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== Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_55083" /> == | == Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_55083" /> == | ||
<p> <b> 1. The term. </b> -The custom of adopting children is explicitly alluded to by St. Paul alone of biblical writers; he uses the word ‘adoption’ (υἱοθεσία, [[Vulgate]] <i> adoptio filiorum </i> , Syr. usually <i> sîmath b </i> <i> e </i> <i> nayâ) </i> ) five times: Romans 8:15; Romans 8:23; Romans 9:4, Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 1:5. This Greek word is not found in classical writers (though θετὸς υἱός is used for ‘an adopted son’ by [[Pindar]] and Herodotus), and it was at one time supposed to have been coined by St. Paul; but it is common in Greek inscriptions of the [[Hellenistic]] period, and is formed in the same manner as νομοθεσία, ‘giving of the law,’ ‘legislation’ ( Romans 9:4; also in Plato, etc.), and ὁροθεσία, ‘bounds,’ lit.[Note: literally, literature.]‘fixing of bounds’ ( Acts 17:26). It is translated ‘adoption’ in Rom., but ‘adoption of sons’ in Gal., ‘adoption as sons’ (Revised Version; Authorized Version‘adoption of children’) in Ephesians, The classical Greek word for ‘to adopt’ is εἰσποιεῖσθαι, whence εἰσποίησις, ‘adoption.’ </p> <p> <b> 2. The custom. </b> -St. Paul in these passages is alluding to a Greek and Roman rather than to a [[Hebrew]] custom. Its object, at any rate in its earliest stages, was to prevent the dying out of a family, by the adopting into it of one who did not by nature belong to it, so that he became in all respects its representative and carried on the race. But, though the preventing of the extinction of a family was thought important by the Israelites, and though adoption was a legal custom among the [[Babylonians]] (Box, in <i> Encyclopaedia of [[Religion]] and Ethics </i> i. 114), it was not in use among the Hebrews. With them childlessness was to some extent met by the levirate, or in the patriarchal period by polygamy (cf. Genesis 16:1 ff), or at a later date by divorce. The few instances of adoption in the OT ( <i> e.g. </i> Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter, Esther by Mordecai) exhibit a different reason for the act from that stated above, and are the result of foreign surroundings and influence. On the other hand, the custom was very common among both [[Greeks]] and Romans. It was at first largely connected with the desire that the family worship of dead ancestors should not cease-a cultus which could be continued only through males (Wood-house, in <i> Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics </i> i. 107 and 111). In [[Greece]] it dates from the 8th cent. b.c. It was afterwards used as a form of will-making. If a man had a legitimate son, he could not make a will; but, if he had no legitimate son, he often adopted one that he might secure the inheritance to him rather than to relatives, who would otherwise be heirs. The adopted son at once left his own family and became a member of that of his adopter, losing all rights as his father’s son. If he was adopted while his adopter was still living, and sons were afterwards born to the latter, he ranked equally with them; he could not be disinherited against his will. Roman adoption was founded on the same general ideas; it was called <i> arrogatio </i> if the person adopted was <i> sui juris </i> , but <i> adoptio </i> if he was under his own father’s <i> potestas </i> (Wood-house, <i> loc. cit </i> .). In the latter case he came under the adopter’s <i> potestas </i> as if he were his son by nature. </p> <p> It appears, then, that St. Paul in the five passages named above is taking up an entirely non-Jewish position; so much so that some have doubted whether a Jew, even after he had become a Christian, could have written [[Epistles]] which contained such statements (cf. Ramsay, <i> Galatians </i> , p. 342). This, however, is one of the many instances of the influence of Greek and Roman ideas on St. Paul. | <p> <b> 1. The term. </b> -The custom of adopting children is explicitly alluded to by St. Paul alone of biblical writers; he uses the word ‘adoption’ (υἱοθεσία, [[Vulgate]] <i> adoptio filiorum </i> , Syr. usually <i> sîmath b </i> <i> e </i> <i> nayâ) </i> ) five times: Romans 8:15; Romans 8:23; Romans 9:4, Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 1:5. This Greek word is not found in classical writers (though θετὸς υἱός is used for ‘an adopted son’ by [[Pindar]] and Herodotus), and it was at one time supposed to have been coined by St. Paul; but it is common in Greek inscriptions of the [[Hellenistic]] period, and is formed in the same manner as νομοθεσία, ‘giving of the law,’ ‘legislation’ ( Romans 9:4; also in Plato, etc.), and ὁροθεσία, ‘bounds,’ lit.