oracles of God, etc. There is rabbinical sonship 
in the Bible. Christ deals with this in his 
earthly ministry. He says, call no man father but 
your father who is in heaven. The context there is the the 
various competing rabbinical schools or houses where one of 
that house would call the rabbinical leader father. There is evangelical 
sonship to a spiritual father that we have in the New Testament. For example, when John calls 
the recipients of his letter, dear children, Paul uses the 
language with respect to others that he identifies in his Pauline 
epistles. The fact that one who preaches 
the gospel to a sinner is a spiritual father in the sense that they 
proclaim the riches of God's grace, and that one that they 
proclaim that to is brought forth by God. from deadness and sin 
to life in Christ. So there's that reality of sonship, 
evangelical sonship, if you will, to a spiritual father. The sonship 
that we're dealing with this morning at the point of adoption 
is that blessed sonship that we have to God our father with 
respect to God our father or God's relationship as redemptive 
and saving father to his elect, those that he has brought forth 
in His appointed and accepted time, to be sons by His grace 
and for His glory." So let's, if we could, we could call it 
redemptive sonship. The fact that God is our Father, 
that we have a filial relationship to our Divine Father, and it's 
the Besides the sonship of the Son of God in eternal generation, 
it is the most glorious sonship that we have, to be called the 
sons and daughters of God. Hopefully we'll see that as we 
move along. So we want to try and do five things as we move 
through here. As we look at the language of 
the Confession, and the first thing is we want to note the 
recipients of adoption. Notice the recipients of adoption. The language right at the beginning 
of the paragraph is, all those that are justified. So the recipients 
of justification are all those who are justified. And if you'll 
grab your confession and follow along with me, I want you to 
see the progression of the identification of those who receive the blessings 
of amazing grace in salvation. If you wanna turn back with me 
to chapter three. First chapter 3, we want to follow 
a progression and then once we've done that, note that this is 
simply an expansion upon what the Bible discloses with regards 
to effectual salvation. Notice in chapter 3, at paragraph 
three. By the decree of God, for the 
manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestined 
or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ to the praise 
of his glorious grace. Now quickly turn to chapter 10. And you'll notice in paragraph 
one, those whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased in his 
appointed and accepted time, effectually to call by his word 
and spirit. Now chapter 11, paragraph one, 
those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth. And then our doctrine, chapter 
12, right at the beginning, all those that are justified, God 
vouchsafed to make partakers of the grace of adoption. You 
see the progression there. We have foreordainment. We have 
predestination unto eternal life by Jesus Christ. We have effectual 
calling from out of that state of sin and death to light and 
life in Christ Jesus the Lord. We have that blessed declaration 
from God that we are righteous based upon the righteousness 
solely and alone of Christ imputed to us. And then we have this 
reality in paragraph 1, the only paragraph of chapter 12, all 
those that are justified God made to be partakers of the grace 
of adoption. You see there's an inexorable, 
an inviolable link between predestination and election in Jesus Christ 
all the way through these various glorious links in the chain of 
of redemption or the chain of salvation. It's been called the 
golden chain of salvation. Where might the confession be 
getting this language from? Where might the confession be 
summarizing or even expanding upon, if you will, from with 
respect to the biblical witness? Well, you can turn to Romans 
8, and no doubt this is a passage you know well. And as often as 
we repeat it, we're never brought hopefully to a point of exhaustion 
because to rehearse these things is to rehearse the very amazing 
grace of God. So the recipients of adoption, 
we noted again that inviolable link from predestination all 
the way through to God by His grace making us sons and daughters. 
Notice in Romans 8 beginning at verse 28, And we know that 
all things work together for good to those who love God, to 
those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, 
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that 
He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom 
He predestined, these He also called. Whom He called, these 
He also justified. And whom He justified, these 
He also glorified. Now, maybe the question you're 
asking is, well, I don't see adoption in there. Well, you 
should see it in there by virtue of casting your eyes upon and 
contemplating a skeletal framework with respect to salvation. From 
beginning to end, salvation is of the Lord, whom he predestines, 
he calls, whom he calls, he justifies, whom he justifies, he also glorifies. That's why we have this language 
in our confession, all those that are justified are adopted, 
to summarize. So those who are the recipients 
of adoption are all those who are justified. Those who are 
justified were those who were effectually called. Those who 
were effectually called are those who were predestinated unto life 
by Jesus Christ to the praise of God's glorious grace. This 
is the glorious biblical pattern of the golden chain of salvation. 
