CHAPTER X.—Of communion with Christ in privileges
shame. This is the way, the only way, to experience the full and effective manifestation of the Spirit dwelling within us, to have our hearts purified, our consciences cleansed, our sins mortified, our graces increased, our souls made humble, holy, zealous, and believing—like Him. It is the path to living fruitful lives and finding comfort in death. Let us remain in this state, fixing our eyes on Christ by faith, so that we may attain the level of conformity to Him that has been allotted to us in this world, and when we see Him as He is, we may be like Him.
CHAPTER X
Of communion with Christ in privileges—Of adoption; the nature of it, the consequences of it—Peculiar privileges attending it; liberty, title, boldness, affliction—Communion with Christ hereby.
III. The third aspect in which we have communion with Christ is the privilege of grace before God. This constitutes the third category of grace that has been obtained through Christ's purchase. The privileges we receive through Christ are vast and innumerable. To go into detail about each one would require a lifetime, not a brief summary. Instead, I will focus on the primary source and origin from which all these privileges arise—our adoption. "Beloved, now we are the children of God" (1 John 3:2). This is the fundamental and central privilege we enjoy. Why are we called children of God? It is because of the Father's love. As stated in verse 1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!" And who grants us this honor? All who
believe in Christ are given the power to become children of God (John 1:12). Christ himself was appointed as the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29), and his acceptance of us as brethren
(Hebrews 2:11) makes us children of God. Our status as God's children and Christ's brethren, with all the honor, privilege, rights, and titles associated with it, is the foundation of our adoption. Let us now consider the nature of this act by which we are invested with this state and title—our adoption.
Adoption is the official transfer of a believer, by Jesus Christ, from the family of the world and Satan into the family of God. It involves being granted all the privileges and advantages of that family. The complete adoption of an individual requires five elements:
1. The person must actually and inherently belong to a family other than the one into which they are adopted. Everyone is already a member of a family by their own right.
2. There must be a family into which the person has no inherent right or claim, but into which they are to be grafted. If someone enters a family based on their own personal right, regardless of how distant, they are not considered adopted. Even if a person of remote relation inherits a family's estate due to the death of closer heirs, they are still considered a natural-born member of that family and not an adoptee. Adoption cannot be based on the possibility of future succession.
3. An authoritative and legal transfer must occur, facilitated by those who have the power to effect such a transfer. It is not within the jurisdiction of individuals to adopt whenever and whomever they please. The authority of the sovereign power is necessary.
4. The adopted person must be freed from all obligations to the family from which they are transferred; otherwise, they cannot fully serve or benefit the family into which they are adopted.
One cannot serve two masters, let alone two fathers.
5. By virtue of their adoption, the person is invested with all the rights, privileges, advantages, and claims to the entire inheritance of the family into which they are adopted. They possess these benefits in the same full and comprehensive manner as if they had been born into that family.
All these elements and circumstances are present in the adoption of believers:
1. By their own inherent right, they belong to a family other than the one into which they are adopted. They are "by nature the children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3), sons of wrath belonging to the family characterized by wrath. They are associated with the "power of darkness" (Colossians 1:13). This is the family of the world and Satan to which believers naturally belong. They have a rightful claim to everything associated with that family—wrath, curse, death, and hell. On their own, they cannot free themselves from this family. They are held in subjection by a strong, armed captor. Their natural state is one of family, with all its attendant duties, services, rights, titles, relations, and observances. They belong to the dark family of sin and Satan.
2. There is another family into which they are to be transferred, a family to which they have no inherent right or claim. This is the heavenly and earthly family called by the name of Christ
(Ephesians 3:15)—the great family of God. God has a household and family for His children. He provides for some through the riches of His grace and welcomes others into the fullness of His
glory. This is the household in which the Lord Christ is the great dispenser. The Father has chosen to "gather together in one all things in him, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him" (Ephesians 1:10). All the sons and daughters of God dwell in this family, abundantly benefiting from the riches of His grace. Believers have no inherent right or claim to this family; they are completely alienated from it (Ephesians 2:12) and cannot lay claim to anything within it. When God drove
Adam out of the garden and barred his return with a flaming sword, He made it abundantly clear that Adam, along with all humanity, had lost any right to approach God within the context of family relations. Fallen, corrupted nature has no legitimate claim to anything belonging to God.
