Confession Study

Chapter 12 of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, there deals with the doctrine of adoption. Having finished the doctrine of justification in chapter 11, the confession not haphazardly, but quite naturally then flows into and arrives now at the doctrine of adoption. There's only one paragraph. but the size of the chapter is not necessarily proportionate to the glory of the doctrine. So I'll read paragraph 1 of chapter 12, and then we'll have a look at the doctrine of adoption.

All those that are justified, God vouchsafed, in and for the sake of His only Son, Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him as by a father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation. Amen.

Introduction

Wonderful stuff in that small little chapter. What we'll do is introduce this particular doctrine for about the first 15 minutes and then we'll have a look specifically at five things with regards to the doctrine of adoption as we see those five things in this particular paragraph.

Defining Adoption

First off, simply a definition of adoption, not the doctrine itself but largely what adoption is. And adoption is the giving of anyone the name, the place, and the privileges of sons who are not sons by birth. Adoption, again, is the giving to anyone the name and place and privileges of a son who is not a son by birth. So it is distinct from a human paternal relationship, we might say, a biological fatherhood. in that one who is not a son by birth or by blood is nevertheless given the name of the family, the place of that family, and the privileges of being a part of that family.

Moving then to the theological definition of it,

Catechism and Key Texts

we have in the shorter catechism question 34. What is adoption? The answer given is adoption is an act of God's free grace whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Again, as in question 33, where justification is an act of God's free grace, of course, adoption is as well.

And we'll look at that in more detail later. Adoption is as well an act of God's free grace. Some, maybe two key texts or two important texts that speak to the doctrine of adoption, Ephesians 1, 4, and 5. There we read, in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the according to the good pleasure of his will Galatians for the four to six remember what we read there with regards to the coming of Christ and the redemptive benefits wrought by him at his coming by virtue of his coming we read when the fullness of the times had come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law that he might redeem those who were under the law that we might receive what the adoption as sons.

And so the author there, the Apostle Paul to the churches of Galatia, connects the doctrine of adoption. The blessing of Christian sonship to God connects it to the perfect redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Types of Fatherhood in Scripture

Now, when we come to the doctrine of adoption, we come to a discussion of the Christian's sonship to God and God's fatherhood over the Christian. As we've done in times prior, we look at some types of fatherhood in the Bible before arriving at the fatherhood in view in the doctrine of adoption. So the types of fatherhood in the Bible, and there are, we could say, seven of them. First, we have inter-Trinitarian fatherhood. don't we?

The fatherhood of God the Father to God the Son. This fatherhood is not one of in time generation. It is not a fatherhood like human fatherhood is. It pertains to the reality that the son is eternally begotten of the father.

The father eternally begets the son. The keyword, or of course, at least one of the keywords there is eternally. The son is not begotten in time. He is not a creature.

He is not created. But rather, he is eternally begotten of the father. In this divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences, the father, the word or son, and the Holy Spirit, all having the same power, same substance, all having the essence, the essence undivided. And their peculiar properties and relations are such that the father eternally begets the son, the son is eternally begotten of the father.

And of course, with respect to the spirit, both the father and the son spirate the spirit or the spirit is proceeding from father and son eternally. So inter-Trinitarian fatherhood, that's of course not the fatherhood that's in view with the doctrine of adoption though. There is secondly creative fatherhood. This type of fatherhood pertains to that which the Godhead has concerning men generally.

And this actually is not really spoken of a whole lot in the Bible, because there is more a repeated emphasis upon redemptive fatherhood. Well, in the Old Covenant, a theocratic fatherhood, or national fatherhood, and in the New Testament, a redemptive fatherhood. So this creative fatherhood of God isn't necessarily spoken of much In the Bible, nevertheless, it is true and it is spoken of in Acts 17, 28 and 29. And we could say as well, Hebrews 12, 9, though some would disagree and James 1, 17 and 18.

Thirdly, there is theocratic fatherhood or we could call this national fatherhood. This concerns the prototypical adoption of Israel as God's chosen people. Remember, we have in our Bibles that particular reality that the nation of Israel was not a natural, if you will, son of God in any sense, but rather a theocratic and national adopted son, according to Deuteronomy 7, 14 and following. We see that God chose them out of the nations.

