Ephesians 1:5 “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

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The word “adoption” appears five times in scripture, Romans 8:15; 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; and Ephesians 1:5. Each time it is used, it is used in reference to the adoption of people into the family of God. One might ask why we need to be adopted into God’s family if we are born into it by the new birth. It is true that we are born into God’s family, and as such are afforded all the rights of a child born into the family of God. As a birth child, we belong to God the father. It is the natural order of things for children to belong to their parents. The parents are responsible for the teaching and training of their children. The concept of birth sets up a certain relationship between us and our father.

Adoption, on the other hand, carries a definite legal meaning. I believe it would help us to understand the concept of adoption within the context of the time that these Biblical texts were written. Each of these texts was written within and under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Romans had very strict rules governing adoptions. These rules were so strict that the obligations of a parent to an adopted child were even greater than the obligations of a parent to a natural born child. The greatest difference between an adopted child and a natural born child was that a natural born child could be disinherited, but an adopted child could not. If a natural born child did something to disgrace the family, then that child could be written out of the father’s will and thus be disinherited with no claim to any inheritance. However, if you adopted a child under Roman law, then you could never, no matter what the circumstances, disinherit that child. One of the responsibilities of the adoptive parents was that they leave an inheritance to the adopted child. A Roman adoption provided a permanent form of security for that child.

Adoption into the family of God is a beautiful picture of the security we have in the family of God. Our inheritance is secure. As birth children, we have all the relational advantages that a child has with his birth parents. As an adopted child, we have all the legal rights to security that an adopted child has. It is not wonder Paul wrote the following:

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are so secure in the love of our God that nothing can separate us from God’s love.