ADOPTED

MATTHEW 18:10-14 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 

  The summer I was 12, our family moved to a small town with a Baptist and a Methodist church equally distant from our home. My parents and my grandfather, who lived with us, were Methodist, but all the young people at school participated at the Baptist church so I too gravitated there. At age 17 I finally officially became a member there. However, my parents believed “Once in grace, always in grace.” was wrong. I then too had some doubts about the Baptist church doctrine.

  Then, 15 years later, as my husband and I sat in the court room waiting for the ruling on our adopting a child, the judge said “Mr. and Mrs. Nivens, you do understand that if we let you have this baby, once the adoption is final, you can never disown or disinherit him.” It was then that it finally dawned on me: That’s what God’s Word promises; I am His adopted [Jn.1:12] child and He will never disown me!

Leslie Nivens (12/12/1928-3/1/2020)

PS. For those interested in eternal security, just ask and I’ll provide my 20 page Biblical study file. EBB4