ADOPTION

Adoption is the bestowing of rights, privileges, and inheritance upon a person that were not theirs by birth, because they are now being incorporated into a family to which they were not a direct descendant.

Adoption occurs when someone who is not naturally a member of a family is granted all the rights of natural birth. In ancient times, it was common for a king's son to be given a signet ring bearing the royal insignia. Given this precedent, one might assume that an adopted son would also be given such a token as proof of his inclusion in the royal family.

To truly grasp what adoption means in terms of salvation, we need to understand the social setting in which the term was originally used. Adoption in the salvific context differs from modern ideas of adoption. The Roman view of adoption provides the context needed for understanding.

Adoption was commonplace during the Roman Empire but was only possible under Roman law for citizens—not slaves or freedmen. For anyone to adopt a slave, the slave first had to be set free. As a freedman, he then had to obtain Roman citizenship. Only then could he be adopted. The process of adopting a freedman who became a citizen differed from the adoption of sons of noble birth. Adoption of males who were their own master was known as adrogation.

The distinction between adrogation and adoption lies in who has the legal right to adopt and under what circumstances.

Adrogation occurs when a person of legal age willingly chooses to lawfully become a member of a family other than his own by birth, renouncing his natural family and being conferred all the rights and responsibilities of his new family.

Modern adoption, as commonly understood today, involves a child—who has no say in the matter—being taken from its parents or adopted due to abandonment or the death of its parents, and raised by another person or couple, usually with a change of family name.

Among the Romans, adoption was afforded to males, and very rarely to females, if at all. One of the primary reasons for adoption was to ensure that wealthy patriarchal families could maintain their elite status by securing a male heir. If no male heir existed, the family name would cease, and its wealth would be distributed to any surviving daughters.

When a woman married, she took on her husband’s family name. This prevented women from continuing the legacy of their birth family. Moreover, it meant they could not become heirs. Sons, by contrast, carried the family name and lineage. Being male, they were seen as carriers of the seed for future generations; females could only conceive through the male seed.

Another reason adoption was common had to do with preventing a loss of social status, which would have entailed a loss of privileges. Though Rome was technically a republic, in practice it functioned as a plutocracy.

There were wealth thresholds that had to be maintained for families to retain their standing within various levels of the nobility. The upper echelons of the Roman plutocracy were required to maintain a minimum wealth level that was approximately two-and-a-half times higher than that required for lower nobility. If a family had too many sons, and this threatened to dilute the inheritance and risk lowering the family’s social status, a solution was to adrogate one son to a man without a male heir—often for a substantial sum. This arrangement preserved the wealth and name of both families.

The adrogated son typically gained more than he lost. As the sole heir of a more substantial estate, he was often better off materially than if he had remained in his birth family. Meanwhile, his natural father would now have more wealth to distribute among the remaining sons—both because they would divide one less share and because the family received a large sum for the adrogated son. Once the son was adopted into the new family, he could no longer bear his original family’s name, nor could he consider himself a member of his birth family. This legal and social separation also applied in cases where a man left a will designating an adopted son to carry on his family name.

For the Caesars, there appears to have been some significance—even in the afterlife—in having an adopted son sit on the throne. Clearly, in these cases, the direct bloodline was not being preserved.

However, the Caesars appear to have been related to one another through extended bloodlines, as they came from the nobility rather than the lower classes.

Adoption seems to have been the preferred method of transferring imperial reign among Roman emperors, particularly from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. Julius Caesar adopted Augustus (emperor 27 BC–AD 14), who in turn adopted Tiberius (AD 14–37). Caligula (AD 37–41) may have been adopted by Tiberius (though this is debated). Claudius (AD 41–54) adopted Nero (AD 54–68). Nerva (AD 96–98) adopted Trajan (AD 98–117), who adopted Hadrian (AD 117–138), who adopted Antoninus Pius (AD 138–161), who then adopted Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–180).

Machiavelli referred to Nerva and the four citizens adopted into the imperial family as the “Five Good Emperors” of the Roman Empire. Evidently, as with Nerva prior to his appointment, the other four demonstrated their merit as capable rulers before being adopted. The reigns of Augustus and Tiberius were also well received and helped stabilize the Roman Empire during the era known as the Pax Romana.

