Adoption

In 1952, a probation officer in the Bronx tried to find an organization that would assist in the adoption of a twelve year old boy. Although the child had come from a religious background, none of the major church denominations were willing to assist in putting him up for adoption.

The probation officer said, “His case had been reported to me because he had been truant. I tried for a year to find an agency that would care for this needy youngster. Neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jewish institutions would take him because he came from a denomination they did not recognize. In the end, I could do nothing constructive for him.”

It’s too bad that a good home could not have been found for that troubled boy. It’s too bad that nobody was willing to help locate loving parents who would adopt him. It would have changed history. You see, that boy’s name was Lee Harvey Oswald.

Adoption is the subject that we want to examine today. It has an awful lot to do with what it means to be a Christian. I’m not talking about physical adoption, of course. I’m referring to spiritual adoption, the way the Bible talks about it.

You see, the Bible teaches that when a person becomes a Christian, many important changes take place in his life. We’ve looked at some of them already. One of those changes that occurs is that he is adopted by God. But in order to understand exactly what that means, we need to understand the concept of adoption the way it was practiced when the New Testament was written.

When we hear the word adoption, we immediately think of a scenario that goes something like this: A young couple wants to have children. They find that they are unable to. So they turn to an adoption agency. The agency sits them down for an interview, does a thorough series of tests on their suitability as parents, and then recommends them. Then they wait for an adoptive child to become available. In some cases, they may have the opportunity to take a foreign-born baby.

Finally, the big day arrives. The couple travels to the orphanage, where an official from the adoption agency is waiting with their new child. Legal papers are signed, the child is handed over, and the joyful couple leaves with their new baby.

That’s pretty much the way adoption happens in our society. A couple takes a child that is from another family and makes it part of their own. But that is not how adoption took place in Bible times.

During the time of the Roman Empire, it was relatively rare for a child to be adopted into someone else’s family. What happened far more frequently is that parents actually adopted their own children.

Now I can just hear you saying “Come again? Parents adopted their own children?” Let me explain how it worked. First of all, when we talk about parents and adoption in the Roman Empire, we’re really talking about fathers. The mother didn’t have much say in legal matters that affected the family. The father was the patriarch of the family - he ruled with a rod of iron, and what he said was law. The Romans even had a name for it - “paternal potestas” - the power of the father.

You have to understand that marriage and family life were quite different back then from what they are today. First of all, very few marriages were based on a foundation of romantic love. Couples got married for various reasons, but love wasn’t usually one of them. Families would arrange marriages for business reasons, or political reasons, or to advance their standing in society. And usually, the husband was quite a bit older than the wife. Girls got married at the age of thirteen. It wasn’t unusual for a woman to be married to a man twice or even three times her age.

Now the fact that marriages were not based on love often meant that the partners felt free to look outside the marriage for their needs to be met. Adultery was a common thing in the Roman Empire, in spite of the fact that some of the emperors actually passed laws forbidding it. And out of these adulterous relationships came children.

Another factor that was involved was that the men of the Roman Empire, if they were in the army, were often away for lengthy periods of time. It was not unusual for a soldier to come back and find that his wife had had one or two children in the meantime. But that didn’t have the stigma then that it would have had today. The soldier wouldn’t have been angry with his wife; he would most likely have congratulated her for producing more children in his absence.

You see, the people of the Roman Empire looked on biological children differently than we do today. A child born into a Roman family was not much different from a slave. In a well to do family, a child would be handed over to a special slave, who was called the pedagog, to be raised. The pedagog would teach the child, he would discipline the child, he would be his tutor.

During this time, the child didn’t have any special rights simply by dint of the fact that he was the biological offspring of his father and/or his mother.

That all came when his father adopted him. The word “adoption” is the Greek word “huiothesia”. It comes from two words: “huios”, which means “son”; and “thesia”, which means “to place”, or “to put”. (In science, when you formulate a thesis, you are “placing” a possible explanation on the table.) So the word adoption means “to place as a son”.

A child might be the biological offspring of his parents, but until he was “adopted” by them, he didn’t enjoy any of the rights and privileges that came from being a son. At that time of adoption, when the boy had come of age, and the father had decided to adopt him, the Romans had a ceremony called the “toga virillis”.

The father would take a toga, a long robe that the Roman men wrapped around themselves and wore off one shoulder. You’ve seen pictures of Mel Brooks with one on. The father would place the toga on his son and that would signify, not only that the boy had become a man, but that the father was saying to the whole community “This is my son. He bears my name. All that I have belongs to him. He has all the rights and privileges of being a full-fledged member of my family. He’s going to inherit my estate when I die.”

Now I think you’ll agree that that is quite a bit different from the way that we practice adoption today. But what does this have to do with spiritual matters? What does this ancient concept of adoption have to do with what it means to be a Christian?

Well, we have already seen that one of the things that happens to a person who repents of his sin, and places his trust in Jesus Christ is that he is born again. He goes from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive. He goes from being a child of the devil to being a child of God.

But adoption takes that concept one step further. Adoption means that God recognizes a Christian as a full-fledged son or daughter in his family. It means that God says “Now I am giving you all the rights and privileges of being my child. You will bear my name. All that I have is yours. You are my heir; you are a fellow-heir with my Son Jesus Christ.”

