Foundations of Truth

Guest (Male): Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the biblical teaching ministry of Dr. Timothy Mann. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshakable foundation of God's word. Rooted in scripture, anchored in the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today on Foundations of Truth, it's part two of the message "From Strangers to Children of God" from Ephesians, Galatians, and Romans. Here now is Dr. Timothy Mann.

Dr. Timothy Mann: But now we are sons and daughters, and sons and daughters are defined by belonging, by love, by inheritance. It says heirs of God. Heirs of God who are promised eternal life, who are promised the kingdom, promised the full riches of God's grace. And so this means everything changes, not just in our eternal destiny, but in how we live right now.

You are not spiritually homeless. You are not relationally abandoned. If you are saved, then you are a child of the living God with all of the rights, all of the security, and all of the joy that comes with that. Let's go back to the adoption illustration in real life. I mean, imagine a teenager standing before a judge.

Guilty. Broken. Without hope. And the judge issues a pardon, clearing the charges. Oh, that's incredible in and of itself. It's amazing. But then he does something more. He steps down, he removes his robe, he walks across the room, and he says, "I'm not just forgiving you. I'm adopting you. Come live in my home, call me father, and everything I have is yours."

That's the gospel. Justification, one of our other big theological terms, says you're forgiven. Adoption says you're family. You're family. So let this truth renew your gratitude. Christ didn't just die to save you from God's wrath; he died to bring you into a father's embrace. And like a loved child that you are, you should live like that.

Live like a loved child, not a fearful slave. Your status has changed. You're no longer under law or condemnation. You belong in the family of God. So start talking to him, not just as Lord, although we should never lose that reverence, that respect, but start talking to him not just as Lord, but as Father.

And if you are still lost, I mean if you're honest about that, you're still lost, you're still not a Christian, you're outside of God's family, Christ came for you. He paid the price to set you free and bring you home. And there's a place for you in the Father's house. Will you come to him in repentance and faith?

Let me ask you a personal question. Can I just get personal with you? How would your relationship with God change, how would your relationship with God deepen, if you truly saw yourself as a beloved child, not just a forgiven sinner? How would it change if you actually began to see yourself as a beloved child and not just a forgiven sinner?

Romans 8:14-17. See, adoption really changes everything about us. Romans 8:14-17. Adoption isn't just a past event. I want you to know that. It's not just a past event. It's a present and ongoing reality that transforms everything about how you live, about how we live. Romans 8 really is one of the richest chapters in the Bible.

You should read it. You should get in it and live in it this week. Study it. Let it just do something in you. Romans 8 is rich. It really is one of the richest chapters in the Bible on life in the Spirit, and it also gives us an intimate look at what it means to live as adopted children of God.

Verse 14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Now, that's a strong statement in itself. This is evidentiary. For as many as are actually led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God. These are sons of God. "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'"

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." So how does adoption really change everything for us? First of all, we're led by the Spirit as children, as sons. That's what it says.

And here in this verse, verse 14, "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God," here the Bible connects our adoption to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is not mechanical religion. This is not a doctrinal statement. This is a dynamic relationship. A dynamic relationship. Being led by the Spirit. What does that mean?

First of all, I'll tell you what it doesn't mean. Being led by the Spirit means we are no longer driven by sin. Being led by the Spirit means we're no longer driven by self. Being led by the Spirit means we're no longer driven by fear. We're being guided, shaped, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit because we are God's children.

And the Spirit doesn't lead us to earn God's love; he leads us because we already have it. And we no longer live in fear. Look at this verse 15: "You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear." Slaves live in fear. Slaves live in fear of punishment, fear of rejection, fear of never measuring up.

But adopted children live in freedom. They're not defined by their failures, but by their father's love. The apostle Paul here is reminding the Roman believers and us that salvation frees us from fear. We no longer relate to God as trembling subjects in terror, but now we relate to him as secure sons and daughters.

Now, that doesn't mean—don't take me wrong—that doesn't mean that we don't honor him with reverence. It doesn't mean that. We do. We honor him with reverence. That certainly doesn't mean that when we sin it doesn't matter. No, it matters. In fact, the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 12 that God disciplines his children, that he disciplines those he loves.

And that is to say, let me put it in real terms. Let's say you profess to be a Christian and you just go out and live any old way you want to, and you just keep on living in that way, any old way you want to, and you just keep on going down that path, and you never receive the loving discipline of God the Father. You're not in the family.

