MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM THE ADOPTION SUNDAY - 7/3/10
This Sunday we had the privilege of celebrating with Rich and Pippa Darnton the adoption (& dedication) of Kasey and Ewan and also looking at the magnificent truth that we are adopted as "Son's of God through faith in Christ Jesus" from Galatians 3-4.
Why is Adoption such a powerful image (and reality) of what it is to be a Christian? Because of what it says happens to us - we have
(1) A new (legal) status
(2) A new experience
(1) A new legal status. What is our status? It is what makes us significant, what gives us value and worth….our reputation! It could be anything from a family to our job to our abilities to our popularity to our looks…the list goes on. However whatever we make our status/significance will ultimately enslaves us - we will be nervous/anxious about it and jealous for it….because it can be threaten/taken away. However if we are Son’s of God we get given a status that (a) can never be threatened or taken away and (b) is far greater than anything in this world…..we become heirs - one day we will inherit the heavens and the earth, and like Adam and Eve, we will rule and reign with God (cf. Romans 8.17).
(2) A new experience. Not only do we objectively get a new status, from slaves to Son’s. We also get a new experience. An embrace off the Father that transforms us. The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts so we cry “Abba, Father.” Their is intimacy and we know in our depths (not just our minds) that we are his children. Notice how vs 4 + vs6 parallel each other…God sent his Son/Spirit - his Son to give us the objective status, his Spirit to give us the subjective experience.
We also looked at how Paul was being very “pro-women” because by saying “you are ALL Son’s of God….” he was putting women on an equal footing, giving them an equal status and an equal experience - something that was radical and revolutionary for that patriarchal culture.
HOW did God make us our Son’s? His Son lost his status and he lost the embrace of his father - he cried out “Father why have you abandoned me” so that we can cry out “Abba, Father.”
Reflection and Application
(1) Read + meditate on Ephesians 1.3-10. What does it say comes as part of being “In Christ” and being adopted? Thank God for each thing of these things.
(2) What things are seen give people status and significance in our society? What things are you tempted to look to for significance? Can you relate to how these things enslave/control us and how we become nervous about or jealous for them?
(3) When have you known the embrace of the father? Notice how in Romans 8.16 the cry of “Abba Father” is the cry from a believer of what it is to be part of a broken and suffering world (8.18-17) - it does not necessarily mean a “nice gooy feeling.”
(4) Becoming a Christian means that something objective happens (a new status) and something subjective happens (a new experience). Which do we tend towards? What will happen if we are not balanced in our understanding of what has happened to us?
(5) If God has adopted us then an appropriate response would be for us as a church to look to adopt disadvantage children (and care for those that are rejected by society). Have any of you thought about adopting? Did Sunday stir any of you to think about adopting? How can we care for the alien, fatherless, widow and outcast in our society (cf. Deuteronomy 10.17-19).
(6) Pray for (a) Darnton’s and Cartledges (b) any kids and people in your lives that are disadvantaged (c) social workers in our church (d) all the guest that came on Sunday
(7) Pray that we might live more and more as Son’s of God and therefore be set free from all that enslaves us
Comments
Steve Vaughan
Beany this is really helpful and insightful and I think you are spot on - in that the “status” Paul is talking about in Galatians is status of being true members of the family of God (heirs of Abraham etc) by faith NOT circumcision. And that by going back to the law to become members of God’s family then they were enslaving themselves. YES! Agreed.
However, what is “our equivalent?” What do we do to ensure that we “belong,” that we are are guaranteed to be “on the inside,” that we are accepted (by others) - we look to what we can do - how can I prove myself? How can I show that I am worth something and therefore worth being in?
So yes maybe my exegesis was slightly slippy but I think it is still valid and I think Paul is so keen to say that only in Christ is there freedom that anything else we turn to will ultimately enslave us.
Any other thoughts? Do you agree?
BTW - I love the fact that people are engaging with the bible so seriously. What does it really mean? What did Paul mean?
We should never apply anything that is not there in scripture because ultimately this ends up with us (a) distorting scripture and (b) making the scripture say what we want it to (which will mean we are never challenged or changed or disturbed)
Evening gentlemen. I’m finding both your points helpful. As you both say, the golden rule in exegesis is to ask what the writer was trying to say to his audience. That takes us onto what the Spirit is saying to us today. If the answer to question two is not inconsistent with question one then we’re probably onto something worthwhile.
I don’t think Paul was primarily thinking about significance when he wrote this bit of Galatians, but in a sense he didn’t need to. For Jews, in went without saying that their culture and history, called by God out of all the nations of the world and heirs to the Messiannic promises, gave them a huge sense of significance. It was quite a shock when Jesus told them that they could only live in the fulfilment of this by faith in him rather than just relying on their lineage. Paul could almost have overheard the discussion Jesus had with the Jews recorded in John 8:31 onwards.
So I’d agree with Andrew that significance wasn’t a point uppermost in Paul’s mind. I also think Steve’s right to have drawn it out. Paul didn’t need to make the point - his readers would have understood that what made them special - their significance - had radically changed. But what was obvious to them is not always obvious to us - which is why we need good Bible teachers to make the link. And thoughtful readers of scripture to keep them on their toes (!). My thanks to you both.
Wow! Great got it. Thanks both of you.
This opens scripture up a lot more for application, thinking in “modern day equivalent”. As so much of Paul’s writing is polemical i guess just the plain results of exegesis may seem less relevant to a broad congregation. Although doing pretty good for now as devotional stuff. At least its “safer” to apply. Thanks again.
Do you think the teacher should explain how he gets the application from scripture to the congregation? How “slave” initially means something else but can be applied like this.
Or do we just trust the elders to do this for us (which I do of course)? Perhaps this blog can be how “thoughtful readers” who aren’t bright enough to jump the gap between the two, can learn how?
The Slippery Subject of Significance
A peripheral part of the promise package plainly perceived by the people but not particularly present in print or primarily Paul’s polemic point.
Perhaps this belongs in creative arts section.
Sunday morning provoked me so I read Galatians in the other service.
The pastoral message of the sermon was fantastic and so true, it is so easy to be enslaved by whatever gives you significance! However my main question was: Was paul really thinking about our significance when he said “you are no longer a slave but a child?”
From reading Galatians, the verse’s surrounding context, i can only understand this as a statement of FULL family membership, as a response to the issue of division between Jew/Greek Christians on the grounds of Torah related stuff. (look at peter in Chapter 2) The en-slavery seems to be being done by works of Torah/observing special days/circumcision, not significance.
What is for sure in Galatians is that we gentile Christians as FULL members are heirs to promises! Abraham’s promises. The covenant. The Spirit. Being a light to the world. Pretty significant but is significance really the point here?
Any thoughts?