Sermon: Adoptification

Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed his only covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or a beggar; it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger to have assigned him his proper station in society. But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once—a parish child—the orphan of a workhouse—the humble, half–starved drudge—to be cuffed and buffeted through the world—despised by all, and pitied by none.

Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church–wardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder. – Oliver Twist, chapter 1

When we think of adoption, what is it that first comes to our mind? Most probably, we think of children, and then probably orphans. You might recognise that reading – it’s from the first chapter of Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, a work that has probably done a lot to shape the attitude towards children, particularly orphans, in the modern western world. It was apparently the first English novel to have a child protagonist. For us, adoption is very much centred on the welfare of a child, its need for a home, a loving family, and care. And perhaps we also think of the parents who are considering adoption – possibly unable to have children, seeking to love and cherish a child as their own.

This is reflected in the aims of the Queensland Department of Child Safety’s rules for adoption. They say that “the welfare and interests of children requiring adoptive placements are paramount in the adoption process”, “adoption is about providing for a child's individual needs”, and “adoptive parenthood is different from biological parenthood but can be as successful and satisfying for children and adoptive parents”. Those two ideas, of the need for a child’s welfare, and of the satisfaction of the adoptive parents, are the overriding reasons given for Queensland’s adoptive program, with the focus obviously on the welfare of the child.

It stands to reason, then, that when we read about adoption in the Bible, we have these two things in mind – the welfare of the person being adopted, and perhaps the delight and desires of those doing the adopting. And these things are certainly not absent from the Bible. When Pharaoh’s daughter went to bathe in the river and saw the crying baby Moses, she felt sorry for him, and adopted him.

But when it comes to adoption, the main focus of the Bible is not about children. In fact, the adoption of children is pretty rare in the Bible. Israel didn’t even have rules in its Law for the adoption of children – it was just expected that the extended family would look after them for the sake of the family line. So it’s not really adoption as we would think of it.

So what does the Bible have to say when it comes to adoption, if it’s not about children being looked after? Interestingly, it has quite a lot to say on the subject. Primarily, the Bible’s picture of adoption is that of God’s adoption of people into his family.

I’ve decided instead to call it ‘adoptification’ – because it’s a part the process of God’s repairing of our relationship with him, which is often described with terms like justification and sanctification, I thought adoptification made it sound more theological.

Now, when we look at that picture of adoptification through our typical modern Aussie cultural eyes, we think one of two things. We either think “God loved us so much, that for our own welfare and care, he adopted us, who are orphans in the world” – that’s the focus on the welfare of the child, or we think “God must have some great desire to be a Father of many people, he must desire the satisfaction of having lots of children” – and that’s the focus on the desires of the adoptive parents. We probably would mix the two.

And in doing that, we would miss entirely the point of the picture of adoption as it is borne out in the Bible. I’m not saying that we don’t need God to come and save us. Of course we need God’s love and care. And I’m not saying that God doesn’t want us to join his family – he has a desire to see all people drawn to himself in a loving relationship. Instead, what I’m saying is that, back when the Bible was written, if you wanted to use a descriptive picture to illustrate God’s saving of wicked people, you wouldn’t have used adoption. And if you wanted to use an example that showed God’s desire to see them come to a relationship with him, you wouldn’t have used adoption. Why not? Because those things were not the focus of adoption in the ancient Middle East.

Before I go on to describe what the focus of adoption was about back then, let me say that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with adoption having the focus of the welfare of children the way we have it now. Up until the last hundred and fifty years or so, our society’s attitude to children was generally pretty poor. Go back to Oliver Twist – the kids were basically seen as cheap labour. So just because the culture of the ancient Middle East didn’t highly value the rights and welfare of children, doesn’t mean that we can’t. Our attitude is the right one. Children need caring for. If you think “kids these days” have it too easy, that’s fine – as long as you don’t think putting them to work at 6 years old was the ‘good old days’. So kids need protecting and looking after, and kids who don’t have parents for whatever reason need it doubly so.

But unfortunately, a few thousand years ago, people had different attitudes, including their attitude to children, and to adoption. When we read about adoption in the Bible, the picture which it draws is different to our own. It is not one of children's welfare, or of a desire to undergo the experience of parenthood. Instead, a family would adopt a son for two purposes – to have someone to inherit the family's property and lineage, and to ensure that there was someone to continue to look after the wider family structure.

See, family life was considerably different for them than it was for us. Probably the most important difference between their worldview and ours is that we see everybody as an individual, with their own gifts and talents, their own path in life, their own relationships and perhaps their own destiny. But the ancients, and plenty of people in the world today, simply didn't see people that way! I mean, sure, people had their job, their family, their land or possessions or whatever, but they quite simply were not free to do as they pleased. They were members of a family, and an extended family, a tribe, a nation. And they had commitments at all these levels! The role that you filled in these institutions was very clearly marked out for you. You couldn't survive without this family network. Of course, it's not all about you surviving either. It's about your family continuing, about your heritage living on into the next generation. All that stuff is bigger than the individual.