Hebrews 12 says you're illegitimate. Because I have kids in here, I won't use the King James term. You're not in the family. He loves his children and he disciplines his children when they get out of the way and rebel. So if you're just going along through life, living your sin, doing your thing, you don't really give one rip one way or the other about God's word or God's things, none, and you're professing to be a Christian and you don't see the disciplining hand of God upon your life, you need to be quite worried.

You're only deceiving yourself. You're fooling yourself. To use the words of Hebrews 12, you are illegitimate. He loves his children. But the children don't have to cower before him in terror. But it does mean we come with confidence, even when we're out of the way, because the Father wants us to come home.

First part of verse 15: "But you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'" There it is again, Abba. This term, in fact, was used by Jesus himself in prayer in Mark chapter 14. And it expresses intimacy. It expresses trust. It's the cry of a child who knows he or she is safe. And that is now how we speak to God.

Not with some distant formality, but with family affection. Father. And it's the Spirit within us, himself, that enables us to do that. Do you see the beauty of this? I hope you do. God not only adopts us; he places his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, in us to actually help us to relate to him as children. Because if the Spirit was not in you, you would still be terrified.

Adoption means access. It means nearness. It means you never have to wonder where you stand with him. You never have to wonder. Verse 16, we're about there. Verse 16: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Let's stop there. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

So the Spirit assures us that we belong. See, adoption doesn't just change your legal status; it actually changes your inner experience. Your inner experience. The Holy Spirit brings assurance. He whispers truth when doubt screams. He whispers truth to you. He reminds you that you belong to the Father when Satan accuses you.

That's what he does. He confirms in your heart what God has already declared: "You are mine. You are mine. You are mine." There will be days when your feelings fail you. Can I get a witness? There will be days when you sin. There will be days when you stumble. There will be days when you question. But the Holy Spirit doesn't leave you. He assures you. You are a child of God.

Guest (Male): Thanks so much for joining us today for Foundations of Truth. This ministry is made possible by listeners like you. If you'd like to partner with Dr. Timothy Mann and help keep this program on the air, we invite you to give a gift today at firm-foundations.org. That's firm-foundations.org. Let's return now to Dr. Timothy Mann and today's message "From Strangers to Children of God."

Dr. Timothy Mann: Verse 17: "And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." As adopted sons and daughters, we don't just belong, we inherit. I mean, think about that. What belongs to Christ will one day be shared with you. His kingdom, his glory, his resurrection life—it's all your future too. And you're not just rescued; you are richly blessed.

That's not prosperity theology; that's just an eternal reality. You are heirs of a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And that inheritance is not just future; it begins now with the Spirit's presence in your life, with God's promises and the security of being his child. Look at the last part of the verse, verse 17: "If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

Now, adoption doesn't mean an easy life, but it does mean a meaningful one. You might suffer as Christ's follower, but you don't suffer as orphans. We suffer with the assurance of glory, with the presence of our Father, with the fellowship of our Savior. You will sooner or later, if you haven't already, you will walk through hardship. And some of it will be traumatic. Some of it will be tragic.

You will walk through hardship, but you'll never walk through it alone. You are not abandoned; you're adopted. He gives you a new name, he gives you a new identity, he gives you a new future. He says, "You are mine." Rest in this identity. You don't have to earn your place; you already have it. Let the Spirit remind you of who you are, especially in trials, especially in hardship, especially when things are really tough.

When you're grieving, when you've been betrayed, when you don't understand what's going on, when you're crushed in your spirit, let the Holy Spirit remind you of whose you are. Talk to your Father. Cry, "Abba." He is near and he delights to hear you. Trust the Spirit's witness over your feelings. Trust the Spirit's witness over your feelings because your feelings will lie to you. Your emotions are deceptive.

And listen, if you are not a Christian in this room, you need to know that God is not calling you to slavery. He's calling you to sonship. He's calling you to be his child. Not just to be forgiven, but to be loved and known and welcomed. You don't have to be good enough because you can't be. But you have to be willing to come home to Jesus.

Let me ask you this question personally. You can answer it for yourself. Are you living each day as a secure child of God or are you still carrying the fear of a spiritual orphan? Are you? Well, I don't know what you think, but I think we've seen a beautiful truth today. Adoption was God's plan all along. He determined in advance to adopt every believer as his children before the foundation of the world.