When the Apostle Paul wrote his letters to the Jewish converts living in Galatia (Galatians) and Rome (Romans), in which he mentioned "adoption as sons," the meaning of this phrase would have been well understood due to the Roman practice of adult adoption. In this practice, debts were cancelled, and the adopted individual received an inheritance from his new father. This is precisely what occurred among the Roman emperors. Importantly, once a person had been adopted, he could not be adopted again. The adoption process appears to have functioned primarily as a means of preserving wealth within the nobility, with few exceptions—such as the adoption of Caesars, which was likely based on perceived ability and political strategy.

From the Bible, we learn that Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter (Acts 7:21), and Esther was adopted by her cousin Mordecai (Esther 2:5–7). Aside from these two instances—one involving a newborn adopted by a foreigner, and the other a teenage girl adopted by her much older cousin in Persia—adoption (in the sense of granting full inheritance rights to the adoptee) appears virtually absent in the Old Testament, especially among the Israelites.

According to the Law given to the Israelites, if a man died childless, his brother was to marry the widow and raise up offspring for the deceased, so that his lineage and inheritance would continue. Adoption of unrelated children was not prescribed or even considered within the framework of Israelite inheritance law.

If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside the family to a stranger; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his brother who is dead, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

The only time we find the concept of adoption explicitly mentioned in the Bible is when the Apostle Paul is writing to the Galatians and the church in Rome. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul argues that while everyone who is in Christ is an heir to the promise given to Abraham, this status comes about through adoption. If it is through adoption, then it is not by natural birth. A person may be a descendant of Abraham according to the flesh, but not necessarily an heir to the inheritance that comes with the promise. That inheritance is received through faith in Christ Jesus.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian;  for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate;  but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father.  So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir. (Galatians 3:23-4:7)

Paul argues that anyone born under the Law, as an Israelite, had no rights of inheritance until he came of age or until his father died. Until then, he was no better off than a slave, since others—such as guardians and trustees—controlled his inheritance. Only when he came of age could he exercise full rights and authority over his family’s wealth. This transition would be akin to a slave gaining his freedom; however, under Roman law, freedmen still faced restrictions, and thus did not enjoy the same liberty as a son who had come into his inheritance.

Within the framework of the Old Testament, adoption had no legal standing. Even if non-Jews converted to the faith, they were not considered adopted sons or daughters, but simply regarded as devout, as in the case of Cornelius (Acts 10:1–2), who was well respected among the Jewish community (Acts 10:22), despite appearing to be uncircumcised (Acts 11:3). While circumcision was a prerequisite for inclusion within the Israelite community, it conferred no special inheritance rights—only recognition and treatment as a natural-born member.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it;  but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No sojourner or hired servant may eat of it. In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh outside the house; and you shall not break a bone of it.  All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you. (Exodus 12:43-49)

There is no indication that inheritance was ever granted to circumcised strangers. From an earthly perspective, the inheritance given to the tribes of Israel was the Promised Land—Canaan. This land was not to pass out of the possession of the tribe to which it was originally allotted. Each inheritance was to remain within its designated tribe. No land was permitted to be transferred to another tribe, let alone to a convert who identified as an Israelite.

No inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another; for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall cleave to its own inheritance. (Numbers 36:9)           

By the time of the Apostle Paul, whatever land had originally been allotted to the tribes of Israel was no longer identifiable. If any ownership titles had been issued, they were lost. Any other markers or historical documents indicating ownership appear to have had no enduring significance. The records were gone. We can only assume that land ownership operated under a new system of registration. Like all governments, empires required taxation. We can expect that taxes were levied on land, produce, and personal belongings. The Judahites, Benjaminites, and Levites—the three tribes still known to exist—paid the temple tax if they identified as Israelites.

The significance of adoption only begins to make sense in light of Roman custom. This is especially true when we consider that adoption is associated with inheritance. However, a distinction must be made between being under the Law as an Israelite and being enslaved to the elemental spirits of the universe as a non-Israelite. The Law is described as a tutor or guardian until the Messiah (Christ) came. It provided knowledge of God's plan and purpose, and those who observed it did so in faith—believing that, by doing so, they were living according to the will of God.

