I'm Adopted

My parents are Elston Herrin and Lela Agnes Van Hook. My DNA is of Edward Herrin who died in 1789 Chatham County, North Carolina.  Although his family was from England our DNA is of the Scottish people.  Edward's, Dad's and my DNA is from Adam as is yours! We are children of the flesh in two different fashions: 1) Adam is our ancestor, and 2) we have inherited his mutations. Our flesh is contaminated by sin and it's inherited from Adam.

Before we can live eternally we must die in two different ways: Our bodies must die, but before that our flesh must be sacrificed!

Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

This "body" which we sacrifice is our "self". Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac to God, we must be willing to die for God.

 Galatians 2:20 ( ESV) "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

We don't commit suicide nor have someone crucify us, but we, when we believe in and trust Jesus' sacrifice for our own sins, we crucify the flesh. As such our uncleanness is cut-off and cast aside. Part of presenting our "self" as a living sacrifice is "change". The old person is hung on that cross and a new person is born. This experience is being "born-again". It's when the old self is no longer tantamount to God, but Jesus is the Way!

Sometimes in life a child loses parents and becomes orphaned. At other times children are abandoned by neglectful parents. Either way, those minors are put up for adoption, which is when a couple accepts a child as their own. As such part of that child ceases to be and he or she becomes something new, forged in the pattern of the loving couple who loves the child as their own. The adopted child is a new person who now has comfort and hope!

We are assured of our salvation when we change. If there is no change in us, the Father may have tried to adopt us, but we may have been rebellious children who want to stay in the orphanage because the life there is more attractive!

When a child of the devil becomes a child of God, he or she is adopted just as any orphan would be. It's a new beginning! It's a new start.  That old life ceases to exist and the new person has comfort and hope! The minute a person of any age relinquishes the old self to Jesus Christ as the old self dies on the cross, he or she is adopted by God. This process is "spiritual adoption"! The born-again person become a child of God because that's what was promised to the seed of Abraham:

Romans 9:8 (ESV) "...it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. "

God made a promise to Abraham and now that promise is fulfilled. When "the flesh" is cutoff, we inherit the promise which God gifted to mankind way back when! It's available to all for God's will has always been that we become his children:

Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) "In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will..."

It's a simple matter. When we love God's son Jesus enough to give our "self" to him, then we become sons of God. As such God adopts us and he becomes our Father in heaven! It's as simple as believing in the name of Jesus and receiving him that we are adopted:

John 1:12  (ESV) "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."

People miss the two parts of this promise. It's not only "believing " interpreted to be "trusting" him, but also to be adopted we must "receive" him. That's what makes the path so narrow. People believe as the demons do, but they fail to trust and receive Jesus. Reception is making the living sacrifice of the "self" and becoming a new creation. New creatures in Christ, who claim to be children of God, obey their heavenly Father.  When we are adopted we are just as his children and we love our Father twofold: 1) as God and 2) as our adoptive parent!

No wonder the commandment says "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12). We are to honor our adoptive Father just as we are commanded to honor our natural parents. With each there is a promise. With our natural parents, if we honor them, our physical life shall be long. If we honor our adoptive Father we shall live forever!

I always recommend that when we read the Old Testament that we put it all in a spiritual context because as our Father, it's not our body which concerns him; it's our soul!  Just as in the Abrahamic Covenant there exists two promises: 1) prosperity and 2) salvation; there are two promises in this command! As such adopted children are to honor their Father! That's what obedient children are to do!

The problem of many "Christians" is that they claim to be children of God, but live for the devil. They serve two masters and by doing the will of one, essentially the devil, they are hating the new parent they claim. All types of filth and desires come from the mouths of babes in Christ. As adopted children, we are to "grow up"! We are to pattern our lives after our Father! Part of being adopted by God is putting away our old father the devil. That's the gratitude an adopted child should have!