And you know, it's the cause for thanksgiving on the part 
of the Apostle Paul in many places. One of those places where we 
have this golden chain brought forth is in 2 Thessalonians. And you can turn there if you 
have your fingers at the ready to navigate the Word of God. 
2 Thessalonians 2. this golden chain of redemption, 
this golden chain of salvation is contained within these words 
of thanks that the Apostle Paul engages in as he's writing to 
the Thessalonians. Notice in verse 13 of 2 Thessalonians 
2, for the obtaining of the glory 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see the reality that these 
glorious elements of salvation, adoption being one of them, adoption 
being one of those constituent elements of the blessed salvation 
that God gives us, we see this inviolable connection from beginning 
to end. God saves. He saves without a 
helper, and He saves to the praise of His glorious grace, and all 
those that He intends to save, all those that He purposes to 
save, are saved, will be saved, and cannot suffer the danger 
of not being saved. And this adoption For all who 
are justified is a blessed aspect of God's divine and saving grace. 
Now, if we were to consider the elements of, we probably wouldn't 
be stuck to this three-fold framework, but just to think about things 
for a moment. three sorts of relationships 
we could say. If we're summarizing our relationship 
as Christians being once the fallen sons and daughters of 
Adam, but now being the gloriously redeemed sons and daughters of 
God, there's a threefold relationship that we bear to God. With respect 
to justification, for example, we now no longer stand before 
God in a relationship as those legally condemned before a terrible 
judge, but we stand as those now justified before that judge 
by virtue of the deeds and the dying of another. One has suffered 
in our place, having already perfected obedience in our place, 
he brings us into a relationship before that judge, and we are 
now legally justified in the sight of that judge. There is 
now no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So we have a relationship to 
God as judge, but not as those who bear the curse of the law 
because Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having 
become a curse for us. As it is written, cursed is everyone 
who hangs upon a tree. We have a relationship now to 
God as master. No longer do we have a relationship 
to the devil as our master, being his slaves and his sons, but 
rather we have a relationship to God our master, and we are 
the redeemed bond servants now of God, no longer slaves of sin 
and sons of disobedience. And we have a filial relationship, 
which is legal still, It's a legal relationship that we have with 
God. God has redeemed us, purchased 
us from out of our sonship of disobedience, from out of the 
reality that we were children of wrath. He has redeemed us 
from out of being slaves to now being His sons and members of 
His household. And hopefully this language, 
perhaps without my aid, helps you to rest on and to glory in 
the reality that we're sons and daughters of God. I don't know 
if we can ever really fully grasp the weight and the glory of that 
reality. Perhaps it's a little bit of 
our remaining pride and arrogance or something that we really don't 
think that we were once sons of our father, the devil, doing 
his desires. salivating after sin and the 
lusts of the flesh. Perhaps our own self-assessment 
just really doesn't want to make us be that bad or look that bad 
or consider that we were once that bad. We were without hope. We were without strength. We 
were the sons of disobedience. We were the children of wrath. 
But God, in His grace and in His mercy, brought us forth and 
washed us and cleansed us and set us into His household. where 
we have no risk of being booted from the household, yes, chastised, 
but we have all the privileges and the benefits of the sons 
and daughters of God and we have an inheritance laid up for us 
that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that will not fade away. 