[Note: literally, literature.]‘fixing of bounds’ ( Acts 17:26). It is translated ‘adoption’ in Rom., but ‘adoption of sons’ in Gal., ‘adoption as sons’ (Revised Version; Authorized Version‘adoption of children’) in Ephesians, The classical Greek word for ‘to adopt’ is εἰσποιεῖσθαι, whence εἰσποίησις, ‘adoption.’ </p> <p> <b> 2. The custom. </b> -St. Paul in these passages is alluding to a Greek and Roman rather than to a [[Hebrew]] custom. Its object, at any rate in its earliest stages, was to prevent the dying out of a family, by the adopting into it of one who did not by nature belong to it, so that he became in all respects its representative and carried on the race. But, though the preventing of the extinction of a family was thought important by the Israelites, and though adoption was a legal custom among the [[Babylonians]] (Box, in <i> Encyclopaedia of [[Religion]] and Ethics </i> i. 114), it was not in use among the Hebrews. With them childlessness was to some extent met by the levirate, or in the patriarchal period by polygamy (cf. Genesis 16:1 ff), or at a later date by divorce. The few instances of adoption in the OT ( <i> e.g. </i> Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter, Esther by Mordecai) exhibit a different reason for the act from that stated above, and are the result of foreign surroundings and influence. On the other hand, the custom was very common among both [[Greeks]] and Romans. It was at first largely connected with the desire that the family worship of dead ancestors should not cease-a cultus which could be continued only through males (Wood-house, in <i> Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics </i> i. 107 and 111). In [[Greece]] it dates from the 8th cent. b.c. It was afterwards used as a form of will-making. If a man had a legitimate son, he could not make a will; but, if he had no legitimate son, he often adopted one that he might secure the inheritance to him rather than to relatives, who would otherwise be heirs. The adopted son at once left his own family and became a member of that of his adopter, losing all rights as his father’s son. If he was adopted while his adopter was still living, and sons were afterwards born to the latter, he ranked equally with them; he could not be disinherited against his will. Roman adoption was founded on the same general ideas; it was called <i> arrogatio </i> if the person adopted was <i> sui juris </i> , but <i> adoptio </i> if he was under his own father’s <i> potestas </i> (Wood-house, <i> loc. cit </i> .). In the latter case he came under the adopter’s <i> potestas </i> as if he were his son by nature. </p> <p> It appears, then, that St. Paul in the five passages named above is taking up an entirely non-Jewish position; so much so that some have doubted whether a Jew, even after he had become a Christian, could have written [[Epistles]] which contained such statements (cf. Ramsay, <i> Galatians </i> , p. 342). This, however, is one of the many instances of the influence of Greek and Roman ideas on St. Paul. W. M. Ramsay has endeavoured to show that, in so far as these differed from one another in the matter under discussion, it is to Greek custom rather than to ‘the Roman law of adoption in its original and primitive form’ that the [[Apostle]] refers in dealing with Galatians 3:6 ff., but that he uses a metaphor dependent on Roman law when writing to the Romans in Romans 4:11 ( <i> ib. </i> pp. 339, 343; see also articleHeir). But this has been disputed. </p> <p> <b> 3. St. Paul’s metaphor of adoption. </b> -The Apostle applies the metaphor to the relation of both [[Jews]] and [[Christians]] to the Father. ( <i> a </i> ) [[Somewhat]] emphatically he applies it to the Jews in Romans 9:4. The adoption, the glory [the visible presence of God], the covenants [often repeated], the giving of the Law, the service [of the Temple]. the promises, the fathers, all belonged to the Israelites, ‘my kinsmen according to the flesh,’ of whom is Christ concerning the flesh-a passage showing the intense [[Jewish]] feeling of St. Paul, combined with the broader outlook due to his Graeco-Roman surroundings (see above, § <b> 2 </b> ). Here the sonship of Israel, for which see Exodus 4:22 (‘Israel, my son, my first-born’). Deuteronomy 14:1; Deuteronomy 32:6; Deuteronomy 32:19 f., Psalms 68:5; Psalms 103:13, Jeremiah 31:9, Hosea 11:1, Malachi 2:10, etc., is described as ‘adoption.’ It is noteworthy that the adoption is <i> before </i> the Incarnation, although it could only be ‘in Christ.’ Lightfoot (on Galatians 4:5) observes that before Christ’s coming men were <i> potentially </i> sons, though actually they were only slaves ( Galatians 4:3). [[Athanasius]] argues that, since before the [[Incarnation]] the Jews were sons [by adoption], and since no one could be a son except through our Lord [cf. John 14:6, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 1:5, and see below, § <b> 5 </b> ], therefore He was a Son before He became incarnate ( <i> Orat. c. Arian </i> . i. 39, iv. 23, 29). </p> <p> ( <i> b </i> ) But more frequently St. Paul applies the metaphor of adoption to Christians. ‘Sonship in the completest sense could not he proclaimed before the manifestation of the [[Divine]] Son in the flesh’ (Robinson, <i> Eph. </i> , p. 27f.). We Christians ‘received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father, for ‘we are children of God’ ( Romans 8:15 f.). It was not till the fullness (τὸ πλήρωμα-for the word see Robinson, pp. 42, 255) of the time came that God sent forth His Son that we might receive adoption ( Galatians 4:4 f.). In its highest sense adoption could not be received under the Law, but only under the Gospel. The context in these passages shows that the Spirit leads us to the Father by making us realize our sonship; He teaches us how to pray, and puts into our mouth the words ‘Abba, Father’ (cf. κρᾶσον Galatians 4:6 with κρἀσομεν Romans 8:15). We notice that St. Paul, though addressing those who were not by any means all Jewish Christians, but many of whom, being Gentiles, had come directly into the Church, yet seems at first sight to speak as if Christ’s coming was only to give adoption to those whom, being under the Law, He redeemed. But, as Lightfoot remarks ( <i> Com. in loc </i> .), the phrase used is τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον, not ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον; the reference is not only to those who were under the [[Mosaic]] Law, but to all subject to any system of positive ordinances (so perhaps in 1 Corinthians 9:20). The phrase ‘redeem …’ is thought to reflect the Roman idea that the adopter purchased a son from the father by nature; adoption was effected before a praetor and five witnesses, by a simulated sale. </p> <p> ( <i> c </i> ) Just as the adoption of Jews was inferior to that of Christians, so that of Christians is not yet fully realized. [[Adoption]] is spoken of in Romans 8:23 as something in the future. It is the redemption (ἀπολύτρωσις) of out body, and we are still waiting for it; it can be completely attained only at the general resurrection. The thought closely resembles that of 1 John 3:2; we are <i> now </i> the children of God, but ‘if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him’; the sonship will then be perfected. </p> <p> <b> 4. Equivalents in other parts of NT. </b> -Although no NT writer but St. Paul uses the <i> word </i> ‘adoption,’ the idea is found elsewhere, even if expressed differently. Thus in John 1:12 f. those who ‘receive’ the Word and believe on His name are said to be given by Him the right to <i> become </i> children of God. On this passage Athanasius remarks ( <i> Orat. c. Arian </i> . ii. 59) that the word ‘become’ shows an adoptive, not a natural, sonship; we are first said to be <i> made </i> ( Genesis 1:26), and afterwards, on receiving the grace of the Spirit, to be <i> begotten </i> . As Westcott observes ( <i> Com., in loc </i> .), ‘this right is not inherent in man, but “given” by God to him. A shadow of it existed in the relation of [[Israel]] to God.’ This passage is closely parallel to Galatians 3:26, where we are said to be all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. So in 1 John 3:1, it is a mark of the love bestowed upon us by the Father that we should be <i> called </i> children of God [the name bestowed by a definite act-κληθῶμεν, aorist]; and (the Apostle adds) ‘such we are.’ The promise of Revelation 21:7 to ‘him that overcometh’ equally implies adoption, not natural sonship: ‘I will be his God, and he shall be my son’; and so (but less explicitly) do the sayings in Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 12:9 that Jesus ‘brings many sons unto glory’ (see below, § <b> 5 </b> ), and that God deals with us ‘as with sons.’ The figure of adoption appears as a ‘re-begetting’ in 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 1:23; we are begotten again unto a living hope by ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ by means of the resurrection of Jesus (see below, § <b> 5 </b> ), and therefore call on Him as Father ( 1 Peter 1:17). And, indeed, our Lord’s teaching implies adoption, inasmuch as, while He revealed God as Father of all men, He yet uniformly (see next section) differentiates His own Sonship from that of all others. </p> <p> <b> 5. A Son by nature implied by the metaphor. </b> -The use by St. Paul of the figure of adoption in the case of Jews and Christians leads us by a natural consequence to the doctrine that our Lord is the Son of God by nature. In the same context the Apostle speaks of Jesus as God’s ‘own Son’ (τὀν ἑαυτοῦ νἱόν), <i> sent </i> in the likeness of sinful flesh, therefore pre-existent ( Romans 8:3; cf. Romans 8:32 τοῦ ἱδίου υἱαῦ). In Galatians 4:4 f. he says that God sent forth His Son (τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ) … that <i> we </i> might receive adoption; Jesus did not receive it, because He was God’s own Son. And so our Lord explicitly in John 20:17 makes a clear distinction between His own sonship (by nature) and our sonship (by adoption, by grace): ‘my Father and your Father,’ ‘my Cod and your God.’ He never speaks of God as ‘our Father,’ though He taught His disciples to do so. Athanasius cites the ordinary usage of our Lord in speaking of ‘My Father’ (it is so very frequently in all the Gospels, and in Revelation 2:27; Revelation 3:5; cf. also Mark 8:38) as a proof that He is ‘Son, or rather that Son, by reason of whom the rest are made sons’ ( <i> Orat. c. Arian </i> . iv. 21f.). The same thing follows from the language of those NT writers who use phrases equivalent to those of St. Paul. If Christians <i> become </i> children of God ( John 1:12; see § <b> 4 </b> above), Christ is the Only-begotten Son of God, who was sent into the world that we might be saved, or live, through Him ( John 3:16-18, 1 John 4:9). If we are the sons brought to glory by Jesus ( Hebrews 2:10). He is emphatically ‘a Son over [God’s] house’ ( Hebrews 3:6 Revised Version margin; cf. Numbers 12:7). St. Peter speaks of God as the Father of Jesus in the very verse in which he speaks of our being begotten again by Him ( 1 Peter 1:3, see § <b> 4 </b> above). It is this distinction between an adoptive and a natural sonship which gives point to the title ‘Only-begotten’ ( <i> q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] </i> ); had Jesus been only one out of many sons, sons in the same sense, this title would be meaningless (for endeavours to evacuate its significance see Pearson, <i> On the [[Creed]] </i> 5, articleii. notes 52, 53). The distinction of John 20:17 is maintained throughout the NT. As [[Augustine]] says ( <i> Exp. </i> [Note: Expositor.] <i> Ep. ad Gal </i> . [4:5] § 30, ed. Ben. iii. pt. 2, col. 960), St. Paul ‘speaks of adoption, that we may clearly understand the only-begotten ( <i> unicum </i> ) Son of God. For we are sons of God by His lovingkindness and the favour ( <i> dignitate </i> ) of His mercy; He is Son by nature who is one with the Father ( <i> qui hoc est quod Pater </i> ).’ </p> <p> <b> 6. Adoption and baptism. </b> -We may in conclusion consider at what period of our lives we are adopted by God as His sons. In one sense it was an act of God in eternity; we were foreordained unto adoption ( Ephesians 1:5). But in another sense St. Paul speaks of it as a definite act at some definite moment of our lives: ‘ <i> Ye received </i> (ἐλάβετε: aorist, not perfect) the spirit of adoption’ ( Romans 8:15). This points to the adoption being given on the admission of the person to the [[Christian]] body, in his baptism. And so Sanday-Headlam paraphrase Romans 8:15 thus: ‘When you were first baptized, and the communication of the [[Holy]] Spirit sealed your admission into the Christian fold,’ etc. We may compare Acts 19:2 Revised Version; ‘Did ye receive (ἐλάβετε) the Holy Ghost when ye believed (πιστεύσαντες)?’-a passage in which the tenses ‘describe neither a gradual process nor a reception at some interval after believing’ but a definite gift at a definite moment’ (Rackham, <i> Com., in loc </i> .; cf. Swete, <i> Holy Spirit in NT </i> , 1909, pp. 204, 342), The aorists can mean nothing else. In the case of the ‘potential’ adoption of the Jews (to borrow Lightfoot’s phrase), it is the expression of the covenant between God and His people, and therefore must be ascribed to the moment of entering into the covenant at circumcision, the analogue of baptism. Yet in neither case is the adoption fully realized till the future (above, § <b> 3 </b> ( <i> c </i> )). In view of what has been said, we can understand how ‘adoption’ came in later times to be an equivalent term for ‘baptism.’ Thus Payne Smith ( <i> Thesaur. Syr. </i> , Oxford, 1879-1901, ii. 2564) quotes a [[Syriac]] phrase to the effect that ‘the baptism of John was of water unto repentance, but the baptism of our Lord [ <i> i.e. </i> that ordained by Him] is of water and fire unto adoption.’ And in the later Christian writers υἱοθεσία became a synonym for ‘baptism’ (Suicer, <i> Thes </i> .3, 1846, <i> s.v. </i> ). </p> <p> Literature.-Athanasius, <i> Orationes contra Arianos, passim </i> (the general subject or this magnificent work is the Sonship of Christ); J. Pearson, <i> On the Creed </i> (ed. Burton, Oxford, 1864), articlei. p. 49, articleii. note 57, p. 250; W. M. Ramsay, <i> Hist. Com. on the Galatians </i> , London, 1899, § xxxi.; G. H. Box, in <i> Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics </i> , article‘Adoption (Semitic)’; W. J. Woodhouse, <i> ib. </i> , articles ‘Adoption (Greek)’ and ‘Adoption (Roman)’; J. S. Candlish, in <i> Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) </i> , article‘Adoption’; H. G. Wood, in <i> Hastings’ Single-vol. Dictionary of the Bible </i> , article‘Adoption.’ See also J. B. Lightfoot, <i> Com. on Galatians </i> (1st ed., 1865, many subsequent edd.); Sanday-Headlam, <i> Com. on Romans </i> (1st ed., 1895); J. Armitage Robinson, <i> Com. on Ephesians </i> (1st ed., 1903). </p> <p> A. J. Maclean. </p> | ||
== Charles Buck Theological Dictionary <ref name="term_19272" /> == | == Charles Buck Theological Dictionary <ref name="term_19272" /> == | ||
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== Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_49335" /> == | == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_49335" /> == | ||
<p> <strong> ADOPTION </strong> . The term ‘adoption’ is found five times in St. Paul’s letters ( Romans 8:15; Romans 8:22; Romans 9:4 , Galatians 4:5 , Ephesians 1:5 ), and not elsewhere in the NT. In Romans 9:4 reference is made to the favoured position of the Jews as the chosen people. To them belonged the adoption, the position of sons ( Exodus 4:22 ). In the remaining passages St. Paul uses the word to describe the privileges of the Christian as opposed to the unbeliever. He is trying, as a rule, to bring home to Gentile readers the great change wrought by the coming of Christ. Though | <p> <strong> ADOPTION </strong> . The term ‘adoption’ is found five times in St. Paul’s letters ( Romans 8:15; Romans 8:22; Romans 9:4 , Galatians 4:5 , Ephesians 1:5 ), and not elsewhere in the NT. In Romans 9:4 reference is made to the favoured position of the Jews as the chosen people. To them belonged the adoption, the position of sons ( Exodus 4:22 ). In the remaining passages St. Paul uses the word to describe the privileges of the Christian as opposed to the unbeliever. He is trying, as a rule, to bring home to Gentile readers the great change wrought by the coming of Christ. Though W. M. Ramsay has attempted to identify peculiarities of Syro-Greek law in Galatians 4:1-31 , and though it is true that ‘no word is more common in Greek inscriptions of Hellenistic times: the idea like the word is native Greek,’ yet St. Paul’s use of the term seems to be based on Roman law. See Hastings’ <em> ERE, s.v. </em> </p> <p> Adoption in Roman law could be effected by a modified form of the method of sale known as mancipation. ‘The Roman Mancipation required the presence, first, of all of the parties, the vendor and the vendee.