Commenting on Ephesians 1:3-6, Dr. Michael Barrett writes:
"The adoption of children is specifically defined as being accomplished through the agency or mediation of Jesus Christ (v. 4). The Lord Jesus as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity is the eternal object of His Father's love. Christ testified to this eternal love in His great intercessory prayer: 'Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world' and thou 'hast loved them, as thou hast loved me' (John 17:24, 23). To be the objects of God's love, displayed in His predestinating us unto the adoption of children, is to be loved in the same way as and with the same infinite dimension with which the Father loves His only begotten Son. God does not treat His adopted children as second class members of the family; He loves them as He loves Christ. This defies explanation but demands belief" (Michael P.V. Barrett, Complete in Him: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Gospel, 173-174).
It is our knowledge and enjoyment of this incomparable adoptive love that should move us out as the church to visit orphans in their affliction (James 1:27). As John writes, "we love because he first loved us" (I John 4:19).