WHAT DOES IT MEAN
TO BE A CHILD OF GOD
BEING A CHILD OF GOD MEANS I AM ADOPTED!
THE ACT OF ADOPTING IN REGULAR LIFE WORKS JUST LIKE GODS VERSION DOES!
IT CREATES A PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PERSON BEING ADOPTED AND HIS/HER ADOPTIVE PARENT AND TOTALLY TERMINATES SUCH A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FORMER PARENT.
AFTER THE ADOPTION IS COMPLETED, A NEW BIRTH CERTIFICATE WILL BE ISSUED SHOWING THE ADOPTIVE PARENTS AS PARENTS AND THE CHILD UNDER HIS/HER NEW NAME.
ADOPTIONS ARE PERMANENT AND CANNOT BE REVERSED. THE ONLY WAY TO UNDO AN ADOPTION IS FOR THE FORMER PARENT TO ADOPT THE PERSON BACK. THE FACT THAT HE OR SHE WAS AN ORIGINAL PARENT HAS NO LEGAL RELEVANCE IN ADOPTING THE PERSON BACK.
IT MEANS I AM JUSTIFIED!
JUSTIFICATION IS AN ACT OF GOD, IT IS A LEGAL TERM SIGNIFYING ACQUITTAL. IT IS A LEGAL DECLARATION IN WHICH GOD PARDONS THE SINNER OF ALL HIS SINS AND ACCEPTS AND ACCOUNTS THE SINNER AS RIGHTEOUS IN HIS SIGHT. GOD DECLARES THE SINNER RIGHTEOUS AT THE VERY MOMENT THAT THE SINNER PUTS HIS TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST
WHAT IS THE BASIS OF THIS LEGAL VERDICT?
GOD JUSTIFIES US SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THE OBEDIENCE AND DEATH OF HIS SON JESUS, OUR REPRESENTATIVE, JESUS CHRIST. CHRIST'S PERFECT OBEDIENCE AND FULL SATISFACTION FOR SIN ARE THE ONLY GROUND UPON WHICH GOD DECLARES THE SINNER RIGHTEOUS. WE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED BY OUR OWN WORKS; WE ARE JUSTIFIED SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF CHRIST'S WORK ON OUR BEHALF. CHRISTS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS GIVEN TO THE SINNER. IN OTHER WORDS, IN JUSTIFICATION, GOD PUTS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF HIS SON ONTO THE SINNER'S ACCOUNT. JUST AS MY SINS WERE TRANSFERRED TO, OR LAID UPON, CHRIST AT THE CROSS, SO ALSO HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RECKONED TO ME.
