Great Doctrines of Salvation

Okay, we are dealing with the issue of adoption. And just to get us going, the word adoption means what, from a biblical sense? Are you thinking? Sun-placing. It means sun-placing. To place as the sun. And the word son there is adult son usually means that God looks at believers as adult sons or adults and places them as a son. Now, what's the difference between a son and just a child from a biblical context?

The son has not only responsibilities but at the same time the father, as we talked about last time, Paul was the one who knew the Roman system of adoption and it was a very specific thing and lots of people were adopted. The Jews had virtually no adoption at all, and the Greeks very little. So what Paul does when he uses the term adoption, he's really referring to the Roman law of adoption, which just put the adoptee in a totally new relationship with a brand new father. All the adoptee's debts were canceled. A totally new life was begun by the adoptee, and the new father had the same control over the adoptee as the natural father did, and this is by Roman law. So in some respects that's a good thing, in some respects it wasn't under the Roman law. Under the Roman law the father obtained ownership of the child and could sell the child if he wanted to.

When you look at it from our standpoint, we have an entirely new family and relationship with our father. Now, some of you who grew up in really wonderful families, that doesn't mean a lot. But if you grew up in a dysfunctional family, where your father wasn't exactly the biblical model of fatherhood, When you come into the family of God and God becomes your father, you have to learn what a loving father is all about. And so it's a good thing that we have God as our father and that he controls our relationships and that he owns us.

How did he get us? What right of ownership does he have for us? Yeah, the death on the cross. He paid the price of the blood of Christ to buy us. He owns us. That is really a good thing. But he owned us long before that, when he planned us and created us. He didn't. We belong to Satan. Before you're saved, you belong to Satan. You belong to your sin nature. Why is it a buying back then? When you're saved. But if you're not saved, you're not bought back, you're where you always were. Right, but there is bought and there's bought back. What? There's bought and bought back? Yeah. What does that mean?

There is an analogy to that, a simple analogy of a boy who... The Lord Jesus paid the price and it was an adequate price to save everybody in the whole world. But that doesn't mean everybody is saved. And that doesn't mean that everybody is a son. God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever will may come. But not everybody does. And so not everybody is considered to be a blood-bought son. Not everybody is considered to be the property of a new father. Right?

What did the Lord Jesus tell the Pharisees who their father was? Who did he say their father was? The devil. Yeah, your father is the devil. Christ purchased us by the blood for the specific purpose of giving us to the Father. In John 17, the Lord Jesus said, He is giving us all back to the Father. We are specifically chosen But we had to be paid for, and that's what the cost was. Because we were once, according to the word of God, the children of wrath.

John 1.12, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in his name. Lots of times you hear that verse quoted as a salvation verse, but it's interesting.

What that verse means is that if you believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you now have the right to become a son, to be placed as a son. If you didn't believe, you don't have the right. Do you understand that? This doesn't mean that you are a son. You have obtained the right to be placed as a son by your faith. Is that okay?

Which means that all your former debts got cancelled. What were you indebted to? Those of you who were sinners, what were you indebted to? Death and condemnation. All of those deaths have been cancelled. All of them. Because the price has been paid and you now have a new father.

Colossians 2.14 says, having cancelled out the certificate of death consisting of decrees against you, or against us, which was hostile to us, he's taken them out of the way, having nailed them on the cross.

I don't think we realize the importance of what that phrase means, is that, you know, your ownership and your debt structure was really against you. You know, every once in a while you run into somebody who asks you for financial help and you take a look at their debt structure and you think, boy, there's no hope for these people. There are people that are literally so deep in debt that the only course of action they have is bankruptcy. Well, there's no such thing as bankruptcy in spiritual matters. You're going to pay the full debt. It may take eternity, but you're still going to pay. Well, Christ took that all out of the way. He paid every debt so that you could be adopted into a new family, placed as a son. Now we got down to the point I think where what was the relationship between the Holy Spirit and sons? What role, maybe a better way to ask it, what role does the Holy Spirit play with sons? What does he do? He does conviction but overall What kind of a role does the Holy Spirit play with the son? Would you say that he can be a comforter? What do you think about this word, that he's a shepherd?