3. Believers experience an authoritative transfer from one family to another. This transfer is not conducted secretly or informally but is carried out with the authority vested in it. John 1:12 states,
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God," referring to the power or authority bestowed upon them. This investiture with the power, excellence, and rights of God's children is a legal act with a judicial proceeding.
It is referred to as being made "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12)—a judicial elevation to membership in the family where God is the Father,
Christ is the elder brother, and all saints and angels are brethren and fellow children. The inheritance is an immortal and incorruptible crown that never fades away.
Now, this authoritative transfer of believers from one family to another consists of two main parts:
(1.) A proclamation and declaration of the person's freedom from all obligations to their former family, to which they were naturally related. This declaration has three intended recipients:
[1.] Angels. It is important for them to know who has been granted the rights of the family they belong to. Believers are freed from the family of sin and hell to become fellow sons and servants with the angels. This is made known to them in two ways:
First, through the preaching of the gospel. The church makes known to the angels the manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10). The wisdom revealed to them is that Gentiles are now fellow heirs and part of the same body (verse 6). This mystery of adopting sinners from the Gentiles and freeing them from the slavery of the world to become sons in the family of God is the wisdom made known to the angels. It was revealed to the prophets and apostles by the Spirit
(verse 5).
Second, through immediate revelation. When a particular soul is freed from the family of this world, it is revealed to the angels. There is joy among the angels when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10). The angels themselves cannot know the true repentance of a sinner unless it is revealed to them by Jesus Christ, to whom the care and charge of that person is committed. These transactions occur before the angels (Luke 12:8, 9). Christ acknowledges the names of His brethren before the angels (Revelation 3:5). When He admits believers into the family, He declares to the angels that they are sons, so that they may fulfill their duty towards them (Hebrews 1:14).
[2.] Satan, the master of the family they were once subjected to, receives a judicial denouncement. When the Lord Christ delivers a soul from Satan's power, He restrains him from exercising the dominion he had over that person. This is how Satan knows that
someone has been delivered from his family, and any future attempts on that person are encroachments on the possession and inheritance of the Lord Christ.
[3.] The person's conscience is also informed of their adoption. The Spirit of Christ testifies to the heart and conscience of a believer that they are freed from all obligations to the family of Satan and have become children of God (Romans 8:14, 15). The Spirit enables them to cry out, "Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). I will discuss the details of this testimony and how it absolves the soul from its former alliance later. This encompasses the first aspect mentioned.
(2.) The believer is authoritatively grafted into the family of God and invested with all the rights of sonship. As for us, this involves several actions:
[1.] The believer is given a new name written on a white stone (Revelation 2:17). Those who are adopted take on new names, discarding the names they had in their previous families and adopting the names of the families they are translated into. The new name is "Child of God." Only those who receive it truly understand its significance. This new name is given and written on a white stone, which signifies judicial acquittal. Our adoption by the Spirit is based on our absolution in the blood of Jesus. The white stone signifies freedom from the claims of the old family, while the new name grants access to the new family.
[2.] The believer's name is enrolled in the catalogue of God's household, granting them fellowship within it. This is referred to as the "writing of the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 13:9), which is the roll where all the names of God's family, the Israelites, are recorded. God keeps a list of His household, and Christ knows His sheep by name.
When God registers His people, He recognizes that "this person was
born in Zion" (Psalm 87:6). This is an extract from the Lamb's book of life.
[3.] The believer's conscience testifies to their acceptance by God, enabling them to live as His children (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5,
6).