Beautiful doctrine of adoption. The author then, secondly, the 
author of adoption. the author of adoption. All those 
that are justified, God vouchsafed to make partakers of the grace 
of adoption. That language, God vouchsafed 
there, isn't speaking of the fact that we are vouchsafed, 
but the language is that God vouchsafed us. God vouchsafed 
us to make partakers of the grace of adoption. The language is 
gifting or granting. Vouchsafe can take on the character 
of or mean condescension, but that's only when it doesn't have 
a direct object. What's that called? An intransitive 
verb? How about that? So it can take 
on the character of condescension, but in this case, because it's 
a transitive verb, we're exegeting the confession now, but because 
it's connected to an object, all those that are justified, 
that means that it is a divine gift. It's condescension, sure, 
that God condescends to give us this gift, of being the sons 
and daughters of God, but the language here is that all those 
that are justified, God has gifted, God has granted in His benevolence 
and undeserved from our vantage point, He's given us this gift 
of being partakers of the grace of adoption. That God is the 
author of adoption is obvious, But it's nevertheless in need 
of constant reiteration, especially as errors in the doctrine of 
salvation continue and will continue, no doubt, until Christ comes 
again. You see there's a stream out there in Christianity that 
would say that by the exercise of our will, we make effectual 
this relationship of sonship. In fact, you can turn to John 
1 for a moment. John chapter 1. You might say, well, yeah, obviously 
God is the author of adoption, and it is obvious, because we're 
dead in our trespasses and in our sins, wholly unable to come 
to Him outside of saving grace. We stand as sons and daughters 
of the devil and of, you know, miserable sons and daughters 
of Adam, and it's not against our will, it's not, you know, 
somehow reluctantly so, but outside of Christ, men and women, boys 
and girls, love being the miserable sons and daughters of Adam. They 
love their sin and continue in it, waking up in the morning 
devising wickedness. Notice in 1 John 1, Remember, this is in the context 
of John speaking with respect largely to the incarnation of 
the Word or Son of God. This prologue contains or is 
highlighted by the fact that the Word that was in the beginning 
with God and that was God took upon himself man's nature in 
order to redeem. the fallen sons and daughters 
of Adam. And notice what we have here in verse 12. Well, let's 
back up to verse 10. He was in the world, and the 
world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He 
came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many 
as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children 
of God, to those who believe in His name. Well, there you 
go. You see, he gives the right of sonship and daughterhood to 
those who receive him. So it must be that faith precedes 
regeneration. Of course not. There are people 
that will stop at verse 12, perhaps willingly or in ignorance, and 
not see the divine reality and amazing grace behind this giving 
of the rights of children. Notice verse 13, who were born 
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will 
of man, but of God." You see, our sonship doesn't come by ordinary 
generation. You know, the Jews in Christ's 
day could boast of being the descendants of Abraham, where 
the sons and daughters of Abraham were not slaves to anyone. That isn't wherein sonship, true 
sonship to God exists. Being the physical descendants, 
being born of blood. That isn't where our rights and 
privileges of being divine sons and daughters, it's not where 
it lies. Nor of the will of the flesh. So it isn't the exercise 
of the will that we somehow have to stir up and conjure up something 
that's native to all men in order for God then to reward us with. award us with the rights of sonship 
and daughterhood. It's not of the will of man, 
it wasn't anyone else who willed our sonship, or it's not the 
province of anyone outside of ourselves that brings us into 
a relationship with God, that is, no man. but rather we're 
born of God. Our rights to become children 
of God, yes, is given to those who believe in His name, but 
these are born of God. And so the order is, is that 
we're born of God, we're brought forth by amazing and victorious 
grace, we're brought forth by the very same power that created 
the heavens and the earth and that raised the Son of God from 
the grave. were brought forth by that power, 
and we believe and are made the sons of God by grace. That's why the Shorter Catechism 
says it is an act of God's free grace. So again, to emphasize here, 
the author of Adoption is God. We're given the rights by Him 
to become children of God, having been born of Him. And that's 
what's in view there. You can turn as well to 1 John 
3, the same author, but in his first epistle. You've probably 
heard it before when we get to 1st John 3 verse 1, it's almost 
as if it's or it's parenthetical, or it's as if John is stroking 
his apostolic beard and contemplating the riches and the excellencies 
of God, because it's almost as if this verse doesn't flow with 
the context. Not that it's contradictory, 
but simply it seems to be one of those instances where the 
author launches into an adorable reflection upon the adorable 
God the glories of amazing grace. Notice in 1 John 3 verse 1, That's something that every one 
of us is to say with John and amen after reading John write 
that. Behold what manner of love the 
Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children 
of God. That language of behold hopefully speaks more to you 
than a simple, hey, consider this. The behold is a word that's 
in the Bible that sometimes you have it translated low. Low I 
am with you, even to the end of the age. The word behold there 
is to draw us to attention. We are to rouse ourselves when 
we see, behold, in order to reflect upon and glory in what follows 
the behold. What is the behold pointing to? 
