Topical Bible: The Love of God: Exhibited in Adoption

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The concept of adoption in the Bible is a profound demonstration of the love of God, illustrating His grace and mercy towards humanity. In the spiritual sense, adoption refers to the act by which God brings believers into His family, granting them the status of children and heirs. This divine adoption is a testament to God's unconditional love and His desire for an intimate relationship with His creation.

Biblical Foundation

The New Testament provides a clear depiction of adoption as a central theme in the believer's relationship with God. In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul writes, "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!'" (Romans 8:15). This passage highlights the transformation from a state of fear and bondage to one of familial intimacy and security, underscoring the love of God in welcoming believers as His children.

Similarly, in Galatians 4:4-5, Paul explains, "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 sacrificial act of Christ is presented as the means by which believers are adopted, emphasizing the depth of God's love in orchestrating redemption and adoption through His Son.

Theological Implications

Adoption as a theological concept reveals several key aspects of God's love. First, it is an act of grace. Ephesians 1:5 states, "He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will." This verse indicates that adoption is not based on human merit but is a sovereign act of God's will, reflecting His gracious character.

Second, adoption signifies a change in identity and status. Believers are no longer strangers or outsiders but are brought into the family of God, with all the rights and privileges that accompany this new identity. As children of God, believers are heirs to His promises, as Paul affirms in Romans 8:17: "And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ."

Practical Outworking

The love of God exhibited in adoption has practical implications for the life of a believer. It fosters a sense of belonging and security, knowing that one's relationship with God is not based on performance but on His steadfast love. This assurance empowers believers to live in freedom and confidence, as they are no longer defined by their past or their failures but by their identity as God's children.

Moreover, the experience of divine adoption calls believers to reflect God's love in their relationships with others. Just as they have been welcomed into God's family, they are encouraged to extend love, acceptance, and grace to those around them, embodying the transformative power of God's love in their communities.

Conclusion

The love of God, as exhibited in adoption, is a profound and transformative truth that underscores the heart of the Gospel. Through adoption, believers are invited into an intimate relationship with God, marked by grace, identity, and inheritance. This divine act not only reveals the depth of God's love but also calls believers to live out this love in their daily lives, reflecting the character of their Heavenly Father.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 3:1
Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whosoever Confesses that one God is the Author of Both Testaments ...
... prophets prefigured in themselves all these things, because of their love to God,
and on ... just as the working of the whole body is exhibited through means of ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxiii whosoever confesses that one.htm

Letter ix. Meditation.
... (3.) The wisdom of God, as exhibited in his Word ... (1.) Its nature.1 Cor.13:4-8. (2.)
The object of love. [1.] As a feeling of complacent delight, God the chief ...
/.../a practical directory for young christian females/letter ix meditation.htm

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
... as having had their eyes closed, and the people to whom a vision or covenant was
addressed, being exhibited as unable ... Because of the love of God, his chosen ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter x covenanting a privilege.htm

Jesus Life-Giver and Judge.
... the healing of the incurable on the Sabbath resulted from and exhibited His perfect ...
any will but our own; we have not by nature such love for God as would ...
/.../xiii jesus life-giver and judge.htm

Life of a Christian Man. Scriptural Arguments Exhorting to It.
... The former is, that the love of righteousness, to which ... of Christ, the bond of our
adoption,"then, unless ... Ever since God exhibited himself to us as a Father ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sergieff/on the christian life/chapter i life of a.htm

The Life of a Christian Man. Scriptural Arguments Exhorting to It.
... The former is, that the love of righteousness, to which ... of Christ, the bond of our
adoption,"then, unless ... Ever since God exhibited himself to us as a Father ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 6 the life of.htm

"The Fullness of the Time"
... Through every age, through every hour, the love of God had been ... Notwithstanding the
perversity of men, the signals of mercy had been continually exhibited. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 3 the fullness of.htm

The Consolation
... of His Son could have exhibited His righteousness ... a succession of the servants of
God foresaw His ... knowledge concerning the person, offices, love and victory of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon i the consolation.htm

On the Comparison of the Law and the Gospel
... given with assured tokens of benevolence, good pleasure and love in Christ. ... to the
fathers in the prophetical scriptures, and whom God has exhibited in the ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 13 on the comparison.htm

The Attractive Force of the Cross.
... For here His self-sacrifice shines completed and perfect; here it is exhibited in
that tragic and supreme form ... To sinners the love of God manifested itself ...
/.../iv the attractive force of.htm