Chosen & Adopted: A Display of Sovereign Grace

He beat her in a violent rage. In his anger, he decided to take fate in his own hands. He was not willing to bear the responsibility of becoming a father. So he violently attempted to force a miscarriage by his anger. This was not the first time that he had beaten her, but it would be his last. The young woman he abused was a runaway that he had just met in a shelter. After a little while, they decided to go back to her parents house. After seeing signs of abuse, her father kicked him out, and called the police, and he was never seen or heard from again. By the grace of God she and her baby would recover from their injuries. Every moment of our lives is left with an undeniable imprint of the grace of God. I know this to be true, for I survived my biological father’s murderous rage.

I first learned of this story when I was fourteen years old. This shocking revelation came when I providentially found my birth certificate. Yes, I found out it while snooping around my parents bedroom, but I found it nonetheless. On the back of the certificate, my parents were listed, but my biological father’s name was blacked out with a permanent marker. In place of his name was handwritten the name of the man I had always known to be my Dad. This made me very suspicious as you can imagine. I immediately brought this to my parent’s attention and they proceeded to tell me the truth. It was the truth I had feared when I first saw my birth certificate. The man I had always known to be my Dad was not my biological father. This news devastated me and left me with much anger and confusion. I wept for my mother, because of the abuse she had endured at the hands of the man who had made her pregnant. Although the truth was hard to hear at first, it has become a sweet balm to my soul, as I reflect on the grace of God in my life.

After my grandfather had kicked my biological father out of the house, my real Dad learned that my Mom had returned back home. He heard about what had happened and came to her rescue. They had feelings for each other previously, but now they decided that they would get married. My mother needed a knight in shining armor, and my real Dad fulfilled that calling very well. But wait! Did he know what he was getting into? Did he know that she was pregnant? Yes, he did. He knew, that although I was not his, he would raise me as if I were his biological son. He kept his promise. He was there for my birth and loved my mother and me and provided for us. He didn’t just want to raise me; he wanted me to have his name as well. My name was changed from Daniel Brown to Daniel Agustin Sardinas. The name change not only determined a new identity, but it also declared to whom I belonged. I now belonged to Agustin Sardinas. He gave me a plaque in honor of this new name.

It says:

Sardinas – You got it from your father, it was all he had to give. So it’s yours to use and cherish, for as long as you may live. If you lose the watch he gave you, it can always be replaced. But a black mark on your name, Son, can never be erased. It was clean the day you took it, and a worthy name to bear. When he got it from his father, there was no dishonor there. So make sure you guard it wisely, after all is said and done. You’ll be glad the name is spotless, when you give it to your son.

My Dad, by his actions, has taught me the character of a real man. What he did for my mother and me still amazes me to this day. It will be a truth that will forever grip me, because I see, through my Dad, a picture of God’s Sovereign grace. When I pause to consider all that God has done...my life is truly a miracle. The Lord saw fit that I would be conceived by a runaway girl. If my mother did not run away from home and meet this man, I do not exist. I was then protected when my biological father wanted to kill me in my mother’s womb. God then brought the father I needed and the man my mother needed in her life. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for God’s grace orchestrating every detail of my life. 

My story reminds me of the doctrines of adoption and election. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesians, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6)

God sovereignly and graciously chose us before we were born. Paul said that this was for the purpose of “adoption as sons.” God adopted us as his own although we were born as his enemies. All of this was “according to the purpose of His will” to the “praise of His glorious grace.” This is all God’s doing. We are a part of a gigantic family of brothers and sisters, who have also been saved by grace. It is a wonderful thing to be adopted. It is a beautiful and glorious reality that transforms an individual.

The gospel is the initiative that God took to adopt a people for His own. The gospel is the good news of God’s sovereign grace completed in and through the finished work of Jesus. It was God who chose, predestined, loved and adopted us and gave us the full right of being in His family. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

What happened to me is an example of how God saves us by His sovereign grace. My Dad chose to be my Dad before I was born. I didn’t choose him. He loved me before I was born and took the responsibility to nurture and provide for my mother and me. He then adopted me and gave me his own name. Because of my adoption I have been given a new family. My brother and sister, Alex and Cindy, mean the world to me. The similarities between my physical adoption and my spiritual adoption are not coincidental. It is a beautiful picture of sovereign grace on display.

God knew what He was doing when He put Agustin Sardinas in my life to adopt me as his son. It was through him that I found love, truth, acceptance, provision and a future. He taught me how to be a man and to trust in God. He taught me that the difficult things in life are worth working for. He showed me how a man is to handle responsibility. He showed me how to lead. He showed me how to treat a woman. He taught me how to love my children. He showed me what it means to chase my dreams. He showed me how to stick it out when the going gets tough. He demonstrated what God’s love looks like through the care and provision of an earthly father. Even though I speak highly of my Dad and what He’s done for me, it’s really because of the Father’s plan.

It was because of my mother’s influence that I grew and was discipled as a Christian. My mother has become a strong woman by understanding the grace of God in her life. It was her constant encouragement that always kept pointing me towards Christ. My parents are a blessing and a gift from God. I still know nothing about my biological father, and I’m fine with that, because he is not my real Dad. My real Dad is the man who raised me and chose me to be his son.

My parents and I don’t mention this story often. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the times we have spoken about it together since the day I found out. It’s not because it’s an “elephant” in the room. I think it’s just that we forget. I actually have to remind myself, at times, of the story. I can attribute this assurance to my father. It was his acceptance and unconditional love that has given me peace. He is my father and I am his son. He said that I would be his from before birth and there has never been a day when I have felt differently. This is grace upon grace.