How does adoption fit into that? Ok, imagine you're a man, and your wife is not producing a son. Perhaps you've even taken a second or third wife, but none of them has borne a son for you. You have a reasonably comfortable life – you are a carpenter, and you get enough of a trade to be able to afford to live. You do have a small field with some crops, perhaps a few chickens and even some livestock. You even have a slave or two. You might also have a lot of daughters. Perhaps some sisters who never married. Your parents still need looking after. You employ a couple of cousins or nephews in your small business. You feed the children of your brother who passed away last year. More than that, your family has a position within the tribe. Who is going to carry on your family’s name and trade, who is going to take your position in the tribe?

You need a male heir who can inherit your property and your family heritage. Someone who will care for the needs of those under your responsibility. So you think about adopting an heir! Very often, you will look to someone who already has an understanding of the family, and the needs of its members. You know who, very often, gets adopted to this position? A slave! They’ve already been working for your family for some time. They know the situation, they know the people. They are probably even quite fond of them, if you’re a good master. And they’ve probably done lots of the work in looking after people already. Who better to take over from you when you’re gone? They don’t look for some child who is poor and needy, who needs a home and loving family. They are looking for a young person who is capable and free from ties, who can take over the responsibility of the household!

So what, you might ask? What does it matter if that was their focus? It matters a lot! Using this different perspective, we can now look with fresh eyes on those parts of the Bible that talk about God’s adoptification of us, and see the picture the way it would have looked to the people who wrote it in the first place. When we look at the picture of adoption in the Bible in this way, we see it’s all about assurance, inheritance, provision, and of course family. These are some prime theological concepts and Christian realities we are talking about here, and they are all expressed as a function of our adoptification by God.

First things first, though. How does our adoption work? In one sense, aren't we all God's children, because he created us all? Doesn't Paul even says that in Acts, quoting the poetes of Athens, “We are his offspring”? But not all offspring share in the inheritance. Firstly, only sons inherited! So there's 50% of children not getting it, let alone children born of prostitutes, adultery, I'm sure you can think of plenty of reasons a child can be an offspring but not an heir.

Galatians makes it clear, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus”. Again, in John chapter 1, “to all who received Jesus, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. And again in Ephesians: “In love God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ”.

So God has adopted us through the work of Jesus Christ, and our faith in him.

And this relationship is assured. God has stamped a guarantee on it. Romans 8: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” Galatians: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

This shows the incredible goodwill of God. God has saved us from our sins – we know that. But it didn't end there. We were enemies of God, but he didn't just blank our sins from us and say “that's it, now we can go our separate ways.” He didn't just take the bad relationship away – he replaced it with a good relationship! He changed us from being enemies to being heirs.

My oldest sister was forcfully adopted away from my mother when she was born by the government. When the kids at school used to make fun of her for being adopted, she would reply “Yeah? Well at least I know my parents wanted me.” The Bible says “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons”. According to John, we are “children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God”. We aren't just assured of our salvation, our inheritance, but of God's goodwill, and his desire to have us as his children, because he chose us.

What does being an heir mean for us? It means what adoption meant back then – inheritance! Romans says “if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”. “What I am saying”, says Paul in Galatians, “is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” God doesn't just want children, he wants heirs. The heir is the most important relative in the family, and if you know any Chinese families or Lebanese families, you will have seen them dote over the firstborn son like a little prince. What God is offering to us is co-heirship with Christ. God is offering to adopt us into his family as the heir, the most important relationship we can have with him. And he has assured it to us by the Holy Spirit, which he has given us. It makes us closer to God as our father than a blood transfusion would make an adopted child to their parents.

So what does that inheritance hold for us? Is it just a heavenly thing that we will receive when it's all over? Not at all! Yes, there will be a final time when the church of God is up in heaven with him there. Interestingly, though, that's not usually pictured as adoption. That's pictured as a wedding – because when you've got a bride and a groom, you know that one day they're going to be married. But inheritance, that's yours from birth! John says “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” You might not take over straight away, but it's yours simply by being born first – and if not, then it is certainly yours when you are adopted into it! So there are benefits of our adoption right now. What are they?

First of all, provision. Jesus himself makes it clear that those who are children of God can be sure that God will look after them as they would look after their children. He says “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” That's right – the Holy Spirit, the mark of adoption, that guarantee of our inheritance, is freely available to those who ask for it.

But there's more! Jesus says “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” When Jesus instructs his disciples to pray, and tells them to call God their Abba, their dear father, what does he then tell them to ask for? Give us this day - our daily bread.

But there's still more! God is so generous and loving, that he will even provide us with the true mark of sonship – discipline! Hebrews says “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

The truth is that everyone suffers hardship – you think the floods down in Victoria are only damaging the homes of Christians? But what God's real gift to us is a way to endure such hardship – as discipline from God. So when bad things happen, we can still know that God loves us.

