Topical Bible: Adoption is of God's Grace

Bible > Topical > Adoption is of God's Grace

◄ Adoption is of God's Grace ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Adoption, within the Christian theological framework, is a profound expression of God's grace, wherein believers are received into the family of God as His children. This concept is deeply rooted in the New Testament and is a testament to the transformative power of divine grace.

Biblical Foundation

The doctrine of adoption is primarily articulated in the Pauline epistles. In Ephesians 1:5, the Apostle Paul writes, "He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will." This passage underscores that adoption is not a result of human effort or merit but is initiated by God's sovereign will and pleasure. It is an act of grace, whereby God chooses to bring individuals into His family.

Similarly, in Romans 8:15, Paul states, "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father!'" This verse highlights the intimate relationship believers have with God through adoption, characterized by a spirit of sonship rather than fear. The use of "Abba, Father" signifies a personal and affectionate relationship, made possible through the Holy Spirit.

The Role of Jesus Christ

The role of Jesus Christ is central to the doctrine of adoption. Through His redemptive work on the cross, believers are justified and made righteous before God, paving the way for their adoption. Galatians 4:4-5 states, "But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons." Here, the incarnation and sacrificial death of Christ are presented as the means by which adoption is made possible, emphasizing that it is an act of grace rather than human achievement.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the believer's experience of adoption. As mentioned in Romans 8:15, the Spirit is the agent through whom believers cry out to God as "Abba, Father." The Spirit confirms the believer's status as a child of God, providing assurance and intimacy in the relationship with the Father. In Galatians 4:6, Paul reiterates, "And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'"

Implications of Adoption

Adoption as God's grace carries significant implications for the believer's identity and inheritance. As children of God, believers are co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His sufferings and glory. Romans 8:17 affirms, "And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him." This inheritance is not merely future-oriented but also impacts the believer's present life, providing a sense of belonging and purpose within the family of God.

Furthermore, adoption calls believers to live in a manner worthy of their status as God's children. Ephesians 5:1-2 exhorts, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God." The grace of adoption compels believers to reflect God's character and love in their daily lives.

Conclusion

The doctrine of adoption is a profound testament to the grace of God, revealing His desire to bring believers into a familial relationship with Himself. Through the work of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers are assured of their status as children of God, with all the rights and privileges that accompany this divine adoption.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 16:3-6
And say, Thus said the Lord GOD to Jerusalem; Your birth and your nativity is of the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother an Hittite.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 4:16,17
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 1:5,6,11
Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether the Godhead was Separated from the Flesh when Christ Died?
... of God are without repentance." But the grace of union whereby the Godhead was united
to the flesh in Christ's Person, is greater than the grace of adoption ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the godhead was separated.htm

The Same Continued. The Synod Supposed that the Grace Acknowledged ...
... that in which we are created by God with a free will." Accordingly, while the bishops
understood him to mean the grace by which we have by adoption been made ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 22 x the same continued.htm

Eighth Sunday after Trinity Living in the Spirit as God's Children ...
... in him"then it finds in God's grace comfort against ... to that comfort, and to call
upon God sincerely in ... what is meant by receiving "the spirit of adoption.". ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/eighth sunday after trinity living.htm

Adoption
... So that, as Jerome says, non nascimur filii [We are not born sons]; we are not God's
sons as we are born of godly parents, but by adoption and grace. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/4 adoption.htm

Whether Grace Implies Anything in the Soul?
... eternal love, as we say the grace of predestination, inasmuch as God gratuitously
and ... 5): "He hath predestinated us into the adoption of children ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether grace implies anything in.htm

Entire Sanctification Obtainable.
... Regeneration, therefore, is that act of God's grace by which we are born again.
Adoption is the reception of the newly justified and regenerated believer into ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter ii entire sanctification obtainable.htm

What is Adoption?
... A34: Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number,
and have a right to all the privileges of the Sons of God. ...
/.../the westminster shorter catechism/question 34 0 0 what is adoption.htm

'The Riches of Grace'
... He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness ... of the will and meaning
of God therein; for ... He 'has predestinated us unto the adoption of children ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the riches of grace.htm

Chapter iv.
... to an eternal inheritance, that we might be fellow-heirs with Christ and attain
to the adoption of sons, is not of our deserts, but of God's grace; we put this ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/our lords sermon on the mount/chapter iv 2.htm

Whether Grace Denotes Something in the Soul
... signifies that God predestines or elects some by grace, and not on account of merit,
as according to Eph.1:5-6: "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article one whether grace denotes.htm