The final two requirements of adoption are that the adopted person be freed from all obligations to their former family and invested with the rights and privileges of the new family. These two aspects encompass the entirety of adoption, in which the saints have communion with Christ. I will address them together, categorizing them under four heads: (1) Liberty, (2) Title or Right, (3) Boldness, and (4) Correction. These are the four things that believers receive through their adoption, establishing their communion with the Lord
Jesus:
(1.) Liberty. The Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus to proclaim liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:1). "Where the Spirit of the Lord is"
(referring to the Spirit of Christ given to us because we are sons), "there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17). All spiritual freedom comes from the Spirit of adoption. Anything else claimed as freedom is merely licentiousness. As the apostle argues, "He has sent forth his
Spirit into their hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave" — no longer in bondage, but rather enjoying the freedom of sons (Galatians 4:6, 7). This liberty pertains to:
[1.] Firstly, freedom from the family from which the adopted person was translated. It entails liberation from all obligations to that family. In this sense, the liberty that saints experience through adoption is liberation from both real and pretended aspects:
Firstly, liberation from the real aspect encompasses two components: the law and sin. The moral, unchanging law of God, when combined with sin, has had two effects:
Firstly, it established a new law of ordinances that kept people in bondage (Colossians 2:14).
Secondly, it exerted its power and efficacy against sin, resulting in:
(1) The rigor and terror of its commands. (2) The impossibility of fulfilling it and its consequent insufficiency for its original purpose.
(3) The consequences of its transgression, which include curse and death. I will briefly touch upon these because they are commonly discussed and acknowledged by all.
Secondly, liberation from the pretended aspect pertains to the power of anyone over the conscience once it has been set free by Christ:
Believers are liberated from the instituted law of ordinances, which the apostles themselves testified to be a yoke that neither they nor their fathers could bear (Acts 15:10). Christ "blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" (Colossians
2:14). Consequently, the apostle concludes his lengthy discussion on the liberty we have from that law by urging, "Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery"
(Galatians 5:1).
Regarding the moral law:
Firstly, believers are liberated from the rigor and terror of its commands. In Hebrews 12:18–22, it is stated that we have not approached the mountain that could be touched and burned with
fire, the mountain of dread, darkness, tempest, the sound of the trumpet, and the voice of words that made the people beg not to hear it again. Instead, we have come to Mount Zion, etc. This signifies that we are freed from that administration of the law which was accompanied by fear and terror and which demanded strict obedience. We are not called to live under that regime.
Secondly, believers are freed from the impossibility of fulfilling the law and its consequent insufficiency for its original purpose due to sin. They are liberated from the law as an instrument of righteousness since, given its impossibility to fulfill as far as we are concerned, it is no longer sufficient for such a purpose (Romans 8:2,
3; Galatians 3:21–23). As it is impossible to obtain life through the law, we are exempted from its requirements for that purpose, thanks to the righteousness of Christ (Romans 8:3).
Thirdly, believers are liberated from the consequences of transgressing the law:
Firstly, from the curse. Through Christ being made a curse for us, we are redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).
Secondly, believers are liberated from death (Hebrews 2:15), Satan (Hebrews 2:14, Colossians 1:13), sin (Romans 4:14, 1 Peter 1:18), and the world (Galatians 1:4), along with all their associated burdens, advantages, and claims (Galatians 4:3–5, Colossians 2:20). Without this liberation, they could not live a single day.
There is a pretended claim by some that we were never in bondage to, but are now set free from, the power of binding the conscience through any laws and constitutions not from God (Colossians 2:20–
22).
Secondly, in the family of God, there is a liberty alongside the freedom from the family of Satan. Sons are free, and their obedience is a voluntary obedience. They have the Spirit of the Lord, and where
He is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17). As a Spirit of adoption, He opposes the spirit of bondage (Romans 8:15). This liberty in our
Father's family, which we have as sons and children adopted by Christ through the Spirit, is a spiritual freedom of heart. It enables the children of God to freely, willingly, genuinely, without fear, terror, bondage, or constraint, engage in all holy obedience in Christ.
This is the liberty we experience in our Father's family, and we have already discussed what we are liberated from.
There are Gibeonites who outwardly serve in God's house as the drudgery of their lives. They operate on a principle of fear and bondage (Romans 8:15) and adhere to the law with its dread and severity, demanding strict obedience without mercy or leniency.
They do this to escape the wrath to come, appease their conscience, and seek righteousness through works of the law. They servilely, laboriously, and fruitlessly seek to serve their own convictions throughout their lives.
