In Christ - Chosen for Adoption

What if your entire view of God shifted from seeing Him as a distant benefactor to knowing Him as your Father? In Chosen for Adoption, part of the In Christ series, Pastor Derrick Overholt shares a deeply personal journey that led him to rediscover one of Scripture’s most life-changing truths. After decades of faithfully serving God, he realized he had been relating to Him like a good boss—present, generous, and trustworthy, but still far away. Then Ephesians 1:3–6 broke through: in Christ, we have been predestined for adoption. Not hired. Not tolerated. Adopted.

Derrick opens with a powerful picture of how adoption changes everything through the story of Steve Jobs, then turns to the biblical word for adoption—huiothesia, “placing as a son.” He explains how this single word would have landed on both Jewish and Roman ears with the full weight of covenant and legal standing. From there, he traces the thread from Genesis to Revelation: we were uniquely made in God’s image “to be like us,” crafted for family relationship, not merely created for service. Jesus confirms the same reality—teaching us to say “Abba,” calling us brothers and sisters, and giving us His own Spirit. Adoption means a new name, a new home, and a full inheritance as co-heirs with Christ.

This message presses into identity before activity. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father’s voice declared, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased,” before a single miracle was performed. In the same way, our identity in Christ is settled before our performance ever begins. Derrick also shows how the enemy always attacks identity first—“If you are the Son of God…”—because confusion there keeps us from living in our authority, freedom, and purpose.

Along the way, Derrick invites you to visualize the Father’s face: is He frowning or beaming with joy? If we see disappointment, we may still be living like orphans. The good news is that in Christ we are welcomed into God’s household, indwelt by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, and invited to grow into the family resemblance. We live holy not to earn a place at the table, but because we already belong there.

Listen and let this truth move from your head to your heart: you are chosen, loved, and adopted—fully and forever—in Christ.

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