He gave them name and place and privileges of a son who is not a son necessarily by birth. Fourthly, there is human, if you want any biblical text besides Deuteronomy 7, we have Romans 9.4. where Paul says regarding the nation of Israel to whom pertain the adoption. Not redemptive adoption, which we'll look at later and which concerns our topic this morning, but a national adoption. The fourth fatherhood in the Bible is, of course, human paternal.

This one's obvious. It's all throughout the Bible. You just need to read the genealogies. And, of course, there can be both a natural and adoptive fatherhood with respect to human a paternity.

Fifthly, we have rabbinical fatherhood. This concerns the authoritative power over men's consciences often employed in Jewish religion in and around the time of Christ and his disciples. It's what's in view in Matthew 23, 9 where Christ says, call no one your father. There was a traditional, the weight of Jewish traditionalism had it that there would be those Jewish rabbis called Abba so-and-so or Father so-and-so.

And it was such that that religion was marked by this, the authoritative power over men's consciences often employed, a teacher to student. Sixthly, we have evangelical fatherhood. We could call that spiritual fatherhood. This pertains to what has also been called spiritual fatherhood, the begetting of a son or daughter through the preaching of the gospel.

The Apostle Paul calls Timothy his son. In 1 Corinthians 4, 15 to 17, Paul speaks with respect to the Corinthian Christians as sons. And in fact, that evangelical fatherhood is quite clear there, that one begets another, if you will, by the preaching of the gospel. Notice in 1 Corinthians 4.

In 1 Corinthians 4, beginning in verse 15. For though you might have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. So, evangelical or spiritual fatherhood, again, pertaining to begetting, the begetting of a son or daughter through the preaching of the gospel.

Of course, the ultimate begetting is the begetting from on high, God being the one who causes a son or daughter to be born again. They are brought forth by the word of truth. The means, however, is through the preaching of the word. And then lastly, and of course, the type of fatherhood that's in view in the doctrine of adoption is redemptive fatherhood.

This is the peculiar joy of the elect of God, those who are called and justified and being sanctified, those who are Christians. Creative and theocratic fatherhood serve this one. The persons of the first type of fatherhood, covenanted together in eternity past, a pre-creation to bring it about, The theocratic being prototypical of it has this in view as a terminus or finishing point or at least the redemptive act that secured the reality of redemptive adoption. A creative fatherhood serves to populate the stage in the theater of redemption whereby the blessing of redemptive fatherhood comes into view and focus.

And so redemptive fatherhood is what is in view as we look at the doctrine of adoption now and will do so under five headings. It's origin and cause. It's procurator. It's the guarantor and testifier, the recipients and the nature of it.

So first off, its origin and cause. It is divine action and it flows entirely from God's eternal loving kindness and his eternal decree. And again, we see that in the confession of faith here. Notice again the language, all those that are justified, God vouchsafed in and for the sake of his only son, Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption.

Vouchsafed simply means there, we could reread that, as all those that are justified, God graciously bestowed upon, or God graciously gave, God graciously endowed, Vouchsafe means a gracious giving from one to another. And again, this is divine action adoption. It flows entirely from God's eternal loving kindness. Turn with me to the book of Ephesians again.

We made a, or not again, turn to me there now. We, with me there now, we made note of a text as we opened up a discussion of the definition of adoption. But let's have a look at this text now to see what we're talking about here with regards to its origin and cause. Remember what's being rehearsed in this doxology in Ephesians 1.

Paul is giving praise to God the Father for the work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the perfection of redemption, in perfect salvation. He's beginning in verse three by saying, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And so these heavenly blessings or these spiritual blessings are then opened up one after another in these 11 or 12 verses. Notice as the text continues, first we have predestination just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him.

So we have a predestination in election. First in this list of spiritual blessings, and then we have the fruits of that predestinating love Opened up in the following verses and we have adoption as first listed after predestination and election notice in love Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will and to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. You see that the origin and cause, first off, of course, the origin is God, isn't it? It's God the Father who is being praised here.

He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And then in love, He predestined us to adoption as sons. And so our adoption as sons finds its origin in God, finds its origin in God's eternal loving kindness extended towards us in eternity, passed in His gracious election, and then brought to bear in time and in history when the Holy Spirit makes it effectual in our lives and in our hearts. Ephesians 1, 4 to 5, again, within the eternal bounds of his love, according to the good pleasure of his will, God predestined the chosen in Christ unto their status as sons.

