Chapter # 9 Paragraph # 1 Study # 5
August 12, 2008
Lincolnton, N.C.
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Thesis: The "adoption" sets the details of hope before those who embrace Him.
Introduction: In our study last week we considered Paul's identification of his "kinsmen" as Israelites. We saw that it is a "rich heritage" issue because it points to a long history of divine involvement with them in an extremely unique way. The conclusion that we drew from Paul's application of that identity to his people is that "heritage" does not guarantee participation. In many ways, the "Israelites" were given an enormous opportunity to enter into the practicalities of "eternal life".
This evening we are going to look at another of those "opportunities": the issue of how "hope" drives Life. This seems to be the "point" of "possessing the adoption".
- I. Identifying "the Adoption".
- A. The largest overtones of meaning for us is the legal process whereby an adult takes the child of another and makes that child his/her own.
- B. The term in the first century had another meaning.
- 1. In Galatians 4:1-7 Paul explained this meaning.
- a. It had to do with the children in a family by natural birth.
- b. It had to do with the problem of children being unsuited for the responsibilities of adult life.
- c. It had to do with the event wherein the children were recognized by their father as having learned how to properly respond to those responsibilities.
- d. It had to do with the issue of being suited for entering into the inheritance by reason of the training.
- 2. In summary, then, the meaning of "adoption" is "the recognition by the father of the effectiveness of the training of the child so that he is now ready for the responsibilities of being his heir".
- II. Identifying the Timing of This "Adoption".
- A. In Romans 8:23 Paul identified "the adoption" as "the redemption of the body" by the use of what we call "apposition" -- a restatement of the identity of an entity with another word or phrase.
- 1. However, this identification is not a one-to-one reality: "adoption" is not the redemption of the body.
- 2. The redemption of the body is the event that permits the "adoption".
- a. In Acts 13:33 we are given an inspired interpretation of Psalm 2:7 in which one who is already God's "child" is "decreed" to have been "begotten" on "this day" for the purpose of handing over "thine inheritance" so that the "heir" might rule absolutely -- i.e., "execute the authority of the inheritance".
- 1) In this interpretation, the "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" is given the meaning of "He raised up Jesus".
- 2) Because "resurrection" includes provision of a "new body", the idea of "begotten" is involved, but the major issue is that this resurrection is the final aspect of the preparation for inheriting.
- b. Hebrews 5:1-10 further explains the issue by taking us through the facts regarding the Psalm 2 reality.
- 1) Hebrews 5:5 is preconditioned by Hebrews 1:5.
- 2) In Hebrews 5 the issues are that Jesus was appointed to grow through the process of being subject to "days of flesh" so that, once "perfected", He could execute the responsibilities of the adult heir.
- B. Since the "redemption of the body" is a future phenomenon, no one yet "possesses" it.
- III. Identifying How Romans 9:4 Says This "Adoption" Belongs to Paul's "Kinsmen According to The Flesh".
- A. This means that the Israelites were given "adoption" in some way.
- B. But the "way" that it was given was the "way" of "hope".
- 1. In the Romans 8 context, two issues stand out regarding "adoption".
- a. In 8:15 the "Spirit of Adoption" was given in order to break the "bondage to fear".
- b. In 8:23-24 the "adoption" was given as a matter of "hope" that is, as yet, a future reality that is presently unseen.
- 2. In Paul's other writings "resurrection" is the bottom line of hope and is the most fundamental issue of "life choices" (Note 1 Corinthians 15:32-34).
- 3. So it goes without saying that anyone who rejects the "hope" will not participate in its fulfillment.
- 4. Thus, though it was "theirs" by divine proclamation, it was never "theirs" who did not "believe".
- IV. Identifying Paul's "Point".
- A. In his prior words, Paul declared that he "cared" so much for his kinsmen that he was willing to be their redeemer.
- B. And in his prior words, he declared a constant burden of grief that his kinsmen were not willing to accept their Redeemer.
- C. Thus, Paul's "point" has to be that nothing "declared" has any value in terms of benefit unless it is "believed" -- and human "wishes" and "wants" have little to nothing to do with getting a person to "believe".