Being securely wrapped up in Christ is so wonderful. He just keeps us secure in so many ways and has it all covered, from beginning to end in our Christian experience! One thing that has really comforted me and helped me see how secure I am in Him has been the idea of being put into God's family permanently. We are brought into His family in several ways, I think, and in all those ways we are brought in forever, never to be excluded or thrown out, disowned or excluded..
We are born into God's family, born of the Spirit, born from above. We are rebirthed through the living and permanent and lasting Word of God that never dies or changes or fails! We are born again with a newly alive spirit, a righteous spirit that can never, ever die, for it has its life source in the very Spirit of God, the eternal Life of God Himself! His Life is our life now, is at the center of our being, and that is a fire that can't be extinguished!
Birth is truly permanent! Once a new being is conceived and born, that person is forever in existence. There's no way to go backward and be "un-born" or erase the spiritual DNA with which God has made and equipped us. We are part of His family with His spiritual DNA in us, made from His Life, with the family traits existent in us forever! Just as earthly parents would say a baby has their eyes, their nose, their temperament, our Father says of us that we have His nature, His life, His Spirit! We are forever and permanently His children because we've been reborn that way, made forever in His righteous image, thus righteous forever!
Another way we are brought into the family is by adoption. I am still learning about the meaning of adoption in the first century, but from some things I have read, it seems the term adoption was used differently than it is today. I read that "placed him as a son," so to speak, giving him full rights to his inheritance. It marked the time when a biological child of yours came into the full privileges of being a son, with the inheritance, authority, blessings and rights that came along with that. Everyone on earth was created by God and is in one sense His child. When we accept Christ through faith, we come into our full rights and privileges as His adopted children. He planned from before time began to adopt us like this! And all the gifts He has given us, grace upon grace and blessing upon blessing, all the blessings of our inheritance in Christ, - He planned all that for us from before the foundation of the world, a love plan beyond our comprehension. He always meant that we would end up graced, loved, blessed and full of all the family privileges, set into a permanent place of love and honor in His family circle! We are called sons, not just offspring! We are not servants who live in the house and can be fired at any time for poor performance - NO! We have been placed as sons! A servant does not abide or remain in the house forever, but a SON abides or remains forever! Jesus said we, as sons of the Father, remain in His house forever! He is never going to disown us or kick us out! He has given us sonship, and the Spirit of adoption testifies to that by crying out "Daddy!" within us! That is the best gift He has given us, too, in this inheritance - the gift of an intimate relationship with God whereby we can call Him "Daddy!" And all His gifts are irrevocable - He is our Daddy and FOR EVER AND ALWAYS we have the inheritance (which includes not just that wonderful intimate relationship, but also authority in Christ, peace, righteousness, provision, wholeness, joy, abundant life, eternal glory, etc.). The Son calls us his brothers and we are co-heirs with Him, will share in His glory! We can even say that the Lord Himself is our inheritance for always - "the Lord is my portion forever!" What a bright future we have with Him - Wow!
But there's more! There's another way we are brought into God's family: through marriage to the Son! We are called the Bride of Christ, and the Spirit is our eternal engagement ring or guarantee that this marriage will be completely realized one day at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Talk about being loved and wanted and chosen! We are so special that we were picked to be the very Bride of the only begotten Son of God! God says in Hosea 2:19 "I will betroth you to me forever, in love and faithfulness." I like how the Message puts that verse: "I will marry you true and proper. I will neither leave you nor let you go." God will be faithful to us and never leave us. But also He will hold on to us and never let us go! He will never let us drift away from Him. He has put the fear or reverence of Him in our new heart so that we will not turn away from Him - our new hearts are good and are in love with Him forever, never to wander away. That's our new nature - to always believe, to always follow, to always stay with our Husband. As Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and they know Me, and they follow Me, and noone is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father is greater than all, and noone is able to snatch them out of His hand." Even ourselves! He has given us a new heart and nature that won't desert our Lover. And we know for sure Our Beloved won't desert us, because He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:6)! We can say "I am my Beloved's and He is mine!" He is ours and we are His forever! This is a forever marraige, never to be dissolved, and we will enjoy a wonderful relationship with Him forever!
We are brought into the family of God by birth, adoption and engagement/marraige - and all these things are permanent, always and forever. Thank You, Lord!
