But when the fullness of time had 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 you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Gal. 4:4-7).

The Plight of Orphans

I spent the summer of 2001 in a little town in Romania working with a ministry to orphan children. We ran a summer camp with kids from several different orphanages in various towns. During one week, a brother and sister who had never met connected with each other. All of their issues of abandonment, personal value, and lost identity faded away as they felt a sense of identity and belonging.

The Gospel of Adoption

The good news for children in adoption is that they are no longer strangers or guests, but they are sons and daughters, enjoying all of the joys and benefits of family relationships and inheritance. Adoption is both a statement of identity for the adopted child and a revelation of the character of the adoptive parent. The apostle Paul writes of huiothesia, often translated as "adoption" or "sonship," to refer to both Israelites (Rom. 9:4) and Christians (Gal. 4:4-7; Rom. 8:15, 23; Eph. 1:5). (Dictionary of Paul and His Letters)

Scripture tells us a great deal about our adoption:

1. God is our Father. "I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me," says the Lord Almighty (2 Cor. 6:18).
2. We are sons and daughters. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 John 3:1).
3. Our adoption is both a present and future reality (Systematic Theology): We enjoy both a present identity and relationship as children of God, yet we also await a promised future inheritance (Eph. 1).

Implications

Understanding the revealed character of God as a loving father and the gospel work of adoption through Jesus Christ, we have a new identity. Since "calling" is indicative of both identity and character, our adoption as children is indicative of the loving character of our Father. In light of this, there are several implications for believers as the children of God:

• We submit to the Father's authority.
• We enjoy the Father's provision for our needs.
• We steward the name and character of our Father.
• We relate to each other as brothers and sisters.
• We await a future inheritance.
• We presently live in our gospel identity as God's children.

To be continued.