And adoption came through Christ's redemption. Jesus didn't just save us from sin, praise God that he did, he didn't just save us from sin, he brought us into God's family. And adoption really changes everything about us. Through the Spirit, we live with freedom, we live with assurance, we live with full access to the Father. This is more than a doctrine.

The truth of this book has to become more than just a doctrine to you. This is more than a doctrine; it's an identity. As you can tell, this means something to me. It's more than a doctrine. If you are in Christ, if you are saved, you are not a spiritual orphan, and you are not defined by your past, and you are not defined by your performance.

On top of that, you are not defined by your pain. You are a child of the living God. And not just any child—a loved, chosen, delighted-in heir, secure in the Father's embrace. Sometimes we stop short of our understanding of salvation. We talk about the cross and forgiveness, and we should, we should absolutely. But God didn't stop at forgiveness. He didn't just clear your record and send you on your way, which is a great thing.

The Father didn't say, "Okay, you've believed, you're forgiven, good to go, record's clear, heaven—you'll get there. Good luck in between. Hope it works out okay. See you on the other side." No, he adopted you. He named you. He brought you home. He gave you access to himself forever, by the way. You don't ever not have access to the Father.

One Bible teacher once wrote, he said, "You can judge how well a person understands Christianity by how much they make of being God's child." Do you know what it means to be his child? Really? Maybe you've felt distant from God. Not because you don't believe in him, but maybe you're not sure you belong. In fact, maybe your earthly story is one marked by pain, by rejection, and the idea of a loving father is hard to grasp.

Here's the good news. In Christ, God is not distant, he is not reluctant. He's a father who runs to meet you, who welcomes you in and never lets you go. You are not forgotten. You're adopted. And so if you've never trusted Christ, listen, do not misunderstand. You don't become a child of God by trying harder. You don't become a child of God by doing better.

You don't become a child of God by going to church, even. You become his child by receiving his Son as your Savior and Lord through genuine faith in Christ. And that offer is for you. God doesn't just want to forgive you; he wants to have you in his family. But you do have to trust, you do have to repent of your sin and truly trust in Jesus, what he's done for you on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, and you do have to come to him in genuine faith. Will you, now, right where you are?

And if you're already a believer struggling to live like one—anybody ever been there?—if you're already a believer struggling to live like one, I pray, I've been praying for you this week, let today's message speak directly to your heart. You are not a slave trying to earn a place. You're a son or a daughter walking in the grace that's already been given.

You are not just barely in. You are fully loved. And you this morning, you don't have to wonder where you stand with God. The cross and his Spirit tell you plainly where you stand with him. You are his. And adoption is the heart of the gospel. The judge has declared us innocent, and then he called us sons and daughters. He didn't just cancel our debt; he brought us home.

This truth this morning that I've shared with you, you know what ought to happen? You ought to let this truth reshape your prayer life. You should. You ought to let this truth reshape your prayer life. You ought to let it free you from fear. You ought to let it silence your shame. You ought to let it move you to worship this truth. And you should let it give you this unshakable identity. I am a child of God because of Jesus. Forever loved. Forever secure. To God be the glory.

Guest (Male): Thanks so much for listening today to Foundations of Truth, the biblical teaching ministry of Dr. Timothy Mann. If you'd like to hear this message again, get more biblical resources, or give a financial gift, you can do so online: firm-foundations.org. That's firm-foundations.org. And join us again next time as we continue our series "Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us" on Foundations of Truth.

Dr. Timothy Mann: Before we close today, I want to tell you about a resource that I believe will be a genuine help to you. I've recently published my first book, Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us. In over 30 years of pastoral ministry, one of the questions I've encountered more than almost any other is this: How can I know that I am truly saved? You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million, and pretty much anywhere you buy books. Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us by Dr. Timothy Mann. I pray it strengthens your faith. Thanks for being with us today. God bless.

And if you listen to the program on The Word Orlando, 990 AM or 101.5 FM, I would love to hear from you. We're on at 10:00 AM, Monday through Friday, on The Word Orlando. If you're a listener, we'd like to know. Send me an email: timothymann@firm-foundations.org. That's timothymann@firm-foundations.org. I would sure love to hear from you. God bless.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Foundations of Truth with Dr. Timothy Mann. To hear more messages like this or to support our ministry, visit firm-foundations.org. And remember, whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it. That's from Matthew 16. Join us next time on Foundations of Truth with Dr. Timothy Mann.