Adoption Via Marriage

OUR MINDSET

In our Sunday morning meeting yesterday, we were discussing our place in Christ.  Scripture tells us we are "joint heirs" and "adopted" - Ephesians 1:4-6 reads, "For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved."  I thought, "How does God the Father "adopt" us through His Son Jesus Christ - why not just adopt us right out?  If we are adopted children of God and joint heirs with Christ, would not God have to equally distribute His kingdom with ALL of His heirs?  Somehow this was not measuring up to the mindset I have held to for 40+ years.

CHANGE OF MIND

To wrap my head around this, I had to try and see this through God's eyes in light of His eternal purpose.  What has God always desired, from before time as we know it? 

1. To have a permanent dwelling place in this, His creation.
2. To have a physical expression of Himself within this creation and
3. To provide for His Son a bride, holy and acceptable to Him.

I understand now that God accomplishes ALL of these purposes via the Church: 

1. We are His dwelling place in this creation, living stones being built up together (1 Peter 2:4-5: "Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God - you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.").
2. We are His physical body, visible to the world around us - the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27: "Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.") and
3. We, the church, are the Bride of Christ. (Revelation 19:7: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

Jesus said: "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)  According to Jesus, Himself, we cannot get to God the Father EXCEPT through Christ.  I am good with that.  So, how do I get "adopted" by God through His Son Jesus?  Only through marriage!  When Christ becomes one with His bride (the church - of which we  are only a part) then the church will become one with the Son.  Then she (we) will be the daughter of God the Father, by marriage and a joint heir with her Bridegroom who inherits all that her glorious Husband inherits from His Father.  No splitting the inheritance - but joint ownership between the two (Christ and His Bride) who have become one.  We, the church will find our favor with the Father ONLY because of our relationship with the Son of the Father.  Not because of pity that God feels "sorry" for us.  Not because of responsibility to take care of His creation.  Only because of the great love the Father has for His Son and the object of the Son's affections - His bride.

1 John 5:11-12 says it this way: "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."  God did not give His Son because it was the only way - He did it because it was the best way He could demonstrate His love for us.  He could have done anything He wanted, but He chose love.  The marriage relationship, adoption via marriage!

N.T. Wright Interview: “Simply Jesus” & Wright Responds to Critics

In the life of this blog, I have, up until this time, posted my heart and messages descriptive of my journey.  Today, however, I deviate from this pattern to pass on what I feel is valuable information passed on to me by a man I trust, whose heart is for the Lord and His church.  This man has been on the journey that I now walk and has provided me with many, many invaluable insights and tools to help guide me on this journey.  To say that the things that God has revealed to me because of this man's journey to the cross and beyond would be an understatement.

Frank Viola is an author and speaker.  I had the privilege of meeting him briefly at Threshold 2011 in Orlando, FL last year.  More importantly, I have had the privilege to learn from his 23+ years of seeking and experiencing an organic expression of the church.  Because he would take no credit for the ministry he lives, I will give thanks to the Lord for Frank's willingness to get out of God's way so that He might reveal to those of us seeking those things that HE wants us to find.  (Yet another thing I have learned from this man.)  

Recently, Frank passed on in his blog some information which he thought worth passing on to his readers.  Because I respect Frank (not idolize), I place significant value on what he deems important as well.  I do read everything he writes through the filter of scripture and have found his writings to be "spot-on" and most often timely delivered.  Today, I want to pass this information on to those that read this and encourage you to subscribe to Frank's blog, as well.  (He writes ALLOT more than I do and much more frequently.)  My hope is that God would begin to open the eyes of a remnant of His church to return to Him and begin to rebuild His temple by His standards - a building not made by human hands but rather constructed of "living stones". 

To read this blog, go to http://frankviola.org/2012/01/23/ntwright/.  You may also subscribe to his blog here.  You will find it insightful and informative, but more than this it will cause you to seek the Lord.  Blessings to you and yours -

Mark <><