What position has God predestinated believers into?
The position is adoption as children by Jesus Christ—equal with Christ the Son as joint heirs. At salvation believers are immediately placed right with Christ, in the body and in Christ, in an elevated position in the heavenlies, all by God’s grace. God predestinated believers to this.
In the Greek and Roman cultures, adoption meant training a young son of the father, probably in the attributes of his particular business, so that when he became of age he was tutored and prepared to come alongside the father with full responsibility. Les explains that this pictures the believer’s position. The moment a person is saved, he does not go through a long period of training and preparation; immediately God positions him equal with Christ the Son as a joint heir. This is by virtue of God’s grace, and God has predestinated believers to that glorious position of being right with Christ in the body and in Christ, and in that elevated position in the heavenlies. So they are predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, immediately placed as the tutored child was with his father.