What He Does, He Does Very Well

| | | | | | | |
Adoption is a beautiful thing!
Adoption is a beautiful thing!

While Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible, today’s Bible reading* is from my favorite chapter of Romans. Paul has built his argument for the gospel through the first seven chapters of this book. And today’s reading is the climax of the message.

One of the last things Jesus said to His disciples before He was betrayed was:

“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.
John 15:12–15 (CSB)

This is a radical shift in the relationship between the Son of God and His disciples. Jesus says that God not only tolerates us as servants, but He even likes us as friends!

And in Romans 8, Paul says the relationship between Himself and His people gets even better! What God does, He does very well! Exceedingly well — and so much better than we could ever imagine! He so deeply wants His covenant with His people restored that He takes them from being servants to friends to adopted children and His heirs! (Romans 8:15)

I don’t know how familiar you may be with US Adoption Laws, but I have several friends who have adopted children, both domestically and internationally. US Adoption Laws are based on biblical adoption as well as Roman adoption customs. When the first of my friends and his wife adopted their daughter (pictured above), I learned that adoptive parents have more of a legal obligation to their adopted child than biological parents have to their own biological children. My friends had to swear to a judge in court that they would be good parents to their daughter. I never had to do that for my biological children! I also learned that an adopted child can never be un-adopted. An adopted child cannot be disinherited. Cannot!

What was good news from Jesus’ lips has been made even better from Paul’s pen! The gospel message isn’t just that believers are friends of God. No, we are adopted children who can never be disinherited. God put His Holy Spirit in us and by Him, we are able to cry out “Abba Father”. Not a formal “Heavenly Father”, but a child’s terms of endearment, “Papa” and “Daddy”.

Application

If you are a believer, you have been forever adopted into God’s family. You can never be un-adopted. As an adopted child, you are an heir of God and a co-heir with Jesus. You cannot be disinherited!

If you have ever wondered if you can lose your salvation, just come back to Romans 8. You are not condemned. You have been adopted. God placed His Holy Spirit in you, Who tells you that you are indeed God’s child. To lose your salvation would be to lose your identity as God’s child.

The security of your salvation doesn’t depend on what you do or don’t do. Your eternal security depends on your Papa! Your Daddy loves you and He will never let go of you.

You are secure in His love!

* Today we are reading Romans 8.

This devotional was originally published on May 24, 2019.


If you would like to receive these devotionals by email each day that we have a Bible reading, click here!