Yesterday I preached from 1 John 3:1-3 on adoption. If you haven’t listened to the sermon you can find it here:

At the close of the sermon I shared this official document which is read aloud when a child is adopted in the state of North Carolina. I wanted you to see it in print today. Take time to read it and find in it a picture of your own adoption by your Father in heaven. (parentheses in the document are mine)

NOW THEREFORE, it is hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed by the Court:

  1. That from the date of the entry of this Decree herein, the said minor (your name here) is declared adopted for life by the petitioners and that said child (your name here) shall henceforth be known by the name of: __________________________________________________________ (your name here…insert Christian) and the State Registrar of Vital Records shall make a new birth certificate for said child (your name here) in accordance with the provisions of Section 48-9-107 of the General Statutes;
  2. That the Decree of Adoption effects a complete substitution of families for all legal purposes and establishes the relationship of parent and child, (God the Father and your name) together with all the rights, responsibilities, and duties, between each petitioner and the individual being adopted (your name here);
  3. That from the date of this Decree of Adoption, the adoptee (your name here) is entitled to inherit real and personal property by, through, and from the adoptive parents (God the Father) in accordance with the statutes on intestate succession and has the same legal status, including all legal rights and obligations of any kind whatsoever, as a child born the legitimate child of the adoptive parents.

Let your mind soak up these phrases: adopted for life. Substitution of families. Parent and child. Rights. Responsibilities (of both parent and child). Inherit. Real. Personal. Child. Legitimate.

You are becoming who you already are.