Even though the Law existed, its requirements under the Levitical Code had to be kept by faith if they were to be of any value to the practitioner adhering to the covenant between God and Israel. Anyone who observed the Mosaic Code from a purely external sense of righteousness, rather than from faith, inevitably fell into the trap of self-righteousness. Instead of expressing faith toward God and His salvation, such individuals justified themselves before God by their works and by comparing themselves to others. When speaking of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14), Lord Jesus illustrated how the sinner came seeking mercy, while the Pharisee justified himself as being better than others.

In real life, both Pharisees and tax collectors were children of God. Both were given a spirit—created by God—so they could think for themselves and exercise their own volition. This is why Isaiah, bringing the message from our Heavenly Father, declares that we are to come and reason with Him. Anyone reading the Torah (i.e., the Law), if doing so in a devotional manner and meditating upon what is written therein, would be inclined to look to our Heavenly Father and seek understanding. For unless God gives the revelation, nothing is truly understood. Otherwise, what is learned leads to misinterpretation. This, in turn, leads to the imagination creating philosophies and doctrines that have nothing to do with the truth, but much to do with the elemental spirits of the universe. 

Every culture has different customs when it comes to:

• being settled or nomadic

• crops and animals

• how food is prepared, 

• what styles of clothing are to be worn (if at all), 

• types of shelter or housing

• how males are distinguished from females, 

• when a child is recognized as an adult, 

• beliefs of what is required of both sexes when it comes to marriage, 

• what type of marriages are acceptable and under what circumstances, 

• what happens at death,

• how dead bodies are to be disposed,

• whether to be hostile or friendly to outsiders,

• creation of the Universe,

• worship of the Divine,

• understanding the spirit realm. 

1. God places a spirit in the body of a child that is born into a world governed by depravity. 

1. God then imputes righteousness to the child

1. God extends grace to the child

1. God provides a propitiating offering (a ransom) in exchange for the child, and all children.

1. God makes atonement possible and opens up a means of relationship between Him and the children through the Cross of Calvary

1. God then reconciles us to Himself through His Son Lord Jesus Christ

1. God calls everyone to come to the table 

1. God places the seed of life in all who acknowledge Him

1. God unites us to Himself via the seed of life

1. God looks to us to repent from the dead works of the world

1. God awaits our expression of faith and confidence in Him

1. God declares us justified when we acknowledge that He can raise the dead

1. God adopts us as children, and puts his seal upon us that we may demonstrate we belong to His family             

Yet God treats every person on planet Earth the same—whether Eskimo, Japanese, Indian, Polynesian, Pygmy, Ethiopian, Bedouin, Swede, Swiss, Mongolian, Aborigine, and so on. The Israelites were called out from among the nations so that God could bring about His plan and purpose as promised to Abraham. That promise was to be fulfilled in Lord Jesus Christ, who delivers all—not only from being under the Law given to the Israelites, but also from the universal Law of Righteousness that condemns all who fail to uphold it. This universal Law of Righteousness is commonly known as the Ten Commandments, which outline the requirements for right relationship between human beings and God, and among His offspring (cf. Acts 17:28).

So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir. (Galatians 4:3-7)

Even if we were not raised under the Old Testament covenant, where people religiously kept not only the Ten Commandments but also the ceremonial law with its rites, regulations, and conditions, the elemental spirits of the universe are still found in the culture in which we were raised. These elemental spirits enslave us to the desires of the flesh, which include tendencies to lust after the flesh, lust after the eyes, and exult in the pride of life—manifested in selfishness, egotism, conceit, arrogance, opinionatedness, overbearing attitudes, and domineering behavior.

Instead of remaining sons of the Devil (John 8:44), once we have gone through the necessary phases of cleansing and striving to enter God's rest (Hebrews 4:8–13), we are ready to be adopted into the Kingdom of God as sons. At this point, we have the right to walk in the ways of Lord Jesus Christ, unhindered by the Devil, having forsaken his name as “sinner” to take upon ourselves the name “Christian” (1 Peter 4:15; cf. Acts 11:26; 26:28)—that is, to be recognized as a “saint.”

As for being a saint, this refers to any person who is righteous in God's sight and whose behavior is consistent with that of a Christian who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. It may also apply to a righteous person in Old Testament times who revered the Lord God Almighty. There are 21 references to “saints” in the Old Testament and 62 in the New Testament. These are not individuals who have been canonized or magically turned into saints by a head prelate of any organization claiming to be God's representative on Earth. Saints today are true Christians who humbly walk with and abide in Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:3–6).

