God the Father, His grace through Christ and our adoption as Sons and Daughters
Have you ever wondered why God’s wrath was poured out upon sin so often in the O.T., seemingly, totally intolerant and in the N.T., His grace towards sinners so much more abounds giving us “righteousness”? Read this excerpt from one of my study bibles. It’s an enlightening thought that you can set in your heart and mind, and the part I’d like to draw your attention to is, “Every instance…on the cross.” What an amazing God we serve.
1. God’s relation to people includes not only blessings but also warnings, threatening’s, and cursing’s. These are appropriate because of God’s righteous reaction to sin. They anticipate and point forward to Christ in two distinct ways. First, Christ is the Lamb of God, the sin-bearer (John 1:29; 1 Pet. 2:24). He was innocent of sin, but became sin for us and bore the curse of God on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13). Every instance of the wrath of God against sin, and his punishments of sin, looks forward to the wrath that was poured out on Christ on the cross. Second, Christ at his second coming wars against sin and exterminates it. The second coming and the consummation are the time when the final judgment against sin is executed. All earlier judgments against sin anticipate the final judgment. Christ during his earthly life anticipated this final judgment when he cast out demons and when he denounced the sins of the religious leaders.
1. from ESV study notes
My point here is not only that Christ is our sufficiency, but that he has pointed us towards God the Father (whereby we cry, Abba Father or more rightfully so, Daddy). It is His grace through Christ that makes us His sons and daughters, which now overflows through us who once lived in the deplorable condition of sin, to the orphaned children we serve. They, who also lived in sin and life conditions that we cannot hardly comprehend, are brought to God the Father so that they can hold on to the idea that they are no longer orphans.
Hopefully, I’ve made my case not only for the sufficiency of Christ Jesus but also that we are instruments of His grace that brings these children into His Kingdom, adopted as sons and daughters, and fully taking part in the family of God.