On the other hand, the saints by adoption possess a freedom of heart in all holy obedience. As David says, "I will walk at liberty, for I seek your precepts" (Psalm 119:45). This freedom is characterized by sonlike freedom of the Spirit in obedience. It encompasses several aspects:
Firstly, it is based on the principles of life and love. Life empowers them for obedience, while love brings them joy and sweetness in their obedience. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets them free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). They walk after the Spirit, which is the principle of their actions. They live their lives in
the flesh from a principle of life, with Christ living in them. They have power to live unto God from Christ within them, the Spirit of life. Acts performed by a dead root are lifeless, but living acts stem from a principle of life.
This highlights the difference between the liberty that slaves assume and the liberty due to children:
Firstly, slaves take liberty from duty, while children have liberty in duty. It is a grave misconception that the liberty of sons in the house of God allows them to perform or neglect duties as they please. True liberty is not stolen by slaves but given by the Spirit to sons. The liberty of sons lies in the inward spiritual freedom of their hearts, naturally and willingly engaging in all the ways and worship of God.
If they feel confined or limited, they wrestle with God for enlargement. They are not satisfied with merely performing a duty; they desire to do it with a free, genuine, and expanded heart.
Servants find liberty from duty, while sons find liberty in duty.
Secondly, the liberty of slaves or servants arises from mistaken conclusions, while the liberty of sons comes from the indwelling
Spirit of grace. Servants find liberty from external, lifeless conclusions, while sons find liberty from an internal, living principle.
Secondly, love gives them delight and joy in the manner of their obedience. Christ says, "If you love me, keep my commandments"
(John 14:15). Love underpins all their duties. Our Saviour summarizes all obedience in love for God and our neighbor, and Paul declares that love fulfills the law (Romans 13:10). Love completes any duty when it is present in it. David often expresses his admiration for this principle of walking with God, saying, "Oh, how I love your commandments!" This love brings delight to the saints, making the commandments of Christ a source of joy. Just as Jacob's
hard service was not burdensome to him because of his love for Rachel, no duty is burdensome to a saint because of their love for Christ. They do everything with delight and pleasure. Love expels the fear that bondage produces, and when love and life are combined, there is freedom, liberty, and a vastness of heart far removed from the narrow and constricted frame experienced by those who are unaware of the adoption of sons.
Secondly, the object of their obedience is presented to them as desirable, while to others it is terrifying. When approaching God, they view Him as a Father and address Him as such, not just in words but in the spirit of sons. God in Christ is continually before them, not only as one deserving honor and obedience, but also as one to be greatly delighted in. He is sufficient to satisfy and fulfill all the desires of the soul. While others approach God as a harsh master, the sons draw out their strength to the utmost, knowing they are drawing near to a gracious rewarder. They approach God from the principles of life and love, returning the strength they receive to the source, to the abundant supply.
Thirdly, their motivation for obedience is love (2 Corinthians 5:14).
They are effectually moved by love to give themselves up to Him who is love. What freedom this is! What expansiveness of spirit is experienced by those who walk according to this principle! While darkness, fear, bondage, conviction, and hopes of righteousness accompany others in their journey, the sons, through the Spirit of adoption, possess light, love, and complacency in all their walks with God. The world remains a stranger to the disposition of children in their Father's house.
Fourthly, their obedience is characterized by willingness. They willingly, cheerfully, and freely yield themselves to God as those who
are alive from the dead (Romans 6:13). They offer themselves as a living and willing sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
Fifthly, the rule that governs their walk with God is the law of liberty.
This law has been stripped of its terrifying, threatening, killing, condemning, and cursing power. Through the blood of Jesus, it has become sweet, tender, useful, and guiding. It assists them in walking according to the life they have received, rather than striving to work for the life they do not yet possess. These examples should suffice to demonstrate the liberty of obedience experienced by the sons and daughters of God, a liberty unknown to the poor convicted
Gibeonites.
(2.) The second thing that adopted children of God possess is a rightful claim. They have the title and privilege to all the benefits and advantages of the family they have been brought into. This is the superiority of true sons in any family. Sarah argued for the removal of Ishmael based on the fact that he was the son of the bondwoman and not a genuine child of the family, so he had no inheritance rights with Isaac (Genesis 21:10). The apostle's argument is that "We are no longer slaves, but sons; and since we are sons, we are also heirs"
(Romans 8:14-17). This means that we have the rightful claim and title. Since we were not born into this position (for by nature we were children of wrath), we have obtained this right through adoption.
