The Gift of Justification: Adoption

Adoption is the awesome gift of justification by faith alone through Christ alone.   It is God's present acceptance of us by the world's Judge.  This is accomplished by the gift of adoption. We are a child of our Heavenly Father.  We are people of bad character because we are all corrupt sinners.  We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

Adoption is founded on justification.  Those who are adopted have receive Christ and belong to Christ.  We are loved in and through Christ as God loves His eternally only begotten Son.  We also share in the glory that is Christ's now.  Christians are under the care of our Heavenly Father.  Sometimes it means we get disciplined by Him because we have done the wrong thing.  No one should spitefully pray for discipline of another, but out of love pray for it.  We ought to pray to our Father in heaven.  We ought to trust His fatherly love.  Adoption and regeneration are two things of salvation that Jesus brings to us.  We ought to understand that we have a new relationship in adoption with God.  God wants us to have His holy character and He takes the initiative.

Here is what the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 says,

Chapter 12: Of Adoption
_______ All those that are justified, God vouchsafed, in and for the sake of his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him as by a Father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation.
(Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:4, 5; John 1:12; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 3:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18; Psalms 103:13; Proverbs 14:26; 1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 12:6; Isaiah 54:8, 9; Lamentations 3:31; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 1:14; Hebrews 6:12)

We are elected by God (Deut. 14:1, 2; Rom. 11:1-32), blessed by God (Rom. 9:4) and seen in history (Ex. 4:22, 23).   The spiritual salvation of the Gentiles was predicted by the prophets, confirmed by faith and seen in the new covenant.  We have been predestined in the past, present and future.   The source is God's grace, by faith and through Jesus Christ.  The assurance's of the Spirit's witness, the Spirit's leading and we cry "Abba, Father."  We lived a changed life under the Father's chastening.  The blessings of a new nature, a new name, access to God, Fatherly love, help in prayer, spiritual unity and a glorious inheritance.

We are partakers of the grace of adoption.  We are accepted into the number of God's elect.  We also enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God.  We have His name put upon us.  We have been given the Holy Spirit in our adoption.  We have access to the throne of grace whereby we come boldly.  We are "pitied, protected, provided for and chastened by him as by a Father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises as hairs of everlasting salvation."  This information was used from references of a topical index and a Reformed study bible.