When we are born into this world, we receive a spirit from God Himself. However, this spirit is not alive in the sense of having eternal life—for life that is not eternal is not truly life, but death. Nevertheless, this spirit makes God our Father by origin. When Jesus taught how to pray to God in Heaven, He instructed us to address Him as, “Our Father in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9). This prayer, commonly known as the Lord's Prayer, also emphasizes that if we are to be forgiven of our iniquities, we must first forgive others who have offended us in some way. Jesus reinforced this essential truth for all who seek salvation by stating:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15, WEB).

Anyone not forgiven by God will not be saved, even though His salvation extends to all. To receive this salvation, we must first forgive others of the trespasses committed against us—in any way, shape, or form—whether real, wrongly perceived, or even imagined. We have a part to play in securing our salvation, and it is not by justifying our works, but by learning how to exercise the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26). This is not “obedience to the faith” (which could refer to church dogma or a body of doctrines belonging to an organization wrongly called “the faith”), but obedience of faith toward God—an outward expression of an inward “substance that is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

The adoption we are speaking of requires us to leave behind our former identity and take on a new identity in Christ Jesus. When we read that we are to hate our mother, father, brothers, sisters, wife, children, and even our own life—or we are not worthy to be a disciple of Lord Jesus (Luke 14:26)—we are not being told to literally murder them or commit suicide, which would be the literal expression of hate. Rather, we are being told to consider them as “dead” to us, in a similar fashion to how a son of Roman nobility would sever all family ties when adrogating into a new family heritage.

For anyone to be a disciple of Lord Jesus Christ, it is as if one has been adopted into a new family and must leave the former family behind. The old family is not of the new family. In the new family—that is, the family of Christ—a different ethos is required. Responsibilities change. Our Heavenly Father has a different purpose for us, one that is not based on the vision of the flesh or on continuing carnal family customs. The new purpose is to bring glory to His name rather than the old family name.

Under the Roman system, adoption was a formal agreement involving the son adrogating himself to a new family, and the birth family relinquishing any claims. The family could not force a son to transfer to another household; this had to be the son’s decision. Likewise, the son could not adrogate himself without his birth family’s approval—usually based on monetary incentive. Once the son had adrogated himself, he no longer had legal obligations to his natural family, but took on the duties and responsibilities assigned to him in his new family.

For us to be adopted into the family of God, we must recognize what is required of us. Many Christians may believe they have been adopted into God's family, but overlook the responsibilities that come with membership. Living a life of sin while relying solely on God’s grace is a testament that one has not truly been adopted into the family of God.

When Jesus spoke of people who claimed they had called Him “Lord” and believed this entitled them to enter the eternal Kingdom (Matthew 7:21–23), He was referring to those who live in iniquity and believe they are saved by grace alone. Unless a person has been adopted into the Kingdom of God, they have not entered into a position where they will inherit life. This inheritance comes with obligations. The Apostle Paul writes:

"But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity'" (2 Timothy 2:19, ESV).

All who walk by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:14). However, while the Apostle informs us that those who walk by God's Spirit are God's sons, adoption is not complete until our bodies have been redeemed (Romans 8:23).

When we are born, God places a spirit within us (Numbers 16:22), and this spirit is joined to our soul, which is tied to our body. While this spirit has the capacity to think and make decisions—distinguishing us from “irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed” (2 Peter 2:12)—it is not the same Spirit that was placed in the body born of the Virgin Mary (Hebrews 10:5). Unlike that Spirit, our human spirits do not have the power of an indestructible life (cf. Hebrews 7:16). Therefore, we all need to receive the Word of Life from above and allow the process of regeneration to begin (Titus 3:5), until we arrive at the place where we are adopted into sonship as children of God (Romans 8:15–17). All who are adopted receive the seal of the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of their adoption into God’s family (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; Romans 5:5).

So far in this process of how salvation is effected in the individual we have considered the following:

Sanctification

Translations used:

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

RSV (Revised Standard Version of the Bible) copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 Used by permission.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT) by Public Domain

KJV (King James Version)

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