… There were also no less than five witnesses; and an anomalous personage, the <em> libripens </em> , who brought with him a pair of scales to weigh the uncoined copper money of Rome. [[Certain]] formal gestures were made and sentences pronounced. The (purchaser) simulated the payment of a price by striking the scales with a piece of money, and the (vendor) ratified what had been done in a set form of words’ (Maine, <em> [[Ancient]] Law </em> , vi.). The witnesses were necessary, especially in the age before written documents, to vouch for the regularity of the procedure, and to ensure the genuineness of the transaction. </p> <p> Some of the details of the procedure are said to be reflected in the language of St. Paul. ‘To redeem those under the law’ ( Galatians 4:5 ) suggests that God’s action in sending His Son to buy out mankind from slavery to the Law, may be illustrated by the adopting parent’s purchase of a son from his natural father. </p> <p> Again, Dr. W. E. [[Ball]] ( <em> Contemp. Rev. </em> , 1891) has pointed out that the work of the Spirit ( Romans 8:16 ) is parallel to the place of the five witnesses in the process of adoption. The reality of God’s adoption is assured by the Spirit’s witness. Dr. Ball brings out the general force of the metaphor thus. Any one who was made a son by adoption, severed all his former ties. Even his debts appear to have been cancelled. ‘The adopted person became in the eyes of the law a new creature. He was born again into a new family. By the aid of this figure, the Gentile convert was enabled to realize in a vivid manner the fatherhood of God, brotherhood of the faithful, the obliteration of past penalties, the right to the mystic inheritance.’ The figure of adoption describes clearly the effect of God’s revelation of Himself as Father. </p> <p> St. Paul speaks of adoption, as both present ( Romans 8:15 ) and future ( Romans 8:23 ). With Pfleiderer we must distinguish three moments in adoption. It involves here and now, freedom from the Law, and the possession of the spirit of adoption which enables us to address God as our Father. Adoption will be completed by the redemption of our body, the inheritance with Christ in glory. ‘Believers have this blessing (adoption) already, but only in an inward relation and as Divine right, with which, however, the objective and real state does not yet correspond’ (Meyer on Romans 8:23 ). With St. Paul’s view of adoption now and adoption hereafter compare 1 John 3:2 . In Ephesians 1:5 adoption seems to mean that conforming to the character of Christ which begins here and is to he perfected in the future. </p> <p> That the word ‘adoption’ does not represent believers as children of God by nature, is undeniable. But it would be a mistake to press the term as giving a complete account of St. Paul’s views of the relations of God to man. Roman law afforded St. Paul illustrations rather than theories. It is not clear whether in Romans 8:15 he conceives the spirit of sonship which cries ‘Abba, Father.’ to be received in baptism or at conversion, or on the other hand to be the natural cry of the human heart. But in any case, he has found the love of God in Christ, and the change in his life is such that the complete change produced in a man’s condition by adoption is only a pale reflex of the Apostle’s experience. See, further, Inheritance. </p> <p> H. G. Wood. </p> | ||
== Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology <ref name="term_17603" /> == | == Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology <ref name="term_17603" /> == | ||
