See the amazing love of God, in making us his sons.
Plato gave God thanks that he had made him a man, and not only a man but a philosopher; but it is infinitely more, that he should invest us with the prerogative of his sons! It is love in God to feed us—but more to adopt us. “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!” Behold the wonder! The wonder of God’s love in adopting us will appear the more if we consider these six things:
(1:) That God should adopt us, when he had a Son of his own. Men adopt because they have no children, and desire to have some to bear their name; but that God should adopt us when he had a Son of his own, the Lord Jesus—is a wonder of love. Christ is called “God’s dear Son.” A Son more worthy than the angels. “Being made so much better than the angels.” Now, since God had a Son of his own, and such a Son—how wonderful God’s love in adopting us! We needed a Father—but he did not need sons!
(2:) Consider what we were before God adopted us. We were very deformed; and a man will scarcely adopt one for his heir—who is crooked and ill-favored. He will rather one who has some beauty. Mordecai adopted Esther, because she was fair. When we were in our blood, God adopted us. “When I saw you polluted in your blood, it was the time of love.” God did not adopt us when we were bespangled with the jewels of holiness—but when we were black as Ethiopians, diseased as lepers—it was the time of his love.
(3:) That God should be at so great expense in adopting us. When men adopt, they have only some deed sealed, and the thing is effected; but when God adopts, it puts him to a far greater expense; it sets his wisdom to work to find out a way to adopt us. It was no easy thing to make heirs of wrath, into heirs of the promise and of glory. When God had found out a way to adopt, it was no easy way. Our adoption was purchased at a dear rate; for when God was about to make us sons and heirs, he could not seal the deed but by the blood of his own Son. Here is the wonder of God’s love in adopting us, that he should be at all this expense to accomplish it.
(4:) That God should adopt his enemies. If a man adopts another for his heir, he will not adopt his mortal enemy; but that God should adopt us, when we were not only strangers—but enemies, is the wonder of his love! For God to have pardoned his enemies would have been much; but to adopt them for his heirs, astonishes the angels in heaven!
(5:) That God should take great numbers out of the devil’s family, and adopt them into the family of heaven. Christ is said to “bring many sons to glory.” Men usually adopt but one heir—but God is resolved to increase his family, he brings many sons to glory. God’s adopting of millions—is the wonder of love. Had but one been adopted, all of us might have despaired; but he brings many sons to glory, which opens a door of hope to us.
(6:) That God should confer so great honor upon us, in adopting us. David thought it no small honor that he should be a king’s son-in-law. But what honor to be the sons of the high God! The more honor God has put upon us in adopting us, the more he has magnified his love towards us. What honor—that God has made us so near in alliance to him, sons of God the Father, members of God the Son, temples of God the Holy Spirit! that he has made us as the angels; nay, in some sense, superior to the angels! All this proclaims the wonder of God’s love in adopting us.
(7:) See the dreadful condition of such as live and die in unbelief. They are not the sons of God. “To as many as received him, he gave power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on his name.” No faith—no sonship. Unbelievers have no sign of sonship—they know not God. All God’s children know their Father—but the wicked do not know him. “They proceed from evil to evil, and know not me, says the Lord.” Unbelievers are “dead in trespasses and sins.” God has no dead children; and not being children, they have no right to inherit the glories of heaven.
Try whether you are adopted.
The whole world is divided into two classes—the sons of God, and the heirs of hell. “To them he gave power to become the sons of God.” Let us put ourselves on a trial. It is no sign we are adopted sons, because we are sons of godly parents. The Jews boasted that they were of Abraham’s seed, and thought they must needs be good, because they came of such a holy line. But adoption does not come by blood. Many godly parents have wicked sons; Abraham had an Ishmael; Isaac had an Esau. The corn that is sown pure, brings forth grain with a husk. Just so, from him who is holy, an unholy child springs. We are only God’s sons by adoption and grace—not as we are born of godly parents. Well, then, let us test ourselves, to see if we are the adopted sons and daughters of God.
- The first sign of adoption is obedience. A son obeys his father. “I set cups and jugs of wine before them and invited them to have a drink, but they refused. “No,” they said. “We don’t drink wine, because Jehonadab son of Recab, our ancestor, gave us this command: You and your descendants must never drink wine.” Jeremiah 35:5-6. So, when God says “drink not in sin’s enchanted cup,” an adopted child says, “my heavenly Father has commanded me, and I dare not drink.” A gracious soul not only believes God’s promise—but obeys his command. True child-like obedience must be regular, which implies five things:
(1.) It must be done by a right RULE. Obedience must have the Word of God for its rule. This is the touchstone. “To the law and to the testimony!” If our obedience is not according to the Word, it is offering up strange fire; it is will worship; and God will say, “Who has required this at your hand?” The apostle condemns worshiping of angels, which had a show of humility. Col 2:18. The Jews might say that they were reluctant to be so bold as to go to God in their own persons; they would be more humble, and prostrate themselves before the angels, desiring them to be their mediators to God. Here was a show of humility in their angel worship; but it was abominable, because they had no word of God to warrant it; it was not obedience—but idolatry. Child-like obedience is that which is consistent with to our Father’s revealed will.