And this excludes any merit on the part of man, doesn't it? Every point on the ordo salutis, the order of salvation, excludes any opportunity for man to boast in that economy of salvation. Adoption is no no stranger to that reality. We owe our adoption, our status as the sons of God, the adopted sons of God, we owe that to the amazing and victorious grace of God.

We also see this in 1 John 3. You can turn there with me. In 1 John 3, we see this origin and cause being found in God and His divine action. Notice, and again, if you're reading John 2 and then you transition into John 3, excuse me, 1 John 2, and then you transition into 1 John 3, you see that almost that this statement in verse 1 of 1 John 3 seems like it's out of the flow because it's almost as if John pauses, he sets aside his, well actually he doesn't because he writes it.

But he sets aside sort of the flow of the text, and then he just relishes in and glories in the grace of God in making Christians his sons, in making sinners the sons of God. Notice 1 John 3, 1, Behold what manner of love The Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. John wants the recipients of his letter to behold, to cherish with eyes of faith the glorious reality that having been enemies and sinners and outsiders to God's household, by God's grace we are now the blessed members of the household of God. Behold, cherish, look with fervency of heart, with great joy at the manner of love the Father has bestowed on us.

There's that language of God vouchsafed, bestowed and endowed with. The Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God, the origin and cause of adoption. It is divine. It is divine action. and it flows entirely from God's eternal loving kindness and His eternal decree.

Second Point: The Procurator

Secondly, it's procurator, Jesus Christ, the one who has secured it, the one who has won it, if you will, for those to whom adoption is given. The one who procures the legal provisions of the Father for the sons is the Lord Jesus Christ and notice again the confession all those that are justified. God vote saved in and for the sake of his only son Jesus Christ to make partakers of the grace of adoption if we were to rewind back to Ephesians chapter one. Notice again, the one who procures adoption is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should get this first by the fact that in verse 3 of Ephesians 1, we read that all of our spiritual blessings are in Christ. Then, the choosing, of course, is in Christ, isn't it? Predestination and election is in Christ Jesus. That phrase of in Christ, in him, in the beloved repeats frequently throughout this doxology.

But notice again, the procuring act is Jesus Christ and his salvation. In love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. So it is Christ the Lord, our Savior, who wins us this blessed privilege of adoption. He is the one who brings us by His blood, by His work, by His perfection, into the household of God.

Remember, we noted Galatians 4. Turn there with me. Galatians 4. Here again, we see that Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the one who procures The grace of adoption makes it real, provides the foundation, the ground.

He is the one who has the salvific efficacy, if you will, the salvific foundation for the grace of adoption. Notice Galatians 4 beginning in verse 1. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed. by the father even so we when we were children were in bondage under the elements of the world but when the fullness of the time had come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons you see the direction of the text here is unto the end of adoption. Having one paragraph in the confession, again, isn't proportionate to the value, to the blessedness, to the joy of the doctrine, to the weight of it.

Because here we see that the redeeming activity of the Son of God is unto adoption for the sons of God. And we have the blessed reality brought out in verse 6, the application, the implication, and because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. You see where the confession gets much of its language from is this passage in Galatians 4, 1 to 6.

But all of that to remind us and to stress this fact that it is Jesus Christ who procures the legal provisions of the father bestowed upon the sons of God. When we examine all of those blessed aspects of salvation, we are examining the application of the cross work of Jesus Christ. You see all of these things from effectual calling through regeneration, to repentance unto life and faith as gifts of God given from him to those regenerated, to justification, to definitive sanctification, to adoption, to growth in grace and sanctification, to perseverance, to glorification. All of these things find their ground and their blessed foundation in the perfect finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ, Jesus the Lord, is the one who has procured for us regeneration. He has procured for us the reality that God will give to us, those who are regenerated, repentance and faith. That he will justify us, that he will, again, coming back to our topic this morning, give us the grace of adoption. So its origin and cause is God and his divine action.

The one who procures it is Jesus Christ, the Lord.

Third Point: The Guarantor

And thirdly, the guarantor and testifier, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of his son, the spirit of adoption, as the Bible uses that language, sent into our hearts by whom we cry, Abba, Father, and by whom we receive affirmation of the fact that we are God's children notice again if you're already still there in Galatians 4 and because you are sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying out Abba father therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son and an heir of God through Christ, you see, the Holy Spirit is the one who testifies to this reality, the one who is the guarantor of of it as well, to use the language of Ephesians one. But turn to the book of Romans in chapter eight with me, because there we have this reality that the spirit is given to testify to the reality that we are the sons of God. Notice in Romans eight. and beginning in verse 15. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father.