Lo, behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us. There's that language of vouchsafed. 
God vouchsafed. He bestowed on us this right 
to become children of God. He bestowed on us to be partakers 
of the grace of adoption. Behold what manner of love the 
Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children 
of God. You see, because we once were 
not children, but slaves. We once were not the children 
of God, but sons of disobedience and children of wrath. And so 
behold what manner of love. That's why the reformed theology, Calvinistic 
soteriology, let's just say biblical theology that God alone saves, 
That's why it exalts God alone, Father, Son, and Spirit in the 
realm and in the sphere of all things and of salvation. Because 
we can only by grace and we can only because of divine favor 
and immutable and eternal love say behold what manner of love 
the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the 
children of God. The author of adoption is God. all those that are justified 
are made to be partakers of the grace of adoption by virtue of 
amazing and victorious grace. Well, thirdly, we want to note some 
things with respect to adoption. before we note in closing some 
of the benefits and what we are to do in light of adoption. Thirdly, but firstly in this 
last set of three, the pre-temporal provenance of our adoption. Don't 
be scared away by that language. I'll just repeat it one more 
time. the pre-temporal provenance of our adoption. That simply 
means the before creation, the before the foundation of the 
world, origin or foundation of our adoption. What is the origin, 
the foundation, the source of our adoption? The immutable decree 
of election flowing from divine love. That is the pre-temporal 
provenance of our adoption, the immutable decree of election 
flowing from divine love. You can turn with me to the book 
of Ephesians in chapter 1. You probably know where we're 
going there in Ephesians 1, but it's a place that we have to 
go and that we should delight in traveling to when we consider 
the doctrine of adoption. Notice in Ephesians 1, and never 
come to Ephesians 1 as a Calvinist, thinking that it's a place of 
scripture where we need to beat up people who don't believe the 
way we believe regarding salvation. There's a time and a place to 
come to Ephesians 1 to, sure, engage in apologetics and polemics 
against those who would exalt the free will of men. But this 
is a place here where we have Paul reflecting doxologically 
on the glory of the Father in light of Triune salvation. Notice 
what we have beginning in verse 3 as we progress towards the 
text in verse 5 that speaks to our topic this morning in Ephesians 
1 verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as he chose us 
in him before the foundation of the world that we should be 
holy and without blame before him. in love, having predestined 
us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according 
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of 
his grace, by which he made us accepted in the Beloved." You 
see all that language there, which would take millennia to 
unpack adequately. But look at the language that 
we have there. Now, just a note, in verse 4, 
We, I think it's right and it's, you know, interpretative discretion 
to put the comma, to move the comma after love and... move it back so it comes after 
before him. So we read it just as he chose 
us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be 
holy and without blame before him. I think if we have the in 
love with the before him, it's almost as if the in love character 
is ascribed to those who are holy and without blame. You see, 
so that while it is the case that God chose us unto this reality 
of being before him without blame and holy, but you see it's in 
a character of love, our love, towards the one who chose us 
for that state. And I don't believe that's what 
the author Paul is getting at, because what's he rehearsing? 
He's rehearsing the glory of the amazing grace of the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We could read the end 
of verse 4 and verse 5 by saying, in love, having predestined us 
to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. You see, that's 
where we have this glorious language or this reality that the pre-temporal 
providence of our redemption is in the immutable decree of 
election, but that immutable decree of election flows from 
divine love. You see, The decree of election 
should never be contemplated as some sort of, you know, woodenly, 
rigid thing that a cold, fatalistic deity executes prior to bringing 
things into existence. That's just madness. The confession 
upholds and the Bible upholds clearly because we just read 
it, that divine predestination, that election, that foreordination 
flows from the everlasting and unchangeable love of God. In 
fact, our confession, and if you turn to chapter 17 with me, 
uses this language, never let Never let your doctrine of salvation 
be just something that rehearses language wrapped up in predestination 
and election devoid of love. It's always the case, because 
God is love, that election and predestination and foreordination 
flows from the character of an everlasting and immutable love. 