In other words, his job is that He leads us, He doesn't drive us. He develops us, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you shall live. The conditional situation you live in, by the Spirit of God He leads you to put to death or to negate, put out of business the deeds of the flesh so that you might walk in newness of life. He does that. He shepherds you in that.

And what's interesting is that when you start to look at some of the things he does, especially in Romans chapter 8, you discover that verse 14 says that the ones that are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. Now, you can look at that verse, let's look at that, Romans 8, 14. I want to make a point here about this.

Romans 8.14 says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

So you have to ask yourself, who are these people? Who are they? The verse says that they are the sons of God. So if someone ever asks you, well how do you know, how are you assured as to who you are? if you really are a son. How can you know it? Well, if you look at this verse, it says that you are a son of God, right now, and you can be absolutely certain who you are now.

In other words, is every single son of God led by the Spirit? Or just the ones that want him to? Or just the ones that are mature enough to wake up to the fact? What does this verse say? Only those who are super bummy Christians are led by the Spirit of God. No, every single son, all of you. Now, it may not appear that way to you, but you have the authority of the Word of God that says to you, if you're a son, you're led by the Spirit of God. It may not look that way to you, but the Word of God says, yes, you are.

What if you're out of fellowship? That's a great question. What if you are out of fellowship? Here I am, I'm a son, and I'm out of fellowship. I guess the Spirit doesn't lead me. No, this verse says it doesn't qualify it by whether I'm in fellowship or not. It only says if I'm a son, I'm lit. In that context, it would be the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. There you go. That's exactly what it would be. He leads you to what if you're out of fellowship? To restore you to fellowship.

In verse 13, for if you live by the flesh you shall die, but if through the Spirit you do mortify the deeds of the flesh you shall live. Let's do this, let's back up all the way to verse 8. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. True or not? Yes I am. If so, be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Does the Spirit of God dwell in you? Yes, He does. Okay? Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of His. So, what's the determining factor? Whether you have the Spirit or not. Okay? Next verse. And if Christ be in you, or since Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin. Your body is separated from God.

But the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, what's he going to do with your body? He's going to give life to your dead mortal body so that you can serve him.

You're the receiver of the action. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. But if you live after the flesh, you're in the state of being separated from God in your condition. That's really what it says. If through the Spirit, see you can't do this yourself, but if through the Spirit you put out of business the deeds of the flesh, what are you doing? You're living in newness of life. So it's not whether you're condemned or saved, it has to do with how you're living.

So, he says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, every single believer. 15 says, for you have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father. So we have been adopted as sons. And not only adopted as sons, but when you see that phrase Abba Father, what does that indicate to you? Not only position, but what? Relationship, intimacy. See, Abba Father, my Dad.

16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, what? That we are the sons of God. Otherwise, you wouldn't know. There is the shepherding work of the Holy Spirit. And 17a. And if children, what are you? If sons, then what are you? If you're a son, what do you get? You get to be an heir, right? You're heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. So that means that if there's a billion Christians, God is going to stack up everything and divide it by a billion and you get one billion?

Is that how that works? How's it going to work? You get it all. You get it all. Whatever inheritance that Christ gets as a man, you get too. Why? Because you're a son. It's real simple. It's because you've been adopted. It's because you have full right, title, and interest in all of the Father's property. All of it. Courtney gets Castle Rock. I get Parker, you know. Oh, I get Kawhi. Thank you. Yeah. See, the point is, is that we all get it all. You see that?

So these are verses that build confidence in a believer, not make him think, oh, gee, if I am not mortifying the deeds of the body, maybe I am not a son. No, it specifically and graphically states you are a son. You may not live like one, but you are one.

All of you who have children, your kids always live like they are your kids, right? They always honor They never disobey. They always act like, oh, look at my mom and dad, aren't they the greatest? No, they don't. But does it change it? Does it change who they are? No, it doesn't. Because they're yours by birth.

