This is a very costly adoption. Adoption even in the world costs you something.
This is a realised childhood you are adopted into. You are conscious of being children of the Most High God. We read in Romans 8:15, ‘For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ We know our Father. There is intimacy there. ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ And we are assured of salvation. We could go on and read verse 17 about being heirs of God and having an inheritance. Galatians 4:4 makes precisely the same point, ‘When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.’ Listen to this: ‘That we might receive the adoption of sons,’ and daughters. ‘And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son, into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.’ Not a servant, declares the apostle, but a son and an heir. These are tremendous things. This is a realised childhood. ‘To them that received him,’ says John, ‘gave he power,’ right, entitlement, ‘to become the sons of God.’ It is a felt sonship, daughterhood.