God The Father | The Father Who Adopts
About this talk:
To adopt is to take into one’s family someone who was not a natural child, such that they then have the status and rights equal to those of a natural child. In a world in which people struggle to know who they are, where the new (disastrous!) narrative is: “Look within and find your own identity, be who you feel you are,” the Bible assures us that the most extraordinary thing has happened by faith in Jesus: we have an identity given to us that we would never have dreamed possible. The son of God has made us sons (and daughters) of God. His goal was ‘not just to rescue from slavery, but to make slaves into sons’ (John Stott).
Verse 4 summarises how God has done this and contains one of the New Testaments great “But”s - “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law”:
He was sent by God. Planned from eternity, this had always been God’s plan, the way in which the promise of blessing through Abraham would come to all nations.
He was “born of a woman.” The promise to Abraham was to his “seed” (3:16) and so must refer to a human being, which serves to emphasise the full humanity of Jesus.
He was “born under the law.” Jesus was born as a Jew, subject in his humanity to the law. Yet in contrast to the disobedience of all who came before him, he perfectly pleased his Father in fully obeying God’s law. He lived in obedience to God’s law for us and bore the curse of the law for us.
Paul then appears to be saying that the ultimate goal of the sending of the Son can be thought of in terms of “adoption to sonship” - “God sent his Son…to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” J. I. Packer wrote: ‘To be right with God the judge is a great thing. But to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater…Adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers; higher than justification…adoption is the apex of redemptive grace and privilege…If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all…Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption.’
The New Testament uses many different terms to communicate the multifaceted nature of the salvation God has achieved for us in Jesus: forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, regeneration, justification, freedom. But it could be argued that the pinnacle of New Testament salvation is adoption. If some of the other terms teach us what God has saved us from, or out of, adoption (and reconciliation) teach us the relational dimension of what God has saved us into.
In the context of explaining why followers of Jesus are no longer under the tutelage of the law - “Now that this faith (in Christ) has come, we are no longer under a guardian” (3:25) - Paul wants the Galatians to know it is by faith alone that we have become “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (3:29). True sonship has now come through the victory of Jesus on the cross and through his resurrection. Which we not only know but experience because “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’” (v 6). Sonship is both a position conferred upon us and an experience within us. ‘He sent His Son that we might have the status of sonship, and he sent His Spirit that we might have an experience of it’ (John Stott).
Audio only
Life Group activity
As part of our series on God as Father, this week we’re exploring what it means that He is the Father who is present.
Key Passage
Please read Deuteronomy 31:1–8, focusing especially on:
Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
How To Use This Guide
1. Introduction (Leader to Read)
We’re continuing our series about God as Father, and tonight we’re looking at the truth that He is the Father who is present.
2. Discussion Groups
Divide into groups of 4–6 people. Encourage groups to make brief notes.
3. Regather & Share
After 10 minutes of discussion time:
Come back together.
Invite each group to share one or two highlights from their conversation (no need to answer every question).
If time allows, see the optional reflection section at the end.
Discussion Sections
1. “The Lord Himself…”
This is deeply personal language.
Not:
An angel
A force
A principle
A distant supervisor
But the Lord Himself.
Explore Together:
Why do you think Moses emphasises “Himself”?
What difference does it make that it’s not a representative?
When life feels uncertain, what do we tend to want instead of God Himself?
Go Deeper:
Do you relate to God more as an idea, a doctrine, or a present Father?
What would change if you truly believed God personally involves Himself in your life?
Reflection:
Sometimes we want God to send help. This promise is that He comes.
2. “Goes Before You…”
This speaks to the future.
Israel is about to enter unknown territory. Moses is leaving. Leadership is changing.
And the promise is: You are not walking into somewhere God hasn’t already been.
Explore Together:
What future situation feels uncertain for you right now?
How does it change things to believe God is already there?
What fears shrink when you remember He goes ahead?
Stretch Question:
Do you tend to live as though you are scouting your own future?
How might you pray differently this week, knowing God is already ahead?
Reflection:
God is not reacting to your tomorrow. He is already present in it.
3. “Will Be With You…”
This is present-continuous reassurance.
Not just ahead.
Not just sovereign above.
But with.
Explore Together:
What is the difference between saying “God is present” and knowing “God is with me”?
What practices help you become more aware of His presence during the day?
Where right now do you most need to be reminded that God is with you?
Go Personal:
If you walked into tomorrow deeply aware God was with you, what would look different?
How would your tone change? Your courage? Your patience?
Reflection:
His presence is not abstract theology. It’s companionship.
4. “Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You.”
This is covenant loyalty language.
It speaks directly to our fear of abandonment.
Israel had known slavery, wandering, and uncertainty.
Humans fear being left.
Explore Together:
Where does fear of abandonment show up in human life?
Why do you think this promise is repeated so often in Scripture?
Briefly share a time when you experienced the truth of this promise.
Deep Reflection:
What lies do we believe when life is painful?
What would it mean to anchor yourself in God’s unbreakable commitment?
Summary Thought:
He doesn’t withdraw when you struggle.
He doesn’t distance himself when you fail.
He doesn’t abandon you when you’re weak.
Closing Thought
Courage in this passage is not rooted in:
Clarity
Control
Capability
It is rooted in Presence.
The Father who calls you forward is the Father who walks with you and refuses to leave you.
