4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman,
born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because
you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no
longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Galatians 4:4-6
I believe adoption
is the gospel manifested in the world for God’s glory and the hope of the
nations. Adoption shows what happens when love pursues the unwanted and showers them with grace. Adoption helps the unknowable have a legitimate and lasting identity. In this text, there are four joys that help us better grasp the beauty of our adoption into God's family; what it cost, what it does for us, and how the world is changed.
The Cost
First, our adoption was
costly. John Piper points out that to
redeem something is to set free by paying a price.[1] Redemption denotes ransoming someone from
captivity or from slavery.[2] We are dead in our trespasses and held
captive by our sin. If left on our own
we would simply perish. Nevertheless,
God sent his Son into the world not to be exalted or served as He deserved to
be, but he was sent to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28; Mark
10:45; 1 Timothy 4:6). Adoption is
costly.
Second, our adoption transferred us from “sons of disobedience” to “sons
of God.” The life, death, and
resurrection of Christ not only satisfied God’s wrath for our sin, but also
made us righteous in His sight. 1 Corinthians 5:21 says that he became sin that we would become his righteousness. We are unified in the Son. When God looks on us He sees the beauty of Christ, not out our total depravity. Our adoption was legally secured through the blood of Christ and our debt was
paid. “There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of
life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death… [and] you
have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba!
Father!"’ (Romans 8:1, 15)
The Validity
Third, the Spirit testifies of the legitimacy of our adoption. The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that
we are his children. It testifies to the world that we are set apart and are loved by God, our Father. Moreover, God in His mercy, pours out His Spirit to comfort and counsel us in the world. The Spirit of His Son grants us to feel the
affections of belonging to the very family of God. [3] When we cry out "Abba Father," it both confirms our identity and comforts our souls. In this we have much to rejoice in.
The Value
Fourth, our adoption makes us
heirs to the kingdom of God. It is
fitting to revisit our definition at this point. Simply, our adoption is God’s distinct act of
grace, different and additional to justification, that created a permanent
relationship between the Father and the sinner, in which the sinner is graphed
into the family of God legally, socially, and emotionally; enjoying all rights and privileges as a son or daughter in the warmth,
love, and gladness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As sons and daughters we have been given all
legal, social, and emotional privileges as Christ Himself. We are in the warmth, love, and joy of the
Father. The Father has seen fit to give
His kingdom to His children. We are
Christ brothers and sisters and will inherit our Fathers kingdom as fully legal
and familial heirs.
How does this affect us as individual
believers?
As individual believers we can have a tremendous amount of peace and hope
knowing that God has purposely and joyfully welcomed us into all satisfying
communion of the Trinity. And this
communion will never end because it was willed by God, purchased in Christ, and
secured in the Holy Spirit. You will
never be an orphan. Though your earthly
parents will die, you will never be without the love of the triune communion.
This frees us to go forth and make disciple of every nation (Matt
28:18-19); particularly through adoption. Earthly
adoption is a manifestation of the gospel.
It outwardly shows the world the reality of God’s love and pursuit of
us. Jason Kovacs explains this
wonderfully in his piece called Adoption and Missional Living, he says,
“Adoption and our care for the fatherless
provide a visible demonstration of the gospel.
Our adoption of children serves as a window into Christ’s rescue of
us. Adoption displays
gospel justice. Adoption displays the
patience pursuit and sovereign choice of God for us. Adoption displays the heart of God rescuing a
people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.
Because of what God has done for us in Christ, adoption and orphan care
are signs that God’s kingdom and rule are present in our world and will one day
come in all their fullness.”[4]
God,
through our adoption through Christ, has made the believer a living conduit of
His grace to orphans and the nations.
God’s adoption of us should in effect cause every believer to pause, and
at the very least consider, adoption as a means of growing their family and
God’s kingdom. If adoption is not where
God is moving you then supporting families who are adopting or are doing orphan
care on the mission field is just as supportive.
How does this affect the church?
Here are some basic facts about adoption and foster care in America and
around the world. Currently, there are
approximately 500,000 children in foster care in America alone. Almost 130,000 of these children have been
deemed orphans and are available for adoption.
There are approximately 163 million orphans globally.[5] Forty-million of these children are of
unreached people groups. Jason Kovacs
points out that if there are roughly 130,000 children waiting to be adopted,
then the United States has more evangelical churches than it does waiting
children.[6]
In light of the above information and what we know about adoption, the
church should be a beacon of hope to every orphan of the world. Caring for orphans (adoption, foster care, or
meeting physical and emotional needs) should not just be a program among
programs in the church. For it to be effective, it needs to be interwoven in the
very DNA of the missional philosophy of the church. Because the church is formed and transformed
by vertical adoption, the world can taste and see that the Lord is good through
horizontal adoption.
[1] Piper,
John. "Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel." In Reclaiming Adoption:
Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father, by Dan Curver, edited
by Dan Curver, 95-107. Adelphia, MD: CruciformPress, 2011.
[2] Baugh, S.M. "ESV Study Bible." In Ephesians
Commentary Notes, edited by Justin Taylor, Bill Deckard, Sherah Grose
Dennis T. Lane, 2262-2263. Wheaton, IL: CrossWay Bibles, 2008.
Burke, Trevor. Adopted into God's Family: Exploring
a Pauline Metaphor. Edited by D.A. Carson. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity
Press, 2006.
[3] Piper,
John. "Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel." In Reclaiming Adoption:
Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father, by Dan Cruver, edited
by Dan Cruver, 95-107. Adelphia, MD: CruciformPress, 2011.
[4] Kovacs,
Jason. "Adoption and Missional Living." In Reclaiming Adoption:
Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father, by Dan Cruver, 83-94.
Adelphia, MD: CruciformPress, 2011.
[5] Kovacs,
Jason. "Adoption and Missional Living." In Reclaiming Adoption:
Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father, by Dan Cruver, 83-94.
Adelphia, MD: CruciformPress, 2011.
The statistics are taken from Kovacs section of the
book pages 89 & 91. He provides no
other sources for this information.
[6] Kovacs,
Jason. "Adoption and Missional Living." In Reclaiming Adoption:
Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father, by Dan Cruver, 83-94.
Adelphia, MD: CruciformPress, 2011.
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