"He adopted us from slavery: it is a mercy to redeem a slave, but it is more to adopt him."
Thomas Watson - Body of Divinity
I find it very hard to argue with old Puritans like Watson. I don't care to debunk popular myths and "things everybody knows" about Puritans and this isn't an apologetic for their worldview - a view that is more broad minded than is commonly assumed. Plenty of able historians have shot fresh, disinfecting air through the predictable portrayals inflicted on us by deadly high school lit classes and over costumed, sepia toned witch trial movies.
Watson is always that welcome "one clear call for me". As with most Puritans, the main thing stays the main thing and precision nearly always marks what he has to say. I like Samuel Johnson, Addison, Steele, Swift and even Hemingway for the same reason: they don't almost say what they mean to say, they routinely hit the point squarely, forcefully and usually memorably.
It's sad that the Puritans and their descendants are known to most of us only from cartoony textbook portrayals of Jonathan Edwards and his very angry God, both of whom get their jollies seeing human souls dangling and shriveling like spiders over the flame. Sad. And inaccurate. Sadder still to think of scads of theological schools that never introduce ministerial students to such clear thinkers, most of whom wrote beautifully, preached powerfully and prayed still more powerfully. I could be wrong, but a quick look-around tells me modern church leaders could use healthy doses of what the Puritans are serving.
Without diminishing the time stopping miracle of redemption - being bought twice by the real time/space invasion of a God-Man - Watson quickly leads us to a room with zero wiggle space by contrasting it with the much less talked about but infinitely more remarkable God act of adopting humans.
Against our wills we've been trapped at a family reunion we didn't want to attend in the first place. Know-it-all uncles have pushed us against the wall with finger pokes and questions that sound like conclusions. Holding a wilting paper plate of three bean salad and devilled eggs (we just came for the food) we are endlessly harangued with questions, machine gun follow-ups about who is saved, how saved and for how long. We sweat and mumble unoriginal non-committal grunts and look around nervously for rescue.
It's been a 1500 year discussion about salvation when we should have been talking about the more amazing reality of adoption.
Statements, counter-statements, synods, church fights, councils, doctrine wars and books without number all dumb down the biblical declaration of redemption by a God of mercy to a take-it-or leave it insistence that salvation is where it's at and there's only a couple of ways to talk about it. Isn't it time to agree with Watson and end a 15 century exercise in missing the point?
Nobody but echo chamber trolls wants to hear another airtight exposition of salvation.
I'm begging you, no more arguments, please Uncle Bud! It's been hammered flat at this point and that's a real pity, because it was good a conversation at first, but that was a long time ago. It's time to pivot: there's a reality approaching fantastic that's light years beyond the salvation debates. Salvation is wonderful, but the real message of good has a quality beyond wonder and comprehension. The staggering, fairy tale truth for every human image bearer is that all of us have been included in the life of Father, Son and Spirit. Already! Our adoption is finished. It's the ultimate inclusion.
Here's the real kicker that can shut down all the tedious, time ragged arguments about who's saved, who isn't and who says so and at the same time splash the old world's sad face back to life with the bracing clarity of mountain fed living water: you're already included in the Relationship. They want you in the Dance! People everywhere are straining to hear the song of adoption by an ever inclusive Relationship of perfect harmony and love.
The adoption papers have been signed in the blood of Jesus. He really did pay it all! Now go tell somebody. Most importantly: go live it.
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