Galatians Teaches Adoption Galatians 4:1-7

ALIENATED

ALIENATED Galatians 3:24a So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came… 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

ALIENATED Galatians 4:1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

ALIENATED Galatians 4:3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

ALIENATED

ADOPTED

ADOPTED Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

ADOPTED Mark 1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

ADOPTED “Adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers: higher even than justification. … To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.” J.I. Packer

ADOPTED “Our perception of God defines who we are and affects the way we relate (or do not relate) to him.” John Sowers, Fatherless Generation

ADOPTED

ALTERED

ALTERED Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

ALTERED Ephesians 1:4 [God] chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

ALTERED Deuteronomy 10:17 For the L ORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

ALTERED Psalm 10:17 O L ORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear 18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

ALTERED James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

ALTERED According to UNICEF: million orphans worldwide

ALTERED According to UNICEF: million orphans worldwide 14 million children orphaned from AIDS in Africa

ALTERED According to John Sowers (author of Fatherless Generation), in the U.S.: 500,000 children are in the foster care system

ALTERED According to John Sowers (author of Fatherless Generation), in the U.S.: 500,000 children are in the foster care system 25 million children are fatherless

ALTERED According to John Sowers (author of Fatherless Generation), in the U.S.: 500,000 children are in the foster care system 25 million children are fatherless 71% of teenage pregnancies 90% of homeless and runaways 85% of youth who exhibit behavioral disorders 71% of high school dropouts.

ALTERED “How could there be too many children, it’s like saying there’s too many flowers.” Mother Theresa

ALTERED BELIEVE

ALTERED BELIEVE PRAY

ALTERED BELIEVE PRAY ENGAGE

ALTERED BELIEVE PRAY ENGAGE ACT

ALTERED “We should be continually captivated by the love of our Father in heaven, and compelled to show his love to the fatherless on earth.” … “Adoption is an expression in our lives that reflects the gospel in our hearts.” David Platt

ALTERED “Adoption is a real-life illustration of the gospel. It shows us how God transforms spiritual orphans into family members. He changes our names, identities, and families by his grace. Orphan care is acts of mercy that flow from the heart of one who has been changed by the gospel.” Tony Merida (Orphanology)

ALTERED