I am adopted by God... Now what?

When you prayed to put your faith in Jesus, you were welcomed home by the love of our Father.  

"And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20

The Father's love is extravagant, the love your heart has always longed to know.

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." 1 John 3:1

Your identity as a child of God is possible through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

"...for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." Galatians 3:26

Your position as a child of God is secured by the Holy Spirit.

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15
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The Father’s love is not earned by performance but freely given through the finished work of Jesus and sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Knowing the Father’s love heals our deepest wounds, satisfies the restless hunger of our hearts, and frees us from cycles of sin and self-reliance. 

The Father’s love is eternal, decreeing the adoption of His children since before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:5). At the right time in history, God sent the Son that through His work we may become children of God (Galatians 4:4-5). 
 
God’s children bear God’s name (Revelation 3:12) and are welcomed into God’s family (2 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 3:15). God has compassion on His children (Psalm 103:13), promises to provide all our needs (Matthew 6:30-32), and invites us to cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7). The love of our Father will discipline us (Hebrews 12:6), but not forever (Lamentations 3:31) and always for our good.
 
God’s children are given an eternal hope,  a secure inheritance that cannot fade (1 Peter 1:3-4). All of this has (at least) five implications for our discipleship.

What does your identity as a child of God mean for your life?

1. We are secure in our position as children of God. This reality frees us from being slaves to performance and people pleasing.
2. We are no longer slaves. In two separate places, Paul contrasts a “spirit of slavery” with the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4-6). The love of our Father sets us free to walk in a newness of life.
3. Our struggles are not punitive, as if God is punishing us for sin. Instead, they are tools to shape our heart and affections for obediently imitating God, walking in love as Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us (Ephesians 5:1-2).
4. We have a new family, a primary community with brothers and sisters in Christ. While our faith is personal, it is never private. God’s design is for our common identification as children of God to fuel mutual participation with our brothers and sisters in Jesus.
5. Eternal truths transform today. We are loved with an everlasting love, chosen before the foundation of the world and promised an eternal inheritance after Jesus returns. We must be transformed by the security, hope, purpose, and joy these eternal realities offer.