Notice in chapter 17 at paragraph 2, Speaking of the perseverance 
of the saints, we read, this perseverance of the saints depends 
not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of 
the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable 
love of God the Father. See, that's the glory of election. 
That's the glory of predestination. the free and unchangeable love 
of God the Father. Unconstrained, you know. unnecessitated by man's will, 
by what he foresaw as man engaging in the psychic exercise of faith 
in order to conjure up some sort of reality where he grasps the 
truth of God. God doesn't base his election 
upon what men do. That's the whole point in that 
section in Romans 9. Before Jacob and Esau had done 
anything, before they were even born, before they had done good 
or evil so that the purpose according to election might stand. He said, 
Jacob, I have loved, and Esau, I have hated. You see, our election, 
our predestination, our foreordination unto eternal life by and through 
Jesus Christ flows from free and unchangeable love. And that's 
the only, that alone is God's love. No one else has free and 
unchangeable love. As much as you might sing the 
praises of your wife, or your mother, or your father, or your 
husband, or whatever, there's only one who has free and unchangeable 
love, and that's the Triune God. And it is out of that love, adoption 
is the topic this morning, it is out of that love that He has 
made us to be the sons and daughters of God. It's glorious. The pre-temporal provenance of 
our adoption, that simply means Before the foundation of the 
world, source of our adoption is the immutable decree of election 
flowing from divine love. Fourthly, the objective historical 
ground of our adoption. So if we have something that's 
pre-temporal, How about then historical? When time is, what 
is the historical ground of our adoption? If it is the immutable 
decree of election flowing from divine love, what then is the 
execution of that decree in time? What is the historical objective 
ground of our adoption? Well, let's turn in our Bibles 
to Galatians 4. Galatians 4. The apostle is writing concerning 
the time before Christ came. I don't wanna use the word, I 
won't use that word, dispensation, but we can use the word dispensation, 
but just not wrapped up in that man-made hermeneutic. But there was a time before Christ 
came where the nation of Israel, of course, was governed by the 
ceremonial law. They were governed by the Mosaic 
institutions. and the Apostle Paul is rehearsing 
that that served as a guardian and a steward until the time 
appointed by the Father. He speaks of being under bondage 
to those things. But when the elements of the 
world are, excuse me, verse 3 of Galatians 4, even so we, when 
we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 
That language of elements of the world is most likely pertaining 
to the various accoutrements of the Mosaic institutions. the 
ceremonies, the washings, all of those things instituted by 
God, having a divinely-divined obsolescence that would be wrapped 
up in and completed and fulfilled in Christ, the substance of those 
shadows. And now we get to verse 4, and 
notice what we have here. Beautiful language regarding 
adoption. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent 
forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem 
those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption 
as sons." You see, this doctrine of adoption, intimately connected 
to, because every doctrine of salvation is, intimately connected 
to the doing and the dying and the rising again of the Son of 
God. The work of Christ is the objective historical ground of 
our adoption. That's what Paul is saying here. 