In the New Testament, we only find this concept of adoption in the writings of Paul.. Peter and John tend to emphasize the concept of regeneration - being born again. Paul, though, emphasizes the concept of adoption probably because he had a lawyer’s mind - he saw things from a legal standpoint. But as we’ve already seen, there’s no conflict between the two ideas. When you’re born again, you become a child of God; when you’re adopted, God declares you to be his son or daughter. Both of these things happen the moment you become a Christian.

Paul describes the process of spiritual adoption in three important passages: Romans 8; Galatians 3 & 4; and Ephesians 1.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. (That word “sonship” is the word “huiothesias”; “adoption”.) And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.

Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (and that expression is the word “huiothesian”, which means “the adoption”.)

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

In this section of the book of Galatians, Paul is explaining the purpose of the Law. The Law was like the pedagog who kept the child in line while he was still a minor. The pedagog disciplined the child, the pedagog taught him what was right and what was wrong. That was the purpose of the Law; to be our pedagog. But a child under a pedagog was no better off than a slave.

That’s why Jesus came. He came to free us from the Law, and to give us our full rights as sons. He came to give us a new position in God’s family; a position of freedom, liberty, and privilege.

Ephesians 1:5 God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

God adopted us. He placed us in his family as his sons and daughters. And he gave us the Holy Spirit as a kind of downpayment on our inheritance. The Holy Spirit living in our lives is a pledge from God that he means what he says when he adopts us as his children.

Now there are three great privileges that we have as God’s adopted children. And they can be described by three words that begin with the letter “A”.

1. New Affection

2. New Access

3. New Anticipation

1. New Affection

In a Roman household, when a child was adopted, he entered into a new relationship with his father. His father was no longer a distant, remote figure to be feared as much as respected. He became a friend. The son was no longer under the control of the pedagog. The son would now be able to seek his father’s counsel and confidence. He would begin to develop a companionship, a comradeship.

This is the way it is in spiritual terms when you become a Christian. God is no longer a remote, terrifying figure that you would just as soon avoid. He becomes your friend, someone you confide in, someone you go to with your questions and your problems. There’s a new bond of affection and love between you that didn’t exist before.

In two of those passages that we just read, Romans 8 and Galatians 4, there is a little expression that describes this new affection and love. It’s the expression “Abba, Father”.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

“Abba” is an Aramaic word. It means “Dad” or “Daddy”. The translators of the Bible didn’t feel comfortable putting that in there. They thought it would be irreverent to speak of God as our “Daddy”. But that’s exactly what the word means.

Yesterday morning, my little three year old son toddled into my bedroom. I hadn’t gotten up yet, so he climbed into bed beside me. He took my face in both of his little hands, and he looked right into my eyes, and he said “I love you, Daddy.” That’s what the Bible is talking about here. That’s the relationship that exists because of adoption.

2. New Access

In ancient Rome, when a son was adopted, he became his father’s business partner. He could walk into his father’s study at any time to talk to him about the family business. He enjoyed a total access to his father that he never had when he was under the pedagog. That’s the way it is for a Christian.

There is an apocryphal story about President Lincoln during the Civil War. It seems that a Union soldier had been wrongly accused of some offense and had been given a dishonorable discharge from the Army. The man tried and tried through official channels to set the matter right and restore his good name, but all to no avail.

Finally, he decided to personally petition the President. But when he got to the gates of the White House, he was turned back. The guards wouldn’t let him near the President. Day after day, he waited outside the gate, appealing to anyone who would listen. Finally, a young boy, who had been playing nearby, skipped up to him and asked the man why he was there.

The veteran explained his predicament to the young boy. The boy said, “I can get you in to see the President.” The man laughed, “You? How could you get me in to see the President?” The boy replied “It’s easy. You see, the President is my father.”

Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

We enjoy a new access to God because he has adopted us.

3. New Anticipation

When God adopts us, God gives us an inheritance. He makes us heirs and fellow -heirs with Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you

Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints

Part of that inheritance we enjoy right now. We have the sure hope of eternal life. We don’t have to be afraid of what’s going to happen to us when we die. We know where we’re going, and that makes a tremendous difference in the way we can face life here and now.

But part of that inheritance is still to come. When Jesus Christ comes back to receive his own unto himself, we’re going to receive a new glorified body. In that sense, our adoption is not yet complete. We still have much to anticipate. That’s why Paul says…

Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we… groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

God has given us a new affection, a new access, and a new anticipation because he has adopted us.

And that’s just part of what it means to be a Christian. There’s so much more!

In regeneration, God changes our nature. He gives us a new life.

In justification, God changes our legal status. He gives us a new standing.

In sanctification, God changes our character. He gives us a new way of living.

In adoption, God changes our position in the family. He gives us the rights and privileges of full-fledged sons and daughters.

During World War Two, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was waiting to board an airplane on which he had a reservation. He happened to overhear a young Army private who was standing at the ticket counter. The lad was pleading with the ticket agent to be allowed to board the flight.

He said “I’ve got to go overseas in just three more days. I want to see my parents before I go. I can make it home only if I travel by plane.” The ticket agent said that he was very sorry, but every seat on the flight was booked, and there was nothing he could do.

Just then, General Roosevelt stepped forward and said “I’ll surrender my seat to this young man.” But the ticket agent said “With all due respect sir, this is a matter of rank.”

Roosevelt replied, “That’s right. It is a matter of rank. I’m only a general, but this young man is a son.”

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.