And in the biblical sense, we are not only God's property by birth, but we are by adoption. And 17b says, if so be that we suffer with him we may also be glorified together. Now does that mean if you don't suffer you don't get to go to the glory? Somebody read their other version of that. The last part of 17. For those of you who can read English. Since we suffer with him, we may also be glorified together. about that suffering for a minute. Does it mean that if you don't suffer, you get no glory? I don't think so. I think it means Christ suffered. He said you would have to suffer. And because you're in the same family, you will suffer. And he promises the glory. OK. Any problems with that? I was thinking more from the standpoint of suffering, equating it to his death were identified in that were also identified. Yeah. Are we going to suffer as believers? How come?

I thought this was health, wealth and wisdom. Sure, the Lord Jesus told his disciples, right, and John right before he died, if you think they're going to put me to death, what do you think they're going to do to you? If they've rejected me, what do you think they're going to do with you? If they hated me, they're going to love you.

And the problem we have, one of the big detriments to our actually Growing as believers is such a desire in our hearts to be pleasing to everybody, including those in the world. And we don't want to be that identified with Christ. Where they're going to make us suffer. Trust me, that's coming. Our kids are going to experience that a lot more than we have. It's coming. Unless the rapture comes first. But every son is going to suffer. And every son is going to be glorified.

What does glorified mean? We're all going to have this ceremony and you get a little medal. What does glorified mean? I mean this is a really cool thing. What is it? Does God have a day? On Tuesdays we glorify all those whose names start with L. What does it mean to be glorified? Do you get God's glory over your new body? I get God's glory, okay?

Expand that. Anybody else? What are your ideas of what it means to be glorified? We'll be like Him because we'll see Him as He is. Okay? I mean, think about it. I mean, this is a huge benefit for you and me. No question about that. Everything glorified is better than real. Better than real. Better than anything else. We're absent from the presence of sin. We can say that the Lord Jesus Christ now, this very minute, exists in the heavenlies as a glorified man.

What does that mean? He's a glorified man. I mean, has he got some new clothes, or what's the deal here? He's very special. Isn't it variety that glory is the essence of God, so it would be like being in the true essence of God? Yeah, that's really good. According to what we've been saying. An exalted position. God has attributes, right? He's holy, he's righteous, he's good, he's all of those things. And they are of such a character in him that if you were to see him, they radiate out of his person.

That's called glorification. So the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17 when he says to the Father, glorify me with the glory that we had before the world began, he's asking him to do that, Christ now being a man. So radiating out of Christ in the heavenlies right now is the fullness of the glory of God. Radiating, that's the only word I can think of that maybe would demonstrate it. All of the characteristics, all of the attributes of God are radiating out of him, Christ.

So we don't become God, so I don't think it's all the attributes. You know, we're not going to be omniscient, we're not going to be omnipresent. No, we're not going to be God, but all that Christ is other than deity, that's what we'll be. And it says, whatever glory he has, we get. So he doesn't give us 65% and keep the rest.

Talking about Christ as a man in heaven, I heard someone say that a description of him is undiminished, he's true humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever. Say that again. True humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever. That's cool isn't it? Now, ok, so we kind of got the Lord Jesus Christ in a glory box. How much of that do you get? You get it all. You get it all.

The thought hit me a long time ago, especially when you have discussions with these people that are Messianic Jews, who think that in the Millennial Kingdom there won't be a whole lot of difference between us and the Jewish Saints. And I thought, well I wonder what the difference is. The difference is that this glory that we're talking about will be manifested in the Millennial Kingdom through everybody in this room. Everybody on this planet will know that you are a son of God by looking at you. The glory of God will come out of you. How cool is that? Very cool. Very cool.

So for God to even entertain such a thought is beyond conception. Why would he do such a thing? Why doesn't he just make us polished up Christians and send us off to heaven? No, that's not what he has in mind. And that's because we're sons. Okay? Now, future implications of being a son. This isn't in your notes, but we'll talk about it in a minute. Take a look at, we don't have to go through all the verses, but if you sit down tonight and read Romans 18-39, you're going to see what the future implications of being a son are all about. Especially when you get to, look at verse 23, and not only they, but ourselves also have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is the redemption of our bodies. We are waiting to be fully orbed as a son, which means you get a new glorified body.