<p> Act of leaving one's natural family and entering into the privileges and responsibilities of another. In the Bible, adoption is one of several family-related terms used to describe the process of salvation and its subsequent benefits. God is a father who graciously adopts believers in Christ into his spiritual family and grants them all the privileges of heirship. [[Salvation]] is much more than forgiveness of sins and deliverance from condemnation; it is also a position of great blessing. Believers are children of God. </p> <p> <i> Old Testament </i> Legal adoption was not prescribed in Jewish law or practiced by the Israelites. In fact, the term "adoption" does not occur in the Old Testament. While there are several possible allusions to adoption, such as Moses ( Exodus 2:10 ), [[Genubath]] ( 1 Kings 11:20 ), and Esther ( Esther 2:7 ), the incidents recorded take place in foreign societies (Egyptian and Persian) and there is no evidence that legal adoptions were enacted. </p> <p> The adoption metaphor was not lost to Israel, however. God declares that he is the Father of the nation Israel, whom he loves as his child ( Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1 ). He tells Pharaoh, "Israel is my firstborn son" ( Exodus 4:22 ). More specifically, he says to David (and the Messiah), "You are my son; today I have become your Father" ( Psalm 2:7 ); and of David's descendant, "I will be his father, and he will be my son" ( 2 Samuel 7:14 ). Although not precisely adoption passages, the instances of declared sonship in the Old Testament provide a theological foundation for Israel's designation as the children of God. </p> <p> <i> New Testament </i> The New Testament cultural environment was much different from that of the Old since elaborate laws and ceremonies for adoption were part of both Greek and Roman society. To people with this background, the adoption metaphor in the New Testament was particularly meaningful. </p> <p> The Greek word for adoption ( <i> huiothesia </i> [ Romans 9:4 ). The remaining four references describe how New Testament believers become children of God through his gracious choice. The full scope of God's work of salvationpast, present, and futureis seen in adoption. </p> <p> The believer's adoption as a child of God was determined by God from eternity: God "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" ( Ephesians 1:5 ). This adoption is not the result of any merit on the part of the believer, but solely the outworking of God's love and grace ( Ephesians 1:5,7 ). </p> <p> The present reality of the believer's adoption into the family of God is release from the slavery of sin and the law and a new position as a free heir of God. [[Entering]] into salvation brings the rights and privileges of free sonship: "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, <i> 'Abba, </i> Father'" ( Romans 8:15 ). Paul tells the Galatians that Christians were redeemed from the law so that they might receive adoption as sons. As a result the Holy Spirit comes into the believer's heart crying, <i> "Abba, </i> Father" ( Galatians 4:5 ). The intimacy of a relationship with God the Father in contrast to the ownership of slavery is a remarkable feature of salvation. </p> <p> Like many aspects of salvation, there is an eschatological component of adoption. Believers "wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" ( Romans 8:23 ). The full revelation of the believer's adoption is freedom from the corruption present in the world. Being a member of God's family includes the ultimate privilege of being like him ( 1 John 3:2 ) and being conformed to the glorious body of Christ ( Philippians 3:21 ). This is part of the promised inheritance for all God's children ( Romans 8:16-17 ). </p> <p> [[William]] E. [[Brown]] </p> <p> <i> See also </i> [[Names Of Christians]] </p> <p> <i> Bibliography </i> . G. Braumann, <i> NIDNTT, </i> 1:287-90; | <p> Act of leaving one's natural family and entering into the privileges and responsibilities of another. In the Bible, adoption is one of several family-related terms used to describe the process of salvation and its subsequent benefits. God is a father who graciously adopts believers in Christ into his spiritual family and grants them all the privileges of heirship. [[Salvation]] is much more than forgiveness of sins and deliverance from condemnation; it is also a position of great blessing. Believers are children of God. </p> <p> <i> Old Testament </i> Legal adoption was not prescribed in Jewish law or practiced by the Israelites. In fact, the term "adoption" does not occur in the Old Testament. While there are several possible allusions to adoption, such as Moses ( Exodus 2:10 ), [[Genubath]] ( 