Now, the saints have a double claim and title: firstly, a direct and proper claim to spiritual blessings, and secondly, a consequential claim to temporal blessings:
Firstly, their claim as adopted children to spiritual blessings has a twofold aspect in terms of the object: (1) They have a present position, name, and role in the house of God, along with all the privileges and responsibilities that come with it. (2) They have a
future inheritance of the glorious kingdom purchased by Jesus Christ for the entire family.
1. They have a rightful claim and interest in the entire administration of the house of God here and now. The supreme administration of the house of God, which involves the institution of ordinances and the dispensation of the Spirit to bring those ordinances to life and effectiveness, is the primary focus of this administration. And the adopted children are the primary recipients; all of this is for them and exercised on their behalf. God has appointed Jesus Christ to be the "head over all things to the church, which is his body" (Ephesians 1:22-23).
Christ has been given authority over all spiritual matters and entrusted with the administration of them for the benefit of the church, which is the family of God. It is all for the benefit and advantage of the many sons whom He will bring to glory
(Hebrews 2:10; Ephesians 4:8-13). The aim of the Lord Jesus in establishing gospel ordinances and appointing administrators is for the perfection of the saints and the work of ministry.
Everything is for them, for the family. Christ's faithfulness is demonstrated in His administration of the entire house of God
(Hebrews 3:2). Therefore, the apostle tells the Corinthians that all these gospel ordinances and institutions are for them, belonging to them (1 Corinthians 3:22-23). Whatever benefit the world may derive from the gospel, it is ultimately intended for the children of this family. This is the purpose and intention of the Lord Christ in the institution of all gospel ordinances and administrations—to serve the house and family of God and all
His children and servants within it.
It is true that the word is preached to the whole world, gathering the children of God scattered throughout, and leaving the rest without
excuse. But the primary goal and intention of the Lord Christ in doing so is to gather those who are heirs of salvation and bring them into the enjoyment of the feast of rich blessings prepared for them in His house.
Furthermore, only the adopted children have the rightful claim and title to gospel ordinances and the privileges of the family of God as they are presented in His church according to His will. The church is the "house of God" (1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 3:6) where He keeps and sustains His entire family, ordering them according to His will.
And who, other than His children, should have any right in the house of God? We don't grant rights to anyone other than our own children in our homes, so would God allow anyone other than His children to have rights in His house? Is it appropriate to "take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs"? We can see that only children have the right and title to the privileges and advantages of the house of God if we consider:
Firstly, the nature of that house. It is made up of individuals who can only be adopted children and have a rightful place in it. It consists of "living stones" (1 Peter 2:5), a "chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession" (verse 9), "saints and faithful in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:1), "saints and faithful brothers" (Colossians 1:2), a people who are "all righteous" (Isaiah
60:21), and the entire structure is glorious (Isaiah 54:11-14). The way of the house is a "way of holiness" that the unclean cannot pass through (Isaiah 35:8). Specifically, they are called the "sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty," and only they have this designation
(2 Corinthians 6:17-18). All others are excluded (Revelation 21:27). It is true that at times, others may unintentionally enter the great house of God, but they do not have any rightful claim or title to it, as Jude explains (Jude 1:4).
Secondly, the privileges of the house are not suited or beneficial to anyone else. What purpose would it serve to give food to a dead person? Will they grow stronger or increase in it? The things in the family and house of God are nourishment for living souls. Only children are alive, while all others are dead in their trespasses and sins. External signs are of no avail if there is no life and power within. Whatever specific blessings the saints enjoy in the family of God, they are all suited to believers. If they were given to the world, they would be like pearls cast before swine.
Therefore, it is only the sons of the family who have this rightful claim. They have fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son Jesus Christ. They proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again. They are entrusted with all the ordinances of the house and their administration. Who can deny them the enjoyment of this right or keep them from what Christ has purchased for them? In the end, the Lord will give them hearts everywhere to exercise this rightful claim and not wander on the mountains, forgetting their place of rest.
