You are marrying an adopted child. Surprised? Well, it is true. When you or your partner invited Jesus Christ into your lives you were adopted into God’s family.
Marrying a Child Adopted by God
Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of god.
John 1:12
You are marrying an adopted child. Surprised? Well, it is true. When you or your partner invited Jesus Christ into your lives you were adopted into God’s family.
That is what John was writing about in today’s verse. Being adopted is a good thing. It means you are no stranger to God. You are a distant relative. He has chosen you to be His child.
Romans 8:16 states: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
When you understand the fullness of your spiritual adoption, it can redirect your thinking and response to life. Your adoption is a gift of grace.
Did you know that in Roman law during New Testament times it was common practice for a childless adult who wanted an heir to adopt an adult male as his son? You too have been adopted by God as His heir.
The apostle Paul wrote: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Gal. 4:7).
Perhaps you remember the book or the movie Ben Hur? Judah Ben Hur was a Jewish slave until the Roman admiral, Arias, adopted him.
Judah was given all the rights and privileges of full sonship. He was accepted by Arias as if he had been born into the family.
Similarly, when you received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you were adopted into God’s family and received all the rights and privileges of a full heir.
What are some of the rights and privilege you inherited? The book of Ephesians lists some of these rights:
• You have been guaranteed eternal life, as evidenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life (see 1:14).
• You have hope in Christ, your glorious inheritance (see 1:18).
• You have experienced the incomparable power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand (see 1:19,20).
• You are the recipient of God’s incomparable grace that saved you apart from anything you have done or can ever do (see 2:8,9).
• You now have access to the Father through His Spirit (see 2:18).
• You can know the love of Christ that will enable you to receive God’s fullness (see 3:19).
How do you feel about being adopted by the King of the universe and being delivered from the kingdom of darkness (see Col. 1:13)?
This is one of the greatest blessings the gospel offers to you. You have been taken into God’s family and fellowship, and you have been established as His child and heir.
You may have come from a dysfunctional home. Perhaps you experienced emotional or physical abuse in your natural family. But God is a Father who can fill the gaps in your life because of who He is and what He has done for you.
Because you are in a family, closeness, affection and generosity are the basis of your relationship with Father God. You are loved and cared for by your Father.
Your relationship as an heir is the basis for your Christian life. It can help you respond in a healthy, loving way to your prospective partner for the next 50 years!