Adoption
The children of God, the inheritance, and adoption -- these are all concepts
that are related to the same eternal purpose of God. But I do think there's a
misunderstanding about this term, “adoption.” Note Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. (Eph. 1:5)
The Father, through the means of His Son, Jesus Christ, desires to ADOPT
believers as children of God. Christ is the only begotten son, and we are sons
and daughters in Him, so it's through the means of Him – because we are already
IN HIM – that adoption is possible.
But what does Paul mean by, “adoption?” This is an important question --
because if we think adoption is salvation we are wrong – and it will create a
lot of confusion. That mistake is, in fact, responsible for many reading verse
5 as a proof text for the doctrine of predestination unto salvation – i.e., the
false doctrine of unconditional election. No. So let’s find out what it meant
in the mind of the first century Christian to be adopted as a child – in this
case, what it meant to be adopted as a child by God.
First of all, and central to the point, we must look at the word, “adoption” --
because it doesn't mean in the Bible what we mean today. Today, to be adopted by
a family pertains to those who are not biologically members of that family --
but are brought into that family from the outside by a legal process. That's
adoption today. But that is not what it means in the Bible – neither in
Ephesians or Galatians.
In those days, adoption pertained ONLY to those who were ALREADY members of a
family – and ONLY to them. So, in Bible times, if your mom and dad were your
biological parents, then adoption in those times was possible for you – and ONLY
for you.
But there is more. Adoption of those already born into a family was the step
whereby those adopted could receive their inheritance.
Adoption was possible once a son or daughter had become mature enough to
be a responsible and faithful heir.
Get that: Birth as a child put you in line to receive the inheritance. But you
could not receive it until you were ADOPTED. Thus, adoption meant you had
reached a place of responsibility -- so that you could actually be given
responsibility over your inheritance.
Can we see how important this is to understand? In other words, as it pertains
to a Christian person, yes, you are saved by grace through faith. This
makes eventual adoption possible – it makes it possible to be adopted. But you
must grow in Christ for this to become a reality – you must reach the point of
being able to be responsible for what God freely gives in Christ.
This should bring clarity to the phrase that God has, “predestined us unto the
adoption as children.” Predestination (and election) have NOTHING to do with
getting saved. These have ONLY to do with God’s desire FOR those already saved
– for those ALREADY in Christ. And
it is the desire of God to bring believers to a maturity where they can be
adopted and receive an inheritance.
Predestination simply means that this is God's will for you. You can refuse
it. The Bible is filled with warnings that loss of inheritance is possible.
Indeed, many of the passages that some use to try to prove that you can
lose your salvation are actually talking about losing inheritance. Other
passages are talking about those who were never saved to begin with – they did
not lose salvation -- but refused it. Hopefully, this starts to clear up a lot
of things in the Bible that have been misinterpreted.
Think in human terms. We could say
that we predestine our children for an earthly inheritance. That's what we want
for them. That's our plan for them. But
maybe they commit a crime, or suffer drug addiction. They never reach the point
of responsibility for their inheritance. But they do not cease to be your
children. They have simply
forfeited their inheritance.
Now, what this tells us is that God Almighty is in the process of preparing sons
and daughters -- through growth in Christ – preparing sons and daughters so that
we can be given our inheritance and be faithful to God in it.
Sons Not Servants
Now I say,
[That]
the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he be
lord of all;
But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the
world:
But
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of
God through Christ. (Gal. 4:1-7)
Paul is here using terms as they were used in that day to illustrate a general
principle. He is saying that before
a child matures they are under tutors – they are in training.
In that sense, they are not much different than a servant. They are not
mature enough to be adopted – they are not mature enough to be heirs who can be
responsible for the inheritance.
But when that child does become mature then they, “receive adoption,” as a son
or daughter.
So we see that, yes, we are sons and daughters of God if we are saved.
Sure. We are born from above
in Christ into the family of God.
But God has more in His plan and purpose.
He wants us to mature in Christ to where we can be responsible for an
eternal inheritance. There is a
fulfillment of that to an extent NOW.
But the full release of it will be in the next age.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with
[him],
that we may be also glorified together.
(Rom. 8:15-17)
Here we see the great purpose of God behind suffering in the Christian life. It is all a matter of training and maturing – if we will yield by faith. God is setting us free from the old in order that we might live with Him in Christ as sons and daughters forever in an eternal inheritance.