The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. You see the triune nature of adoption, right? Our triune God is at work, is active, is behind the grace of adoption.

The Father predestinates and elects, the Son procures, the Holy Spirit guarantees and testifies. The Holy Spirit is sent into our hearts by whom we cry out, Abba Father, and by whom we receive affirmation of the fact that we are God's children. You see, when it comes to the issue of assurance, we are not to presume that God will be gracious to us. We can live like wretches and just keep on sinning because we are grounded in salvation by grace.

We are to check ourselves and ensure that we're living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. But you see, the ground and foundation truly of our assurance is not deeds of holiness wrought in our own lives and by our own hearts, but it is the perfect work of the triune God from first to last. And so when we're stumbling, when trials and afflictions come, when those seasons come where we're seems like we're far from the grace of God and from his kindness and favor, we don't return to our status of having the joy of salvation by looking inwardly at the motions of our own spirits and unto good and the deeds of holiness wrought by our own hearts. And we don't seek to somehow reform so that we might strengthen our own assurance, but rather were to look where?

But to the triune glory in salvation, as chapter 17, paragraph 2 says, this perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father. upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with him, the oath of God, the abiding of the spirit and the seed of God within them and the nature of the covenant of grace from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof. So you see, the certainty and the infallibility of our perseverance and assurance comes from the triune perfection in the economy of salvation. And so with adoption, as with everything else, we see Father, Son, Holy Ghost at work and behind the grace of this particular doctrine. In this case, again, the doctrine of adoption.

Fourth Point: The Recipients

Fourthly, we have the recipients. Who are the recipients of adoption? Well, very simply, the elect and they only. The elect and they only are elevated to the position of sonship.

Remember, we don't have in the economy of salvation, in the scheme of salvation, in the biblical glory of salvation, we don't have some lost along the way in a chain of salvation. We don't have, you know, those whom he foreknew he also predestined and then Not all of those predestined are called, only some of those. There's some, you know, residual loss as God works out his plan of redemption. And then some who are called, you know, not all are justified.

It's only some of that body that's called that will find the grace of justification. And then you see those that are justified, well, some might be lost along the way, you see, and not end up being glorified. No, that's absolute madness. that blessed golden chain of redemption. Those whom God foreknew, he also predestined.

Whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. And so adoption, if we see that, as Raymond calls it, a skeletal framework of salvation, that Romans 8.30 passage, we put adoption in there right after justification. not chronologically after, but logically after, to use the systematic theologian's language.

Justification is the logical prius of adoption, because one who is legally condemned, God would not accept as one legally in his household. All that to say adoption is one of those things that the elect receive, and they only. It is a fruit of election, just like every other soteriological blessing, every other salvific blessing, regeneration, repentance and faith, definitive sanctification, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification. All these things are fruits of election.

And so the recipients of adoption are the elect and they only. And

Privileges of the Adopted Sons

notice what the elect and they only enjoy. First off, they enjoy the protection and provision of our Father, having his name placed upon us. In the book of Ephesians, we read of this in Ephesians 2. And Ephesians is a blessed book.

If Galatians is the book of justification, Ephesians, we could say, is the book of adoption in Ephesians 2. we have this language in in Ephesians 2 in verse 19 while beginning in verse 14 for this reason excuse me that's a that's chapter 3 it would be very confusing if we were reading that and trying to find we're looking for Ephesians 2 beginning in verse 14 connecting Christ of course to the peace that the sinner has with God for he himself is our peace who has made both one and is broken down the middle wall of separation having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace. And that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father." Now notice the implication.

Now therefore, You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. And so with that, remember the generic definition of adoption. Adoption is the giving to anyone the name and place and privileges of a son who is not a son by birth. Having been brought into the household of God, we enjoy the privileges of a son.

One of those privileges we see here the confession brings out the protection and provision we see here we enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God having his name put upon them. We have protection from a father as to a son being those upon whom he has written his blessed name and this includes fatherly correction, doesn't it? The recipients of adoption have the grace of fatherly correction. Never refuse and never thumb your nose at the fact that God will chastise you, will chastise us.

We want a father. It might not seem that as young little rugrats running around or teenagers. The last thing we want is to hear our parents pressing obedience. and pressing a godly obedience in the home, pressing their rightful authority in the home over you. Whether you think you're right or not in a particular thing that doesn't touch upon God's law or upon issues of sin, whatever your parents tell you to do, you're to do it.

