Adoption is a metaphor but being an heir is not
Adoption is not God’s plan B; it has been His plan all along. Our adoption is more than an act of God’s kindness. It is a statement of our worth and critical to our identity in Christ. Once we understand it, we will never walk with our heads down again.
We have been exploring the anatomy of discipleship by looking at our spiritual backbone, specifically reconciliation, adoption, and naturalization. These three truths should shape our new identity in Christ, forming the image of what it means to be a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). They are intended to give spiritual strength and support for our journey of discipleship.
A quick summary before we go on may help keep the big picture in mind.
Let’s explore this reality of adoption to strengthen our spiritual spine. Paul links redemption to our adoption.
“So that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:5)
To be right with God the judge (reconciliation) is a great thing but to be loved and cared for (adopted) by God the Father is greater.1
A popular myth held by our culture and many Christians is that God is everyone’s Father. While it is true we are all created by God and He is the source of our being, nowhere in Scripture is God presented as the relational Father of humanity. The Lord’s Prayer was given to His disciples and begins with “Our Father, which art in heaven”. It was not a statement of universal Fatherhood but of a special privileged title for those who have been reconciled to God and adopted into his family.
The term adoption is a metaphor that only Paul uses in his letters. The significance of adoption needs to be understood in the context of the Greek/Roman world in which Paul wrote. Adoption in our culture usually involves infants and children, but in the Greek/Roman world it was specifically for adults. Adoption was used to provide a legal heir for wealthy men to pass on their estate especially if they did not have a natural heir or son.
The focus of a Roman/Greek adoption then was to create a legal heir not necessarily raise a child.
The adoptee (usually an adult citizen, although sometimes a slave) would be released from the debts or obligations from one family to assume the privileges and responsibilities of another, becoming a legal heir of the new family. All sons regardless of age—natural or adopted—were considered heirs, even while their father was living, giving them joint control of the property and wealth involved.
While the terms new birth and adoption both carry the idea of family and fatherhood, adoption emphasizes the unnaturalness of becoming an heir. The adopter chooses to legally grant someone all the status and privileges of being his son even though there is no natural relationship to justify such a gift. However, with the privileges there also came responsibility. The adopted son was to carry on the family honor, including its values and purposes.
With this understanding of the Roman/Greek adoption we can better understand the spiritual implications of our adoption: father, family, heir, privilege, and responsibility.
Father
In our spiritual adoption we have not only a new relationship, but a relationship of intimacy.
“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! (Daddy) Father!” (Rom. (8:15).
Whether we have a positive or negative experience of human fatherhood, we need to let Scripture paint the picture of the superlative father because that is what our Heavenly Father is. Perhaps different from our past fatherhood experience, His relationship with His children is one of loving intimacy. Jesus told us that we can begin our prayers by addressing God as our Father.
Family
Adoption not only gives us a new Father but a new family. The New Testament writers emphasize this filial relationship when they write about the “one anothers” which we should now put into practice. For example:
- Love one another (John 13:34-35).
- Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor (Rom. 12:10).
- So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another (Rom. 14:19).
If you want to know what life in this new family should look like, begin making a composite list of all the “one another” verses you find in the NT. It will give you a grand and beautiful picture of how to live in our adopted family.
Heir
Adopted, we are now heirs of His kingdom and His promises, even joint-heirs with Christ. Claiming and living in light of His promises is one way we demonstrate our understanding of our new adoptive identity.
“Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (Jas. 2:5).
“If children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
Much of our inheritance is still future and mysterious, but there is much to claim now. Adoption gives us the boldness to claim what He has already promised in Scripture … not out of merit but out of our adopted position in the family.
Privilege
With our adoption comes certain privileges. For example, in Hebrews we are told we can come boldly, with confidence, into the presence of God (Heb. 4:16). We have an instant audience any time and any place without a formal meeting or advanced scheduling. However, boldly does not mean casually. He is still the sovereign God of the cosmos, but He offers to us the intimate privilege of His instant, undivided attention.
Responsibility
As part of His family we now take on His likeness and mission…the family business. Living as exiles in a Babylonian world, we represent our Father and His family. It is not an option. The only question is, how well will we do it? If adoption shapes our new identity, then our concern will be, “How will my behavior affect the honor of the family name?”
The purpose of adoption is to create a family of heirs with God as the Father.
We will look next at our identity as citizens of a new country.
For reflection:
- Compare and contrast family with similar terms like church and body.
- What is our current inheritance? Future?
- What are other privileges and responsibilities of our adoption that you are aware of?
1 JI Packer, “Knowing God”, p207
