"In adoption, God takes us into His family and fellowship, and establishes us as His children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater."
J.I. Packer; Knowing God, p. 188
6 comments:
Amen! ESI. Good quote. God taking us into his family in Jesus. Something Mary had to learn and I don't think it was easy for her as Scot McKnight makes clear in his wonderful book, "The Real Mary." It was about a family and Mary had to become a part of that as well, or find her place in it.
I do think this may suggest that reconciliation and adoption may be more at the heart of our great salvation in Jesus, then justification, without at all diminishing the need for us to be justified in Christ after having been rightfully pronounced guilty in our sins. Just me jabbering here, though under the influence of what I've read I'll certainly acknowledge.
And we can never fully appreciate the magnitude of either position on this side of eternity. My small group decided we would read that book together. I am enjoying it very much, because Packer conveys a reverent perspective on the qualities of God rather than the WIIFM attitude (what's in it for me) that pervades carnal minds.
Great quote.
And by the way, I love the name of your blog.
Merry Christmas!
-Paul Merrill for Wycliffe's The Seed Company
http://www.theseedcompany.org/
As I have not related with my parents as I should over the 31 years of my time here, I have also not gained an experience to match one-to-one with this quote. While I can comprehend the sterile, logical connectedness of ideas and doctrines, I have missed participating experientially in much of the reality that those ideas and and doctrines point to...
With that said, ESI, I once had the opportunity to be welcomed into your home for a day, and the interactions of you toward your family and your advices toward me have filled the gap in many ways with regard to a lifetime of missing experience. Modeled, I saw, as in this quote: "takes us into," I was welcomed, "as His children," I was both given great hospitality and discipleship, "affection and generosity," again how I was welcomed, "the judge," I received a broad spectrum of discerning wisdom with which to live in a balanced manner, "but to be loved and cared for by... the Father is a greater," indeed I received from a brother in Christ much of the experience of Fatherliness that I missed early in my life.
May our Father in heaven, who dwells in unapproachable light, be praised for his affection for which he has given us fathers on earth through whom we can draw close to Him.
Ted - Perhaps the reason that many believe justification to be the cornerstone, rather than adoption is that it makes adoption possible by establishing a right standing with God.
Craver - Knowing God is a contemporary classic - not sure you could have picked a better book.
Paul - Glad you like the name of the blog...hopefully the content & comments will also be a blessing? Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to drop by again.
mark - I am immensely blessed that you received so much from God through the time you spent with us. I'm grateful that our home life was used to model the joyful fellowship - that, I assure you is pure grace.
If you find yourself in the DC area, please let us know... we'd love to see you again.
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