This one who came, and notice the language, but when the fullness 
of the time had come. You know, what is the fullness 
of the time? Well, first off, it's what we 
just spoke about with respect to the pre-temporal provenance 
of adoption, that it was according to the eternal decree. God decreed 
that in His appointed and accepted time, He would raise His elect 
from deadness to life in Christ and place them into His household, 
making them sons and daughters. And so in time, that occurs in 
the fullness of the time. So it respects the decree of 
God before the foundation of the world. It also respects the 
prophetic declarations and old covenant promises that there 
is a time coming where the seed of the woman would crush the 
head of the serpent. And that's what's in view as 
well when we see the fullness of the time as well. We would 
have stuff like Daniel 9 in there, the 70 weeks, Christ the Messiah 
coming and being cut off and bringing an end to sacrifice 
and sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness. All of those things 
are wrapped up in the fullness of the time. the pre-temporal 
decree of God and the prophetic promises that are given by virtue 
of that decree in order to proclaim the coming Messiah, this one 
who God sent forth, his son, born of a woman, born under the 
law, to redeem those who were under the law. And notice this 
purpose clause here, that. Whenever you see that, take notice 
of that. Whenever you see that when you're 
reading your Bible, when we read these arguments, these apostolic 
arguments, not casting aside the Old Testament, but because 
we're in the New right now, Galatians, just as an example. Whenever 
you see these apostolic declarations concerning salvation, reflecting 
upon the grace of God, reflecting upon the perfect work of Jesus, 
very often you're going to see that clauses. You're going to 
see these sorts of things follow after a rehearsal of the work 
of Christ, or the grace of God. Notice, that we might receive 
the adoption as sons. There's a purpose given here 
with respect to the coming into the world of the Son of God, 
who is born of a woman, born under the law. The purpose is 
that we might receive the adoption as sons. we reflect upon the 
doing and the dying of Christ, we reflect upon the crucifixion 
of Christ, and we are to draw a line back from our being brought 
into the household of God, back to that bloodied massacre upon 
Calvary's cross, and see that there, not only do we have regeneration, 
justification, sanctification, ultimate and inevitable glorification, 
but we have at the cross our adoption as sons being wrought 
by Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what we have before us 
here. The work of Christ is that we 
might receive the adoption of sons, and it's connected to, 
in the context, those being under the law, having the curse of 
the law removed, in order that we might have adoption as sons. Christ comes into the world, 
that one born under the law, redeems those who are under the 
law, under its curse, that's what Paul gets at in Galatians 
3.13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, not 
the law itself, The law is good, the law in and of itself isn't 
a curse, but it functions with respect to curse because the 
curse is the condemnation for the law's violation. And so Christ 
redeems us from that curse, in order that we might receive the 
adoption as sons. And he does that by becoming 
a curse for us. Never make the mistake of not 
connecting substitutionary atonement to our adoption as sons. Christ 
becomes a curse for us, being born under the law, taking upon 
himself our curse that was due us, that is, the condemnation 
for the law's violation. He takes that upon himself upon 
that Roman gibbet of execution, taking upon himself the wrath 
of God, and it is to redeem us that we might receive the adoption 
as sons." Blessed truth. The objective historical ground 
of our adoption is the saving work of Christ. It turned to 
Hebrews with me as well. There's an interesting verse, 
perhaps you've maybe, well, maybe you have, but maybe you haven't, 
ever reflected upon this with respect to adoption and the reality 
of our sonship. the sonship is connected here 
to the sanctifying blood of Christ. Hebrews 2 is a rehearsal of the 
sufficiency, the superabounding excellency of Christ Jesus over 
the shadows of old covenant religion that only pointed forward to 
him and that he brought to an end by the sacrifice of himself. 
But wrapped up in Wrapped up in the explications 
of the Apostle here in Hebrews concerning the excellence of 
Christ is our sonship and the inheritance and the benefits 
that we have with Christ our brother in the context. Notice 
in Hebrews 2 beginning in verse 10. Hebrews 2 beginning in verse 
10. are all of one, for which reason 
he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare 
your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly. I will 
sing praise to you. And again, I will put my trust 
in him. Now notice, and again, here am 
I and the children whom God has given me. See that? You see that language there? 
