One of the Family

"Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." (Galatians 3:7)

I, being an American, can never become a Korean. Even the notion of such a possibility would be considered ridiculous by many people. No matter how hard I tried or how badly I wanted to be Korean, it simply would never happen. I can become fluent in the language, live in Korea for my whole life, adopt Korean children, and completely immerse myself in Korean culture, but still, I will never become Korean. To be Korean is not simply a national honor; it is ethnic as well.

When the Jews made claims to be heirs of Abraham they were citing the ethnic and national promises made to them by God through Abraham. They understood God's blessings to be an exclusive deal for their people only. The door for foreigners to enter into covenant blessing with God was very narrow and difficult. After all, they believed they had an exclusive corner on the salvation market. So can you imagine how radical Paul's message is when he declares that even those of faith in Jesus Christ are the children of Abraham!

Imagine if I could simply become Korean by faith in King Sejong the Great. Now imagine if that door was open to the world! How would Korean's react to that? It would be shocking and possibly considered blasphemous. Certainly there would be great objection.

Of course the Jewish community objected to this notion. How can a man, woman, or child simply be Abrahams heir by faith in Jesus Christ? But this is the beauty of the gospel! It teaches us that we have entered into a special covenant with God. We are now his very own special people; a prized possession; a holy nation. We are no longer outsiders, but rather, we have become the very people God chases after, cares for, and loves above all others. We have not simply been allowed to live among the "true children". We are the "true children" and we receive all the blessings of faithful Abraham in full.

This is not something we have made application for, nor is it something we earned. God has adopted us into his family. We are "reborn" in spirit as God's dear children.

Does this comfort your heart? It should. Knowing this you have full confidence to believe that every promise and blessing ever spoken to God's people in the Bible is spoken to you. Not one will fail. But this also means that nothing is required of us to confirm or maintain our adoption. We do not need to be circumcised nor is there a citizenship test to pass. There is no waiting list, no green card, and no naturalization.

Let no one rob you of this joy and pleasure in the Lord.

Jay