Ephesians 1.5 says he predestinated us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his own will.

So I challenge you in the next few days, just sit down and read Romans 8.18 through the end of the chapter. And what he's talking about there is implications of what it means to be a son. And none of that is if you behave yourself, or you do a good job, or you follow the rules. This is true of every single adopted son. This is who you are, and this is what you've got to look forward to.

All right, race down to question three. As far as the relationship is concerned, what causes us to become a child of God, of God's children? What's the cause, the immediate cause? How'd you get to be a child? I'm sorry? Faith, but it's the new birth. That's how you get to be. It's a new spiritual birth.

John 1.12, as many as received him, etc. The word for children here is technon, which means a born one. Question four. As to our position in his family, how do we become adult sons? Do you understand what I'm asking here? I didn't ask the same question twice. This is a different question. We became children by new birth. How do you get to be an adopted son? identification? Well actually it's through the fact that you are adopted.

Hebrews 12.5 says, and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as son. My son, don't regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him. And he goes on to talk about that every son is received as an adopted son, a weos.

Galatians 4.5, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

So there are two things we know that happen at the moment that you're saved. One is that you become a member of the body of Christ and become a child, but you also get adopted at the same time. You're fully orbed. God considers you a fully orbed son at that point, and you know what?

He treats you as such. We like to talk about, oh, those guys over there are baby Christians. God doesn't treat us that way. From the get-go, he treats us as adults. Kind of cool. In terms of sonship, when are we considered full-grown? I just answered the question. Right away.

And the first Thessalonians 5, 4 through 6, But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you. But you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

We became both a child and an adult son at the same time. because of our position as adult sons, we're treated as such from the moment of new birth. When I say that, hopefully it helps us understand that the way God deals with us sometimes, we want a little bit more sympathy than he's given us and he's treating us like an adult.

My son John is 18 years old. We're starting to treat him as an adult. Well, sometimes he's up to it, sometimes he's not. He likes to think of himself as an adult, and he likes to be treated most of the time as an adult, but he still wants mom to make his breakfast. Or me. He still wants somebody to take care of him when he's in trouble. An adult son doesn't do that. An adult son steps up. So, we as believers, as growing believers, we don't always act like adult sons, but it's important for us to understand that God treats us as an adult son, as an adoptee. He doesn't treat us as a baby.

A lot of that is related to position and condition. Our position is, Roxelle, if you're adopted, condition may not, we may not act that way. The position is we're adopted fully, you know, treated as sons. That's our position. Our condition may not be that way. But God always treats us as we are. Our side of the ledger may not. Right. I'm saying from our side. But positionally, even though we don't act, we're still.

And oh, by the way, all three persons of the Trinity treat you that way. They look at you as an adult son. And I think those verses in Hebrews specifically mention that, which will deal with question six. And I'm just going to run down, because I put, and I'll quote the Greek word as we go through it. Everybody understand the word teknon means just a born one? The word wios means an adult adopted son. Now watch.

Hebrews 12, 4-8, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. Boy, you know, when somebody tells me that when I'm in a box, it really upsets me, because I really think I've been suffering a lot. And you have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons, wios, adult adopted sons. Here's the address, quote, my son, my adult son, don't regard lightly the discipline of the Lord or the child training of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved of him.

Some versions say, scourged. So here's something interesting. If you're an adult son, then get ready. You're going to be trained and even suffer Some people say that word even means whipped of him. You're going to get whipped into shape, maybe is the way to look at it.

For those whom the Lord loves, he child trains, and he scourges every son, we us, adult son, whom he receives. It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with an adult son, we us, For what adult son is there whom his father does not discipline? Great question.