Christ speaking here. Here am I and the children whom 
God has given me. What is the apostle saying? The 
apostle here is saying that Christ Jesus is reflecting upon the 
perfection of his saving work He sanctifies all those who are 
being sanctified by the perfection of His blood. And He is saying 
these beautiful words here, here am I and the children whom God 
has given me. God gives the Son, the Father 
gives to the Son a people to redeem. He goes in their stead 
and redeems them. They're covered by his blood, 
they're perfected by the salvation of their Captain Christ, and 
he brings them to this blessed reality of sonship in the same 
household, and he's not ashamed to call us brethren. Those are 
some of the most amazing words in the Bible. I mean, there's 
lots of amazing words in the Bible. The preacher can say that 
a lot, but he's not ashamed to call them brethren. The one who 
goes to the cross and is put to death in a bloody massacre 
in order to redeem his people by that selfsame shed blood, 
not shed at all in vain, he sanctifies and perfects all of his brethren, 
those to whom God has given him. Here am I and the children whom 
God has given me. It's absolutely beautiful. Fifthly 
and lastly then, the temporal application of the grace of adoption. So we have the pre-temporal provenance 
of our adoption. Again, that is the immutable 
decree of election flowing from divine love. We have the objective 
historical ground of our adoption, the saving work of Christ, and 
we have now then the temporal application of the grace of adoption, 
and that is the effectual power of the Spirit. We once were not 
the children of God. Remember that that is the language 
of Ephesians 2. We were children of wrath, just 
as the others. We're not all the sons and daughters 
of God in some sort of intimately religious sense. That is, every 
man and woman, boy and girl, every human being that ever was 
and that ever is now and that ever will be, we're not all intimately 
in a filial relationship to the intelligent designer who only 
pours out benevolence on those who really, really, really, really 
try hard and are nice and are liberal. We have a God who, or 
excuse me, we have the reality with the fallen sons and daughters 
of Adam. That we are all, outside of Christ, 
children of wrath. That's Ephesians. We are sons 
of disobedience. That same language is used in 
the book of Colossians. And we are of our father, the 
devil, outside of Christ. John chapter 8. And so this is 
the reality. We once were not the children 
of God. But God, in His appointed and 
accepted time, brought us forth from death in sin to life in 
Christ. making us sons. That's why, you 
know, that's a reflection when we sing the song, the hymn Amazing 
Grace next time, you can reflect upon that in light of our study 
in adoption, that we're sons and daughters of God by virtue 
of God in his appointed and accepted time bringing us forth from death 
and sin to life in Christ. That's why when we sing Amazing 
Grace, we ought to reflect very briefly on this most certain 
truth, that we were once outside of Christ, the fallen and miserable 
sons and daughters of Adam, who loved being the sons of our father, 
the devil, desiring the lusts of the flesh, being without hope 
and without strength, but God, in his mercy, and in his condescending 
love, according to the immutable decree of election flowing from 
divine love, in his appointed and accepted time, brought us 
forth, putting us into his household." Turn to Ephesians 2 with me for 
a moment. We see this language of household 
that the Apostle Paul uses. No doubt the The cultural, societal, 
and legal reality of adoption is in view, where one is taken 
from a position where they do not have the rights and the privileges 
of a householder. Perhaps an orphan or something 
like that is adopted by a benevolent father. They once did not have 
the rights and privileges of a householder, but stood outside 
those rights, having no part and no parcel of them. but then 
that benevolent householder brings them in and legally confers upon 
them all the rights and the privileges of being a member of the household. 
Notice in Ephesians 2, and we'll just first quickly read beginning 
in verse 1 and ending in verse 5, And you he made alive who 
were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked, according 
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the 
power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of 
disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves 
in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and 
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the 
others. But God, who is rich in mercy, 
because of his great love with which he loved us, even when 
we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 
By grace, you have been saved. Now notice verse 19. Now, therefore, 
you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens 
with the saints and members of the household of God. So we have 
this reality that we were once sons of disobedience and children 
of wrath, but then grace comes, but grace, but God, making us 
alive together with Christ. And now therefore, some of the 
closing words of Paul, we're members of the household of God. 
It's absolutely glorious. The temporal application of the 
grace of adoption is such that God condescends to send forth 
his spirit in accordance with or connected to the historical 
and objective ground of our adoption that Christ in time and in history 
came to redeem us, and the spirit makes us alive and places us 
into the household of God, our divine and benevolent Father. Notice as well, just quickly 
as we have a few moments left, Galatians, the same idea. If 
we were to continue reading, we will now, but if we were to 
continue reading after verse 5 where we read in Galatians 
4, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive 
the adoption as sons, Notice as it continues in verse 6, And 
because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his 
Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore 
you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an 
heir of God through Christ. A beautiful language. You can 
make a note, Romans 8, 15 to 16, and verse 23, where the same 
language is used by the Apostle Paul, that we are joint heirs 
with Christ, and by virtue of our adoption by God. A couple things that we can take 
away from this doctrine of adoption, and no doubt we can't exhaust 
a reflection on these things in two minutes. But the first 
thing is, we ought to take great joy from and comfort in the reality 
of our adoption. Notice what the confession says. 