Secondly, they have a rightful claim to the future fullness of the inheritance that has been purchased for the entire family by Jesus
Christ. As the apostle argues, "If children, then heirs" (Romans 8:17).
All of God's children are "firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23) and therefore heirs. The weight of glory that has been prepared for them is called the inheritance (Colossians 1:12) or the "inheritance of the saints in light." If they belong to Christ, they are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29). They are heirs of the promise, which includes all the things promised to Abraham in and through Christ.
There are three things that the children of God are heirs to in this regard:
Firstly, they are heirs of the promise, as mentioned in Galatians 3:29 and Hebrews 6:17. God demonstrates to "the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose." Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are said to be "heirs of the same promise" (Hebrews 11:9). From the beginning, God made a remarkable promise in Christ, which includes deliverance from all evil and the bestowal of all good things. It encompasses deliverance from the guilt of sin and the dominion of Satan, as well as the granting of all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That is why it is called the "promise of the eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15). The adopted children of God are heirs of this promise. Whatever is contained in the promise that God made to fallen humanity and subsequently renewed and confirmed with an oath, they have a rightful claim to it and are recognized as heirs in the heavenly courts.
Secondly, they are heirs of righteousness (Hebrews 11:7). Noah was an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith, which Peter describes as being an heir of the grace of life (1 Peter 3:7). James combines both righteousness and the kingdom in James 2:5, referring to the "heirs of the kingdom that God has promised." This includes the kingdom of grace and the righteousness associated with it. The apostle also tells us in Ephesians 1:11 that "we have obtained an inheritance," which he places alongside the righteousness of faith
(Acts 26:18). This inheritance includes not only the righteousness that we currently partake in but also its ultimate fulfillment and accomplishment in glory.
Thirdly, they are "heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:14) and "heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). Peter refers to it as
an "inheritance that is imperishable" (1 Peter 1:4), and Paul describes it as the "reward of the inheritance" (Colossians 3:24). It is the culmination of the inheritance of light and holiness that they already enjoy. Therefore, the children of God have a rightful claim and title to all these things as co-heirs with Christ.
And this is the main aspect of the saints' title and right that they possess through adoption. In summary, it means that the Lord is their portion and inheritance, and they are the inheritance of the Lord. They have a generous portion indeed, as they have been blessed with a goodly place to dwell in.
Furthermore, in addition to this primary right, the adopted children of God have a secondary consequential right—a right to the things of this world. This includes all the portions of the world that God chooses to entrust to them during their time here. Christ is the "heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:2), and all rights and titles to the things of creation were lost and forfeited through sin. By His sovereignty, the Lord had originally granted all things on earth for the use of mankind. Each aspect of His creation was appointed to serve their needs. However, sin overturned this grant and establishment, releasing all things from their subjection to humanity. Yet, this liberation, which removed them from their original purpose, is a part of their vanity and curse. It is detrimental for anything to be set aside from its intended purpose. As a result, the entire creation is now without a subordinate ruler. Since humanity lost their title and dominion over the creatures, they have no legitimate claim or ownership over them. However, the Lord, desiring to reserve a portion for Himself from fallen mankind, whom He appointed as heirs of salvation, does not immediately destroy His works of creation but preserves them for their use during their pilgrimage. For this purpose, He invests the entire right and title to creation in the
second Adam, which the first Adam had lost. He appoints Him as the "heir of all things." Consequently, His adopted ones, being "fellow heirs with Christ," also acquire a right and title to the things of creation. To clarify this right, I must make a few observations:
Firstly, the right they possess is not the same as the right Christ has.
His right is sovereign and supreme, allowing Him to do as He pleases with His possessions. In contrast, their right is subordinate, and they are accountable for the use of the things to which they have a right and title. The right of Christ is the right of the Lord of the house, while the right of the saints is the right of servants.
Secondly, the entire number of God's children have a right to the whole earth, which belongs to the Lord, and all its abundance, for two reasons. Firstly, the sovereign Lord preserves it solely for their use and benefit, while all others who possess it act in bad faith by invading the Lord's territory without His permission or grant.