And participation in suffering is key to being an inheritor of God. Romans says “we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Not even Christ, the legitimate Son of God, was spared suffering. But neither will we be spared glory, if we share in sufferings with him.

Second of all (Remember the first? It was provision), God gives us family as part of our inheritance. We are of course in a family relationship with God and with Jesus, hence the adoption. But When God adopts, he does it on a large scale. When God adopts you, you don't just get a Father and a brother. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus”. “he predestined us to be adopted”, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” We have a family of fellowship, brothers and sisters through Christ.

But being an heir didn't just mean getting doted over and getting the inheritance. It was a responsible position. We are accountable as heirs. Listen to what John had to say about our position as children of God in 1 John chapter 3: “Everyone who has this hope of adoption in him purifies himself, just as God is pure.” and “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”

We have a responsibility to God as his children not to sin. The heir of a carpenter has a responsibility to the carpentry business. The heir to an aristocratic family has the responsibility of knowing which fork to start eating with. The heir of a king has the responsibility of diligent kingship. The heir of God has a responsibility to purify himself, just as God is pure. If we are the children of God, then we cannot go on sinning. We've been adopted into the family of God, and we need to know that once you're adopted into that family, your old life just isn't proper anymore.

And being an heir isn't just about keeping the name of the family in good honour, either. “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” Family is a great joy and a great provision from God. But it is also a huge responsibility. When God blesses a family with a child, it's a great joy, apparently. Penny and I wouldn't know. But we do know, everyone knows that having a new child is a huge responsibility. Well, what if you're the heir of God? Now you've got a whole family to be responsible for!

Now you might think that such strong responsibility for family is a thing of the past. I mean sure, they had big communal families back then, but we don't have them now. We've got the nuclear family. And we are more individual, so God can't expect us to feel responsible for all the children of God across the world. Well let me ask you this – if you turned on the news and saw that an Australian man had been harassed and beaten up in the streets of Nigeria, what would you do? You'd say, “Wow, that's terrible.” But if you then found out that it was your brother, then what would you do? You'd be on the phone to the Australian government, asking what they were doing to protect him, you'd be writing letters and making phone calls, and sending money and perhaps even buying a ticket over there to go help him. What if you heard that your 18 year old sister living in Egypt had just been kidnapped, raped, and then forced to marry her muslim attacker? Would we have to restrain you from getting on the first plane to Egypt? These things are happening to our Christian brothers and sisters all the time, around the world. Pick up a copy of the Barnabas Fund magazine some time, or the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter. Read some of the things Don publishes in his world news page. I know we have a responsibility as Christians to go into all the world and preach the good news. I know that! I work at AMT! That's what we're all about. But That does not negate our family responsibility, as heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, to look after our brothers and sisters. Paul says “Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Jesus says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. Loving one another is not just part of our responsibility to our family, part of our inheritance, but it is also part of sharing the gospel. People will know that you are Christ's brothers, if you love one another.

Take your adoption seriously. It's what marks you as a Christian. It's guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. It shows God's goodwill. It's the avenue of his provision to you. It's what makes us a family.

Pray


Adoptification

Moses adopted by Pharoah’s daughter
Esther adopted by Mordecai
Jesus adopted by Joseph
Zadok possibly adopted
Rahab adopted into Israel
Israel adopted by God (Ex 4:22, Deut 14:1, Hos 11:1 [touching reference to Israel as a child], Jer 31:9, Rom 9:4)
Christians adopted by God (Pauline idea – Peter and John prefer regeneration) (Rom 8:12-17 [great passage – spirit marking us as sons, inheritance for us], Gal 3:26-4:7 [v. important contacting slavery to adoption, note a link between sonship and Spirit], Eph 1:3-6 [adoption through Christ], 1 John 3:1-3, 9-10 [current fact of our sonship, practical application of purification, and loving our brothers], Luke 11:2 [praying to God as ‘ my own dear father’], Luke 11:11-13 [God’s provision to his children], John 1:12-13 [Jesus as pathway to sonship, choosing of us by God], Heb 12:5-11 [God’s discipline], Acts 17:28-29 [all people as children of God])
Adoption is mostly (almost entirely) about inheritance in ANE setting – you would adopt an heir to inherit your wealth, and carry on your family name, look after family (remember that family responsibilities were much bigger)

Application – seeing God as Father, seeing Christians as brothers and sisters, co-heirs with Christ, certainty (guarantee of salvation), highlights God’s role as Father in his provision for us, including discipline, highlights God’s goodwill toward us [use ex-criminal analogy]

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What is adoption?
(Inheritance, continuing family line)

Adoption in the Bible

Why is adoptification important?
(Our eternal inheritance, assurance thereof, our relationship with God, with each other, provision, goodwill)

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