Who Initiates Adoptions

The adoptions of sinners into the family of God are initiated by Almighty God.

Ephesians 1:5: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

John 15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

We might ask who predestinated us? Who chose us? The pleasure of whose will? The questions all have the same answer, Almighty God.

Galatians 4:4: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Adoptions are not initiated by babies. They are initiated by prospective parents. Prospective parents need to adopt under the control of laws, judges and others with authority over that process but God needs no other authority to adopt sinners. Occasionally, older children agree to be adopted. That is a picture of our free will in salvation. Many believe in predestination by God to the exclusion of our free will and many believe in our free will to the exclusion of God*s predestination. While our finite minds cannot completely understand it, both truths are in the Bible. As a youth I heard an old song entitled The Hornet Song that might help us understand these truths better.

Exodus 23:28: And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.

The Hornet Song

Verse 1. When the Canaanites hardened their hearts against God, And grieved Him because of their sin, God sent along hornets to bring them to time, And help His own people to win. The hornets persuaded them that it was best, To go quickly, and not to go slow; God did not compel them to go *gainst their will, But He just made them willing to go.

Chorus: He does not compel us to go, No! No! He does not compel us to go. He does not compel us to go *gainst our will, But He just makes us willing to go.

Verse 2. If a nest of live hornets were brought to this room, And the creatures allowed to go free, You would not need urgings to make yourself scarce, You*d want to get out, don*t you see. They would not lay hold and by force of their strength, Throw you out of the window, Oh No,! They would not compel you* to go *gainst your will, But they*d just make you willing to go.

Verse 3. When Jonah was sent to the work of the Lord, The outlook was not very bright; He never had done such a hard thing before, So he backed and ran off from the fight. But God sent a big fish to swallow him up, The story I*m sure you all know; He did not compel him to go *gainst his will, But He just made him willing to go.

You could find and hear the song online. There are more verses.

Care to discuss Who Initiates Adoptions with Ron?

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