Listen to today’s devo!

Redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Gal. 4:5)

Expanded Passage: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18, 22-23; Galatians 4:4-5

Contracts can be tricky things. This is especially true when the terms and conditions seem impossible to meet. Imagine signing a contract that required you to uphold 613 legal demands, with failure to meet some of them carrying the death penalty. That’s a bummer. And that is exactly what the Old Testament spelled out as God’s expectations for us. Testament, otherwise known as “covenant,” means “agreement or contract.” It contained an exacting law that no one could fulfill. The law was written by a holy God for unholy people; a perfect code for imperfect people—and therein lies the problem. We are a race of incredibly broken people who cannot hold up our end of the bargain.

Contrast that with a contract whose only terms require your faith, loyalty, and love for the contract writer. That is a welcome change. When Jesus paid for our contractual breach, he paved the way for our adoption into his family. Matthew 5:17 asserts that Jesus fulfilled the law. Therefore, the terms of this contract have been met for both parties by one party—Jesus. The result? You and I are no longer looking from the outside in. We are “in” God’s family and accepted because of our relationship to the Father. Receiving the Christ-child gift means we are adopted, justified, forgiven . . . and receive the promised outcome of the contract: eternal life.

Write down the benefits of being an adopted child of God.

Jim Miller is a chaplain in the Army National Guard. He and his wife, Renee, live in Washington, DC, and enjoy spending time traveling with their two children. Jim recently released his first book, Vitamin T: Essential Biblical Truths for Growing Disciples (WPH).

© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.