One of the greatest joys of becoming born-again is that we can address God “Abba Father”:
“And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his son into your hearts, writing, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:6-7)
In verse 5, Paul stated that “we have received the adoption of sons.” Again, in Romans 8:15, he stated: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father.” We know that Abba is an Aramaic term that is best translated into English as “Daddy”, because it is a term of intimacy and endearment only used by the children to their father. Clearly, Paul made the point that we have been adopted into the family of God — We were once servants, but now we are sons. This means we share equally as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ Himself (vs. 16).
Yet, Jesus said that it was necessary for us to be born-again in order to be a part of God’s family (John 3:3-5). Peter told us that we were actually “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). John stated that we are born of God and begotten of God (1 John 5:18).
So why are we both “begotten” and “adopted” children of God?
We were originally born the sons of Adam and were inheritors of his fallen, sinful nature. God legally adopted us into his family, giving us all the blessings and privileges that come with sonship. But if we were only adopted — and not begotten — we would not have had a change in nature. We would still have the sinful nature of Adam, and Jesus even said, “You are your father the devil, and his lusts you will do” (John 8:44).
But because we’re begotten again of the incorruptible seed of His Word, “we are partakers of His divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). As John said, “Whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not… He keeps himself from the world, and the wicked one touches him not” (1 John 5:18).
In a natural adoption into a family where there are already biological children, the adopted child receives the same treatment as the biological children. They eat the same food at the same table, live in, sleep in the same house, attend same schools, go on family outings and vacations together. When they go shopping, the parents don’t give their biological child $50 for a pair of shoes and their adopted child only $20. They are all treated the same.
Nevertheless, they do not share the same biological nature and makeup. If a biological children can sing and play music, it doesn’t mean that the adopted child can. Or if the adopted child is good at sports, the biological child may not be. Intellectually, mentally,— and certainly medically, they are very different, because to a great degree these are inherited traits.
This is why we are not only adopted — that is, we have received all the rights and privileges of a child of God and joint heir with Christ — but we are also begotten, so that we have inherited our Father’s nature and His traits of righteousness, faith, truth, etc. It is this nature that enables us to resist sin and to show our Father’s goodness to all. And when we fall short, He chastens us as every father does who loves his children, so that “we might be partakers of his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them (the world), because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
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