Preapproved for Adoption  

By Danny Saavedra

“He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”—Ephesians 1:5 (CSB)

Have you ever gotten a letter or ad that says, “You’ve been pre-approved”? Often, these come from credit card or mortgage companies. But what if I told you there is something much greater you’re pre-approved for . . . no fine print, no tricky interest rates meant to trap you in a bad contract. What am I referring to? You’ve been pre-approved for adoption into the family of God!

In relation to today’s verse, predestined means that God ordained our adoption before we received it! Wow . . . Before we ever accepted our adoption, God set out to secure it for us through His Son Jesus. 

And here’s the beautiful part of it all: This isn’t just any adoption, but adoption as a child! In Galatians 3:26 (NLT), Paul says, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” He takes it to the next level in Galatians 4:7 (NLT), saying, “Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”

You see, it’s not just an adoption. When we receive Jesus, we are born again into God’s family as a natural born child—a true heir, bound by blood . . . Jesus’ blood! Romans 8:17 (NLT) says, “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.” Titus 3:5–7 (NIV) says, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” 

What Paul is saying to us is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus so we could be part of His family, so we could be His natural born sons and daughter. Galatians 4:6 (NLT) says, “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’” 

Our adoption in Christ is a miracle. There’s no other way to describe it! We were lovingly preapproved by God to be valuable enough for Him to send His Son to die for us, so that by His blood we may be miraculously adopted as natural born sons and daughters receiving a full inheritance. What a beautiful truth we can walk in and approach others through! As you walk out of your house today, know that adoption is waiting for someone, and God wants to use you to tell others about it!

DIG: Read Galatians 3 and 4.  

DISCOVER: How has your adoption changed you?

DO: Pray about who the Lord is calling you to share the news of adoption and acceptance in Christ.