1 Kings 11:20 ), and Esther ( Esther 2:7 ), the incidents recorded take place in foreign societies (Egyptian and Persian) and there is no evidence that legal adoptions were enacted. </p> <p> The adoption metaphor was not lost to Israel, however. God declares that he is the Father of the nation Israel, whom he loves as his child ( Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1 ). He tells Pharaoh, "Israel is my firstborn son" ( Exodus 4:22 ). More specifically, he says to David (and the Messiah), "You are my son; today I have become your Father" ( Psalm 2:7 ); and of David's descendant, "I will be his father, and he will be my son" ( 2 Samuel 7:14 ). Although not precisely adoption passages, the instances of declared sonship in the Old Testament provide a theological foundation for Israel's designation as the children of God. </p> <p> <i> New Testament </i> The New Testament cultural environment was much different from that of the Old since elaborate laws and ceremonies for adoption were part of both Greek and Roman society. To people with this background, the adoption metaphor in the New Testament was particularly meaningful. </p> <p> The Greek word for adoption ( <i> huiothesia </i> [ Romans 9:4 ). The remaining four references describe how New Testament believers become children of God through his gracious choice. The full scope of God's work of salvationpast, present, and futureis seen in adoption. </p> <p> The believer's adoption as a child of God was determined by God from eternity: God "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" ( Ephesians 1:5 ). This adoption is not the result of any merit on the part of the believer, but solely the outworking of God's love and grace ( Ephesians 1:5,7 ). </p> <p> The present reality of the believer's adoption into the family of God is release from the slavery of sin and the law and a new position as a free heir of God. [[Entering]] into salvation brings the rights and privileges of free sonship: "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, <i> 'Abba, </i> Father'" ( Romans 8:15 ). Paul tells the Galatians that Christians were redeemed from the law so that they might receive adoption as sons. As a result the Holy Spirit comes into the believer's heart crying, <i> "Abba, </i> Father" ( Galatians 4:5 ). The intimacy of a relationship with God the Father in contrast to the ownership of slavery is a remarkable feature of salvation. </p> <p> Like many aspects of salvation, there is an eschatological component of adoption. Believers "wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" ( Romans 8:23 ). The full revelation of the believer's adoption is freedom from the corruption present in the world. Being a member of God's family includes the ultimate privilege of being like him ( 1 John 3:2 ) and being conformed to the glorious body of Christ ( Philippians 3:21 ). This is part of the promised inheritance for all God's children ( Romans 8:16-17 ). </p> <p> [[William]] E. [[Brown]] </p> <p> <i> See also </i> [[Names Of Christians]] </p> <p> <i> Bibliography </i> . G. Braumann, <i> NIDNTT, </i> 1:287-90; A. H. Leitch, <i> ZPEB, </i> 1:63-65; F. Lyall, <i> Slaves, Citizens, Sons: Legal [[Metaphors]] in the Epistles </i> . </p> | ||
== Bridgeway Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_18357" /> == | == Bridgeway Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_18357" /> == | ||
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== Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words <ref name="term_76763" /> == | == Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words <ref name="term_76763" /> == | ||
<div> '''1: '''''Υἱοθεσία''''' ''' (Strong'S #5206 | <div> '''1: '''''Υἱοθεσία''''' ''' (Strong'S #5206 — Noun [[Feminine]] — huiothesia — hwee-oth-es-ee'-ah ) </div> <p> from huios, "a son," and thesis, "a placing," akin to tithemi, "to place," signifies the place and condition of a son given to one to whom it does not naturally belong. The word is used by the Apostle Paul only. </p> Romans 8:15 Galatians 4:5 Ephesians 1:5 Romans 8:23 Romans 9:4 Exodus 4:12 Hosea 11:1 Deuteronomy 14:1 Jeremiah 31:9 | ||
== Smith's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_71286" /> == | == Smith's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_71286" /> == | ||
