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The Privilege of Adoption

Words of Faith Final

The Privilege of Adoption
Words of Faith 10-6-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 9
      [4b] Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. [5] Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
    [6] It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. [7] Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." [8] In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the Promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. [9] For this was how the Promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."

      There were certain privileges that came with being Jewish. There is a privilege of having walked with divine glory, the remarkable presence of God as a cloud by day and fire by night. There is a privilege of covenant, having actually entering into a covenant relationship with God.  There is a privilege of receiving the Law, God's Holy directive for living written by His hand.  There is the privilege of Temple worship which honored God. There is the privilege of the promises, the many promises of the coming Christ.  
      But these privileges were not simply a right of blood descendants, "theirs is an adoption as sons." In fact, not all descendants of Abraham had these privileges! God chose the offspring of Isaac rather than the offspring of Ishmael for these privileges and blessings. Likewise, not all who are descended from Israel are "Israel." God, in His sovereign will, chose the offspring of Isaac by which to reckon humanity. It is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the Promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. What does this mean?
      It does NOT mean that Judaism has somehow been "replaced" by Gentile Christian institutions, as some suggest. It does mean that the heritage of God is not a matter of human bloodlines; it is a matter of spiritual bloodlines and always has been. How does this apply?  The truth is that who we are is defined by who we are in Christ, whether we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free. If we are children of the Promise-- the Promise of God to redeem humanity, the Promise of God to send Messiah, and the Promise of God to set humanity free from sin and death-- then we are indeed children of God.        
       It may be even more important for most of us to realize that we are not defined by our denominational or institutional bloodlines or pedigrees. Just because we are born to Christian parents does not make us Christian. Yes, a Christian home hopefully gives me a fighting chance, but I must receive for myself the free gift of salvation and be adopted as His child.  

       Lord, I give thanks for Your sovereign plan to reach and redeem humanity. I give thanks for the free offer of salvation and adoption as Your child. Lord, I presume no rank or privilege, but I gratefully receive my place as a child of the Promise. For in Christ, I am a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.