I must say that those of you who are good fathers, you discipline your children, don't you? Or do you not? Do you let them slide? No, you don't. Why do you discipline them? Why do you do it? Just because you've got the right to do it? and get by with it because we love him. That's why you do it. They may not see it that way, but that doesn't matter, you know? And we may not see the discipline of our father as the fact that he loves us. All we know is that, boy, this isn't cool at all. But he's doing it because he loves us, right? But if you are without discipline, of which you have become partakers, then you are illegitimate. Or, more common word, you're a bastard. You're a bastard child and not an adult son.

So, if there is this thought, like lots of Christians have, especially charismatic Christians, that once you become a believer, your life ought to be smooth. You should have health. You should never be sick. You should never suffer physical problems. Well, if that's the case, when do you get to die? You should never suffer financial setbacks. Everything you ever think about and want, you should have, and God should bless you if your faith is strong enough. And you should never be disciplined. Never. Well, maybe they missed this. They don't have these verses in their Bible? I don't know. But I don't know of any believer who's a growing believer that doesn't know what this is about.

And the loving hand of your father who has taken you under his wing to discipline you and to love you. I dare say, your children, as they get older, recognize that you have loved them because you have disciplined them. That's how they know. Not because you gave them stuff. but because you discipline them. That's how they know. I think that's really cool. That's how we know our father. One of the ways we know our father loves us. He disciplines us. So, next question.

Why don't we act like it? If you're fully grown, how come you don't act like it? Come on, it's your turn. Give me one reason why a believer wouldn't act like an adult son. They need to grow, which means back to Courtney's position and condition. One, it could be ignorance. They don't know. They don't know what this being a son of God is all about. They're ignorant. They're uninformed.

So, if they're in a good Christian group of people that are Bible believers and Christ-centered, what do they start? They start to get focused in on the Word of God and they begin to discover cool stuff. It could be that they've been exposed to this material, but what? They didn't buy it. They didn't believe it. Gee, that stops God from disciplining them, right? You go to God and say, look, I don't believe you anymore, so stop disciplining me.

Well, Miles Stanford has a chapter in that book, Green Letters, that he talks about time. that you grow not so much from experiences and problems, but you grow from being in the Word, studying, growing in relationship, which takes time. Yeah, and that's a great point. Is it the discipline that matures you? In other words, what God is after is to conform us to the image of Christ, right? Isn't that what he's doing? How do you get conformed? By being disciplined? What do you think? How many think discipline is what conforms you? Ah, you've been in my class too long. How many think no, that isn't what conforms you?

Nobody raised their hand on either question. It's part of the process. What does a discipline do? Sometimes you could look at that as nurturing, could you not? You can, you can. It kind of wakes us up. What's that? Wakes us up maybe. Wakes us up. Brings us back to focus on him and the relationship. There we go.

Did you hear that? It brings us back to focus on him. I know in my experience with John, when I discipline him, the coolest part of the whole thing is at the end. Finally you've got all those barriers knocked down and you can just sit and talk. And he's listening. He's getting it. My conformity and your conformity to Christ is by beholding his glory.

The discipline gets you ready for that so that you will stop relying on whatever you were relying on other than Christ. That's what the discipline is for. That you find him, you're all in all and he's enough. But discipline is essential in preparation for that. The third way that you could not act like a believer, and we'll see what kind of reaction we get to this, is that you do not allow the Spirit of God to control you.

What do you think about that? Do you understand what I mean by that? It's because you're choosing the flesh, right? What's that? It's because you're choosing the flesh, right? Your option to be the flesh or the spirit. See, we as believers, we like to pound on this free will business. But you have two choices as a believer at any given moment in your life. What are the two choices? Walk in the flesh or walk in the spirit. Really, what is your choice? What are you saying, well today I'm going to walk in the flesh, or today I'm going to walk in the spirit. What are you deciding to do? Who's going to control me? Either the flesh is going to control me today, or the Spirit of God. So, if I make a decision to not allow the Spirit of God to control me, I may not be acting like I'm an adult son.

Funny how that works out. You see that? So, part of the discipline is so that the next time I get the choice, I make the right one. You see that? Gee, I chose the flesh last time. Look what that got me. Oh, by the way, Does God say, well, Alan just chose the flesh for the next 45 minutes, so I guess I'm out of the loop? The discipline goes on whether you're walking or not. Because what are you learning if you've chosen the flesh? Hopefully you're learning, gee, I don't want to go back there. That isn't what I am.