(2.) It must be done from a right PRINCIPLE, from the noble principle of faith. “The obedience of faith.” “All acceptable works proceed from faith,” Augustine. A crab-tree may bear fruit fair to the eye—but it is sour because it does not come from a good root. A moral person may give God outward obedience, which to the eyes of others may seem glorious; but his obedience is sour because it comes not from the sweet and pleasant root of faith. A child of God gives him the obedience of faith, and that meliorates and sweetens his services, and makes them come off with a better relish. “By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.”
(3.) It must be done to a right END. The end determines the value of the deed; the end of obedience is glorifying God. That which has spoiled many splendid services, is, that the end has been wrong. “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:1-2. Good works should shine—but not blaze. “If I give my body to be burnt, and have not love, it profits me nothing.” The same I must say of a sincere aim; if I obey ever so much, and have not a sincere aim, it profits me nothing. True obedience looks at God in all things. “That Christ may be magnified.” Though a child of God shoots short—yet he takes a right aim.
(4.) True child-like obedience must be UNIFORM. A child of God makes conscience of one command, as well as another. All things done for God, are done with equal zeal. All God’s commands have the same stamp of divine authority upon them; and if I obey one precept because my heavenly Father commands me, by the same rule I must obey all. As the blood runs through all the veins of the body—just so, true child-like obedience runs through the first and second table. “I have respect unto all your commandments.” Psalm 119:6. To obey God in some things—and not in others, shows an unsound heart; like Esau, who obeyed his father in bringing him venison—but not in a greater matter, as the choice of his wife. Child-like obedience moves towards every command of God, as the needle points that way which the loadstone draws. If God call to duties which are cross to flesh and blood, if we are children, we shall still obey our Father. “I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.” Psalm 119:101.
But who can obey God in all things?
Though an adopted heir of heaven cannot obey every precept perfectly—yet he does evangelically. He approves of every command. “I consent to the law, that it is good.” Rom 7:16. He delights in every command. “O how love I your law!” Psalm 119:97. His desire is to obey every command. “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!” Psalm 119:5. Wherein he comes short, he looks up to Christ’s blood to supply his defects. This is evangelical obedience; which, though we are not satisfied with it, God accepts it.
(5.) True childlike obedience is constant. “Blessed is he who does righteousness at all times.” Child-like obedience is not fitful—but abides; and like the fire on the altar, which was kept always burning. Lev 6:13.
- The second sign of adoption is to love to be in our Father’s presence. The child who loves his father is never so well as when he is near him. Are we children? We love the presence of God in his ordinances. In prayer we speak to God, in the preaching of his word he speaks to us; and how does every child of God delight to hear his Father’s voice! “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1, 2. Such as disregard ordinances are not God’s children, because they care not to be in God’s presence. “Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” Gen 4:16. Not that he could go out of God’s sight—but the meaning is, “Cain went out from the church and people of God, where the Lord gave visible tokens of his presence.”
- The third sign of adoption is to have the guidance of God’s Spirit. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Rom 8:14. It is not enough that the child have life—but it must be led every step by the nurse. Just so, the adopted child must not only be born of God—but have the anointing of the Spirit to lead him in a course of holiness. “I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms.” As Israel was led by the pillar of fire, so God’s children are led by the Spirit. The adopted ones need God’s Spirit to lead them, since they are apt to go wrong. The fleshy part inclines to sin; the understanding and conscience are to guide the will—but the will is imperious and rebels; therefore, God’s children need the Spirit to check corruption and lead them in the right way. As wicked men are led by the evil spirit—the spirit of Satan led Herod to incest, Ahab to murder, Judas to treason; just so, the good Spirit leads God’s children into virtuous actions.
But enthusiasts pretend to be led by the Spirit, when it is a delusion.
The Spirit’s guidance is agreeable to the Word; enthusiasts leave the Word. “Your Word is truth.” “The Spirit guides into all truth.” The Word’s teaching and the Spirit’s leading agree together.
- The fourth sign is, that if we are adopted we have an entire love to all God’s children. “Love the brotherhood.” We bear affection to God’s children, though they have some infirmities. There are spots in God’s children; Deut 32:5; but we must love the beautiful face of holiness, though it has a scar in it. If we are adopted, we love the good we see in God’s children—we admire their graces, we pass by their imprudences. If we cannot love them because they have some failings, how do we think God can love us? Can we plead exemption? By these signs we know our adoption.
Thomas Watson. A Body of Divinity.
