Last night we began looking at the practical effects of God’s Triune nature for us by thinking about our Adoption–the Bible’s teaching that those who trust in Christ are now children of
God. Here are the notes:
1. There is, in God, Father, and
Son and Spirit.
John 14:31 – Son loves the Father
John 15:26 – The Spirit proceeds from the Father
John 17:24 – Father-Son relationship in God
Jesus’ “Father/Son” language shows this can be characterized in some ways as a “familial” relationship. Because God’s Unity is a relational Unity, we can say, “God is love.” (1John 4:8)
2. The Son came on a mission, and became One of Us.
John 1:14 – A Human is God’s Son. John 3:16 – The Father Sends the son. John 14:31 – The son’s mission is from love for the father.
3. The Spirit also came
on a mission
Galatians 3:13-14 – The Son cleared the way for the Spirit to come in to our hearts.
Galatians 4:1-7 &
Romans 8:12-17 – We have the Spirit of Adoption
John 16:27 – The Father Himself loves you.
Eph 1:3-5, 1 John 3:1
How it works:
Out of love for the world, the Father sends His Son. Out of love for the Father, the Son comes to show us the Father’s love for us. He becomes one of us, and lives and dies in our place. He lives the perfect life of total connectivity to the Father (which we have never lived), and then dies our death and takes our punishment (which we deserve). He becomes a representative and head of a new family—a new human race. Now, by being “in Christ” (part of the family) we can be redeemed (1 Cor15:22). The result? We can now be adopted into the family: in the Son, we relate to the father as He does. We are included in the Father’s love for the Son. The Father loves us because He loves Jesus.
Application:
- Behind is everything is God—the Father, Son and Spirit loving each other. The universe is essentially meaningful. And so are you.
- We’re invited into this love. Without Christ we are estranged from it now–Separated from the God who is love by our sin. But we don’t have to be…
- What do we really need? Not things–We’re lonely, We need love, We need family. God is rich enough in love–he has what we need!
Two Struggles:
- No Father/Bad
Father? – God’s answer is Himself. You are adopted into the eternal family. Jesus’ Father is your Father. You are adopted as a child of God. Bad Father? Look at how the Father loves the
Son. See how much God loves Jesus. This is His love for you. God’s
method for healing you is to give Himself to you. He adopts you into the family and gives you Himself as your Father. - Loneliness? – The Father knows that you are not meant to be alone. You were created to be in community, with others and with God. You were created to enjoy relationship.
His answer? – You are adopted into the Father’s love for the Son, and share kinship with everyone who is.