Adoption

“predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”.   Eph 1:5

Adoption – Not used often in the New Testament, this word is as old as the second century BC.  It is huiothesia.  In Greek times, adoption was used to bring a son into the family for the purpose of providing care for the adopting parents.  Adoption did not necessarily occur when the child was young.  The name of the adopted person did not change.  What was established in adoption was a familial relationship between parent and child regardless of the names involved – a relationship that often had reciprocal obligations and benefits.

In the New Testament, the theme behind adoption is that the relationship established between the believer and God is never one that depends on natural descent or earned merit.  God’s adoption of the believer is a function of His freely given grace.  It is God who, for His own purposes and desires, decides to adopt the believer into His family.  The believer’s sole responsibility in this process is acceptance by faith.  Galatians makes it clear that adoption into God’s household is equivalent to liberation from the consequences of the Law.  Once adopted, the believer is no longer judged on the basis of his past familial relationship with human beings but rather is judged on his relationship with God.  God’s adoptive plan includes not only human beings but also the re-institution of creation, now fallen from its original relationship with Him.  Paul asserts that all creation groans in agony waiting for this final phase of adoption.

The most marvelous feature of this little word is its staggering implication – adoption out of the life of sin and into the life of spiritual grace is not up to us.  It is not a result of how hard we work, how much we achieve, how cleanly we live.  It is not lost by falling again, failing one more time, slipping, crashing or not quite making it today.  Because God is the one who chooses to adopt, the process of belonging to His family depends solely on Him.  We are relieved of the impossible task of earning perfection.  Freedom comes from knowing that even in our imperfections, He chooses us.