Adoption
A Sermon on Adoption from Ephesians 1:5
Scripture
5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Sermon Description
Christians are adopted by God because He chose them. With careful attention to the details of Paul’s letters, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores the purpose of salvation and the implications of being adopted into God’s family. To help grasp the significance of this doctrine, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the term “adoption” emphasizes the standing and rank of the chosen child. In this sermon on adoption from Ephesians 1:5, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that regeneration addresses the Christian’s nature, whereas adoption is about the legal standing of the child. Adoption is the highest expression of God’s love towards His chosen people. It is the love of a Father for His child, the love of God for His creation. Children of God must live holy lives in keeping with their identity. The privileges of God’s household are found throughout Paul’s letters. Christians are His sons and daughters and, as the Scriptures say, heirs with Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text is Ephesians 1:5 which reads "having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will".
- The sermon begins by providing context for Ephesians 1:5 by reviewing Ephesians 1:3-4. These verses establish that God has blessed us with spiritual blessings and chosen us to be holy.
- Ephesians 1:5 introduces the new concept of predestination unto adoption. Predestination refers to God's plan, while choosing refers to how God accomplished that plan.
- Adoption was a Roman legal concept where an adopted child gained the rights and privileges of a natural child. They gained rights to the family name and inheritance.
- Adoption is a legal and relational term, not a natural one. It establishes our standing and position as sons, not our nature. Our nature as new creations comes through regeneration.
- Adoption conveys the highest privileges including:
- The right to God's name as His children
- The gift of the Spirit of Christ which was in Jesus
- The status of heirs and joint-heirs with Christ
- The hope of final redemption and resurrection of the body
- The privilege of judging the world and angels
- We should contemplate these great privileges of adoption and not focus so much on worldly honors and positions.
- We can test if we have the spirit of adoption by whether we are being led by the Spirit. Those led by the Spirit are the sons of God.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.