Connect Jeremiah 3:19 with Ephesians 1:5 on spiritual adoption. Two verses, one heartbeat “Then I said: ‘How gladly would I rank you among My sons and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and would not turn away from following Me.” “He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.” Jeremiah: the Father’s longing • Israel’s covenant-breaking left God’s heart grieving, yet His words show undeniable tenderness: – “How gladly would I rank you among My sons…” – He pictures a legal, familial placement—children with a “pleasant land” inheritance. • The Lord’s expectation: “I thought you would call Me ‘Father.’” • Literal promise: a land and sonship offered, not merely imagery but a covenant reality grounded in God’s own spoken intent. Ephesians: the Father’s finished plan • Paul reveals that what Israel resisted, God accomplished in Christ: – “He predestined us”—a deliberate decision made before time. – “for adoption as His sons”—the legal transfer of status, rights, and inheritance. – “through Jesus Christ”—the Son secures sonship for other sons. – “according to the good pleasure of His will”—exactly the delight God voiced in Jeremiah. A single storyline of adoption • Old covenant promise meets new covenant fulfillment. • Jeremiah shows the Father yearning for children who will stay; Ephesians shows the Father achieving that permanence by sealing us “with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). • Romans 8:15-17, Galatians 4:4-7 echo the theme: the Spirit makes the cry “Abba, Father” a present reality. • The literal land inheritance promised to Israel anticipates the broader “inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:12) and the renewed earth (Revelation 21:7). Living as adopted children • Security: adoption is legal and irreversible—God “will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). • Identity: we are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). • Intimacy: the Father’s original invitation to say “Father” is now placed on our lips by the Spirit (Galatians 4:6). • Obedience: turning away grieved God in Jeremiah; walking in the Spirit pleases Him now (Ephesians 5:8-10). Key takeaways • God’s heart for adoption predates creation and permeates Scripture. • Jeremiah 3:19 exposes the Father’s longing; Ephesians 1:5 confirms His plan is now accomplished. • Because Scripture is accurate and literal, every promise of inheritance and sonship stands secure for all who are in Christ. |
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