The Only Begotten and the Adopted Children

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Romans 8; Lord's Day 13
Psalters: 418, 326, 375, 125
  1. Jesus.
    1. That Jesus is the Son of God and that He is begotten is extremely important, for it demonstrates that Jesus is also divine.
    2. But Jesus shares the divine nature of God (Col. 1:15-17), and did not shed His Godhead when He became man (John 1:14)
      1. Jesus did not become the Son of God, but always was the eternal God the Son.
      2. Faith enabled some to identify Jesus as the Son of God: Nathaniel (John 1:49); Peter (Matt. 16:16); Thomas (John 20:28).
      3. John and Paul gave clear testimony: John 1:1-3,14,18,34; 3:16; I John 5:5,20; Rom. 9:5; I Tim. 3:16.
      4. And Scripture identifies Jesus as God’s “begotten” Son.
    3. Jesus’ Sonship is “only.”
    4. Because God Himself sheds His life’s blood, His cross is surely efficacious.
  2.  In the Son of God, God adopted us and gives us the privilege of being His children (Rom. 8:16; John 1:12; I Peter 1:23).
    1. Although we are truly God’s children, there is a distinction between Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, and us.
    2. How is our childhood realized?
      1. It began in election (Eph. 1:4,5) and we were predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29).
      2. It was realized on the cross when the only begotten Son of God earned for us the right to be called the children of God.
      3. The Spirit of the Son of God actually makes us God’s children (not step-children).
    3. God graciously adopted us and gave us the glorious privilege of being called His children (Gal. 4:4,5).
    4. Abide in the happy and peace-giving confidence that we are in His family and that He will take us into His home to dwell with Him forever.