Secondly, Christ has promised to give them the kingdom and dominion of the earth, according to His providential disposition.
This means that the governance of the earth will work in their favor.
Thirdly, this right is a spiritual right that does not confer a civil interest but sanctifies the right and interest bestowed. God, in His providence, has determined the civil boundaries of human inheritance (Acts 17:26), allowing worldly individuals to enjoy their allotted portions, often in abundance. He does this for the sake of His children, so that those destructive forces, likened to beasts of the forest, do not overrun the entire possession.
Fourthly, no individual adopted person has a right solely based on their adoption to any earthly possessions that they do not have a civil interest in, granted by the providence of God.
Fifthly, the saints' right to earthly possessions is derived from their adoption, meaning that they have a right to whatever portion God is pleased to give them. However, they possess this right because it is re-invested in Christ, not because it remains under the curse and vanity that has befallen creation due to sin. Therefore, they can never be held accountable for seizing that which they have no rightful claim to, unlike the sons of men who forcefully grasp those things that God has liberated from their dominion because of sin.
And this is another aspect of our adoption: we are led to a sanctified use of the things we enjoy. These things themselves serve as pledges of the Father's love, washed in the blood of Christ. They become reminders and encouragements for us to live in a manner that brings praise to Him who generously provides us with all things to enjoy.
I dare say of unbelievers that they have no true right to anything, regardless of its nature, that they possess. They lack a genuine and unquestionable right, even to the temporal possessions they hold. It is true that they have a civil right in relation to others, but they lack a sanctified right in regards to their own souls. When they come to give an account of their enjoyments, it will be a sorrowful day for them.
They will not only be held accountable for the misuse of what they possessed, for not using it for the glory of the rightful owner, but also for withholding those things from the rightful heirs for whose sake they are preserved from destruction. When the God of glory confronts them, whether in their conscience or in the judgment to come, and speaks with the terrifying voice of a vengeful judge, saying, "I allowed you to enjoy corn, wine, and oil—a great portion of my creation. You reveled in wealth and prosperity while the rightful heirs of these things lived in poverty, lowliness, and insignificance nearby. Now, give an account of how you have used these things.
What have you contributed to the service and advancement of the
gospel? What have you given to those for whom nothing was provided? What offerings have you made for the poor saints? Did you have a generous and willing heart to sacrifice all for my sake?"
When they are compelled to answer truthfully, they will say, "Lord, indeed we had a substantial portion in the world, and we considered it our own, believing we could do as we pleased with our possessions.
We indulged in abundance and left the remainder for our children.
We spent some on our desires and some on our friends. But the truth is, we cannot claim that we used this unrighteous wealth to make friends for ourselves, to advance the gospel or to minister to your poor saints. And now, behold, we must face death," and so on. Then, the Lord will proceed to question not only their use of these things but also their right to them. He will declare, "The earth is mine, and everything in it. I did make an original grant of these things to humanity, but that was lost due to sin. I have restored it only for my saints. So why did you lay your greedy hands on that which was not yours? Why did you force my creatures to serve you and your desires when I had released them from your dominion? Give me back my flax, my wine, and my wool. I will strip you naked as you were on the day of your birth and exact revenge for your plundering and unjust possession of that which was not yours." At such a time, what will men do?
Another privilege of our adoption is boldness with God through Christ. However, I have already discussed this at length when addressing the excellence of Christ in our approach to God, so I will not delve into it again.
Affliction, as it proceeds from love, leads to spiritual benefits, conforms us to Christ, and is sweetened by His presence, is also a privilege of children (Hebrews 12:3–6). But I will not dwell on these specific aspects here.
This, I say, is the source and origin of all the privileges that Christ has purchased for us, in which we also have fellowship with Him. We share in His name; we are sons of God just as He is. We share in His title and right; we are heirs, co-heirs with Christ. We share in His likeness and conformity; we are predestined to be like the firstborn of the family. We share in His honour; He is not ashamed to call us
His brothers. We share in His sufferings; He learned obedience through what He suffered, and every child is disciplined when received into the family. We share in His kingdom; we shall reign with Him. I will address each of these aspects separately in another place, so I will not extend the discussion further here.