If you can find your way back to the chapter there, chapter 
12, notice some of the things that we have here listed with 
respect to our adoption as sons. To make partakers of the grace 
of adoption by which they are taken, excuse me, into the number 
and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have 
his name put upon them." Language of ownership there. Have his 
name put on them. You can refer to, among other 
places, Jeremiah 14. Revelation 3, where we have our 
name, where, excuse me, where he puts his name upon us. It's the language of ownership. 
We don't have the name of the devil written upon us. We don't 
have a brand that says, Adam, your representative head. We 
have the name of God written upon us. beautiful as the sons 
of God. We have our owner, our master 
as God. We receive the spirit of adoption, 
that is, by which we are enabled to cry out, Abba, Father. We 
have access to the throne of grace with boldness. Remember, 
that coming to boldness to the throne of grace isn't, I think 
as Richard Barcello said, some sort of lion-hearted courage 
that we stir up as Christians who've been empowered by God. 
We charge the gates of heaven and and bring our petitions before 
God. No, the boldness by which we 
come to the throne of grace rests upon the finished and complete 
and perfect work of Christ. That is the boldness by which 
we come. How do we come to the throne 
of grace? Because of Christ and the perfection of His saving 
work in giving Himself a ransom for guilty sinners. We have access 
to the throne of grace as the sons of God were enabled to cry, 
Abba Father, we're pitied, we're protected, we're provided for. Isn't that wonderful? God pities 
us. When we are going through seasons 
of sin, when we're going through hardship, when we're going through 
affliction, we don't have an absentee father that is dispatched 
beyond the realms of Pluto just doing whatever and not considering 
his people. We're pitied, we're protected, 
we're provided for. Remember, we need not worry and 
we need not be anxious in anything because if God clothes the flowers 
and gives seed to the birds of the air, he'll take care of his 
elect, he'll take care of his redeemed. We are pitied, we're 
protected, and we're provided for. And never cast this off 
and turn your back to this. We're chastened by him as by 
a father. Welcome chastening. It might 
not be good in the moment. That's what Hebrews 12, I believe, 
says. At the time, it doesn't feel 
great. But on the other side of chastening, 
you are the better for it. What happens is, very often chastening 
can come by way of a faithful brother and a sister, a husband 
or a wife, a parent or a child rebuking us. You know, very often 
chastening can come from some sort of season where God removes 
His intimate covenantal presence, if you will, from us, where it 
seems that He is far away from us. It's very often the case 
that we want to put on the garments of pride instead of ripping those 
off and welcoming the chastening hand of the Father. will, instead 
of receiving a rebuke, will say, yeah, but you, having kept a 
record of wrongs, will throw something back at the person 
accusing us, and those sorts of things. We are to welcome 
the chastening by the Father, and it says, we are never cast 
off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises 
as heirs everlasting salvation. And as well, we are to live in 
light of our adoption. Ephesians 5.1 says, live as dear 
children, as imitators of God. We are to live and walk in light 
of our God and in light of our adoption. We're to act, we're 
to function, we are to conduct ourselves as householders. You 
know, the doctrine of adoption isn't just a benefit that's granted, 
this legal benefit, our filial relationship now to God, the 
householder, but now as those who are members of the household, 
we are to conduct ourselves and be imitators of the one who has 
washed us and cleansed us and placed us into his household. 
Well, let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 
for this time together in your word. We thank you that we can 
reflect upon this glorious doctrine of adoption. We behold with John 
how glorious it is that we can be called the children of God. 
What a gracious gift you have bestowed upon us. We do pray 
that you would help us to rejoice, help us to reflect upon these 
blessed things, and help us to live in light of so great a privilege. And we do pray that you'd go 
with us now, and that as the sons and daughters of God, you 
would cause us to worship you, our householder. We might give 
you all honor and all praise. And we pray in Christ's name, 
amen.