What do you do when you receive your adoption? In other words, what do you do about it? This is like a question to everything you learn. What do you do when you find out about adoption or when you receive it? How did you get it? You believed in nothing else. See that? Okay, nine. What does God do to demonstrate to us that we are sons? How does he do it? I'm going to get through here.

If you look at Romans 8.15, which we already have, I've got five minutes, right? Awesome, I'll get them all done.

For you have not received the spirit of slavery, leaning into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit of God reveals in you that God is your Father, and you respond. Same thing in Galatians 4.6, but because you are sons, God sends forth his Spirit the spirit of his son into your hearts crying, Abba Father. And that's not just a pious platitude. Everybody in this room has had in his heart that Abba Father, right?

You know what that is, or not? See me after if you're not. What's the difference between a servant and a son? What's the difference between a servant and a son from the servant or the son side of the ledger? Basically it's this. A servant has no idea what his master is doing. A son is in on everything. A son knows. A servant doesn't know. All he knows is he got his orders. A son is engaged in the process of his father letting him know what's going on.

So your spiritual education is that of a son, not a servant. In other words, and in Roman culture, you'll love this, a slave was forbidden to use the word father, and if he did, they killed him. Even if there was a great relationship between the slave and his master, he could never refer to his master as father, unless he was adopted. And then he could.

According to the author, What does our father do to teach us to watch and be sober? To be diligent in our Christian lives? What does he do? We've just talked about it. He disciplines us. So when you sit down and you say, spiritual things aren't happening, I see this thing, I'm supposed to be sober and watchful. Because here it comes.

He will teach you. All of the things, all of the exhortations and especially the logical imperatives of commands, I don't want to sound apathetic, but you're going to learn them because of the Spirit of God and because you're an adopted son. You're going to learn them. Why should a natural born child be adopted? Why would God even go through the process? Why didn't he just say, okay, you're kids, that's enough. Why would he do the adoption thing?

To be legitimate. What's that? It says in that one verse to be legitimate rather than illegitimate. Yeah. In order for you to be legitimate in what respect? You gain your position by adoption. You understand that? You gain your position as an inheritor by adoption. You gain your position to live in all of the grace of God and the full gospel by being adopted. Awesome. What event completes your adoption? What's that?

The author quoted Romans 8.23 which we read not only this but also ourselves. having the first roots even we ourselves growing within ourselves, waiting eagerly for the adoption of sons, the redemption of our body. When does that happen? Not when we go to be with the Lord. How about this one?

Philippians 3.20 For our citizenship is in heaven, of which we eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body the body of a humble estate into conformity to the body of his glory by the exertion of the power that he has even to subject all things to himself. When is that? All right, the last one, 1 John 3, 2. Beloved, now we are the children of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be. Now watch this last part.

We know that when he appears, when does that happen? When he comes back to the earth. We will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is. I think that's the rapture for us. Because the rapture, if we're still here in the rapture, maybe this afternoon at three, I'm ready. From here to meet Christ in the clouds, we get a glorified body. And all those that have gone before us go first. and they get glorified bodies, so it is at the rapture that you become a fully orbed son, you get it all.

Last question, what three things do all believers have as sons? They have a position as a full grown son, they have the privilege of being the Lord's representatives in this world, and the perfection for seeing him we will be made like him, according to the author. I think there's a lot more than that. What I love is number two, the privilege of being his representatives in this world. If you are a son of God, a fully or adopted son of God, then who you are should be apparent to all those that you're around.

Just by your life, not because you learned a bunch of push-ups. Just by who you are. All right, next week we're going to talk about sanctification. Let's close. Dear Father, how we thank you for our adoption and how we eagerly look forward to growing in the knowledge and grace of your dear son, the Lord Jesus, so that we might be conditionally functioning as adult adopted sons. Father, we thank you. We pray in your son's name. Amen.