“See the amazing goodness of God, that He is pleased to enter into this sweet relation of a Father.
God needed not to adopt us. He did not lack a Son, but we lacked a Father.
God showed power in being our Maker, but mercy in being our Father.
When we were enemies, and our hearts stood out as garrisons against God, that He should conquer our stubbornness, and of enemies make us children, and write His name and put His image upon us, and bestow a kingdom of glory, what a miracle of mercy is this!
Every adopted child may say, ‘Even so Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight,’ Mat. 11:26.
If God be a Father, then hence I infer, whatever He doth to His children is love.”
–Thomas Watson, The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Comprising His Celebrated Body of Divinity, in a Series of Lectures on the Shorter Catechism, and Various Sermons and Treatises (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1855), 389.
Thank you for this gem. If I may add another dimension to His motivation to adopt…..Often times I have heard people state how lucky my girls are and I reply by telling them that it is I that am lucky because of the immense pleasure of being their father….As John Piper has written “God is hedonistic” meaning that He is focused on what brings Him pleasure so it stands to reason that adoption is not just mercy and not just grace BUT it brings HIM great pleasure to call us his sons and daughter…
DLuebke