Adoption
Over the last several months adoption has consumed every part of my family’s life. So I guess it is not surprising that it has made its way into my thoughts about being a Christian and the comparisons to my relationship with God.
The word adoption is an action noun, meaning adoption acts like a verb with someone performing the act of adoption.
Understanding this it prompted the question for me why does someone need to be adopted? Well, orphans need to be adopted. We all need the security, nurturing and love that a family brings and orphans definitely need that.
This brought along the next question why do we need God to adopt us? The answer can simply be found in scripture.
John 14:18
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Ephesians 2:1-2; 4-5
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient....But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Galatians 4:5
to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons
If orphans need to be adopted and Christ refers to us as orphans then we need to be adopted by God. The verses in Galatians and Ephesians tell us how much God loves us and how He wants to make us His children.
Jesus is God’s Son and He is never referred to as adopted. Adoption is an amazing thing it brings in a child who is unrelated by birth and makes them part of the family. For my family this looks like Matthew our son by birth and Nathan our son by adoption becoming brothers. For us as Christians salvation puts on a standing with Christ being our brother.
With adoption comes privileges and rights. When a child is adopted they gain a new family and a new life. When we become believers in Christ and receive salvation we receive the privileges of being adopted into the family of God.
We receive a new standing with God, we can call now call out to Him as our Father (Daddy) because we have a parent child relationship with Him.
Galatians 4:6
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
Not only do we get a new standing but we get a new nature, check out these scriptures.
2 Corinthians 5:17
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Peter 1:3-4
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
Adoption has privileges but it also has a process. Adoption is a gift that has to be planned for, you have to find a child, go to court and pay a price to finalize the adoption.
With us as Christians it is the same way, uur salvation and adoption are given by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:15
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
John 1:12
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
The word right refers to a legal right, we have the legal right to call God Father when we accept His salvation.
Our salvation and adoption was planned by God through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:5
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
John 1:12-13
But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
All this talk of adoption makes you ask the question what are the results of adoption? Well for Nathan that means he has the same rights and inheritance as Matthew. For us as Christians that means we gain the same fellowship and inheritance with God that Christ has.
Mark 14:36
“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Romans 8:32
He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?
Galatians 4:6-7
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Romans 8:16-17
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Our fellowship and inheritance come with responsibilities just like in an earthly family. As adopted children of God it would make sense that since Christ was persecuted we will also be persecuted. Like Christ we can count on the Father being at our side through any situation.
Let me take a brief aside: If all believers are children of God and are equal, then why do we treat each other like step-children. I believe this causes our Father great sadness.
Adoption, how important is it for us to find?