When it comes to the law of God, most certainly when your parents tell you what you're supposed to do, you are to do it. You might think yourself wise in your own eyes, and you know better than mom and dad. You're to listen to your mother and your father. We should never thumb our nose at parental chastisement.

As Christians, we should never reject, refuse, or seek to rail against the correction of the Father. How does that come to us? Well, it can come to us from the pulpit. The preacher mounts the pulpit and opens his Bible and speaks the word of God.

Very often we can be found in our sin, and that is the chastisement of a loving father that through the preacher is bringing indictment, is bringing admonition, is bringing exhortation, and we are to hear. and we are to listen. Where do we find this fact? Well, if we turn to the book of Hebrews in chapter 12, we see there the blessing of fatherly chastisement. And it follows this exhortation to endurance in the faith.

It follows the hall of faith, the Apostles setting before the Hebrew Christians, those in the Old Testament who, despite having not yet received the promises, well, they've received the promises, but not the fulfillment and the fruition of the promises of the Messiah, nevertheless, looking afar off, they endured through hardship and affliction. And it all culminates in setting before their eyes of faith the Lord Jesus Christ, who in the face of the cross endured it despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of God now notice verse 3 of Hebrews 12 for consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls you have not yet resisted to bloodshed striving against sin and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons my son Do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. You see, when you are chastened, that is an indication of the unchanging love of God towards you.

So hear the word preached. Hear your parents bring to bear the word of God to you. See if you open up the scriptures and you're found in your sin. You see in the recognition of that conviction and the following fruits befitting repentance.

See in that God's loving condescension in his chastisement. It is a blessing to be an adopted son of God because we get that fatherly correction. that God gives us. If you endure chastening, the text goes on, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

It is an evidence of our sonship when we are chastened by the Lord and it is an indication of His never-changing love. We also receive immediate brother or sister status to Christ as the recipients of the grace of adoption. Isn't that a blessing? We're heirs with Christ, heirs of God with Christ.

We can call our Christ our brother. In Romans, we see that reality brought out. We already read from Romans 8, 15, 14 and 15, but notice as well in Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

See, we are the brothers and sisters of Christ by the grace of adoption. We are brought into the household of God or co-heirs with Christ as the sons of God. Also as the sons of God, as being heirs with Christ of God, we receive an imperishable and undefiled inheritance. You see, by adoption again, we have all the right to the privileges of the sons of God and one of those things is We have laid up for us an inheritance, undefiled, that does not fade away. 1 Peter 1, we see that, don't we?

That'll be the scripture reading this morning. And in that, notice what we find in this doxology that is very similar to, at least in the way it begins, but not only in that way, in the way it begins, it's very similar to Paul's doxology in Ephesians 1. Because it begins with, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the content is essentially the same.

It is the glorious salvation of the triune God brought to the souls of the elect. Notice, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you. The privileges of the sons of God. One of the privileges of the sons of God is seeing that we have this undefiled and incorruptible inheritance.

You see, an earthly inheritance given by an earthly father is corruptible and it is defiled. Not defiled in the sense of wicked, though it could be used wickedly, but defiled in the sense that it will fade away. It does not have an eternal and a lasting value. You see, you're given an inheritance by an earthly father, and when you die, it's gone.

You say goodbye to that. James, indicting the audience in James 5, your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver, these things are defiled. They're perishable.

In 1 Peter here, actually, notice what he says. Where is it here? In verse 17. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." You see, the stuff of our inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled is linked to the perfection of Christ and His precious blood.

You see, therein is true treasure, the stuff of true inheritance. silver and gold that we may inherit from an earthly father, but these things are gone when we die. If we are in Christ, we say goodbye to those things which can be used in a wholesome manner, but we're welcomed with that blessed and eternal inheritance that we have that is reserved for us as we wander about this lower world. And notice then, fifthly, so we had the origin and cause, the one who procures, the guarantor and testifier, the recipients.

Fifth Point: The Nature of Adoption

And then lastly, we have the nature of adoption. The nature of it. It is an objective legal determination made by God the Father. A legal action with eternal consequences.

Again, as with justification, the language used for adoption indicates a legal action. We see this in John, the Gospel of John. You can turn there with me in John 1. The language of adoption is legal.

Now, we should get that from, well, we'll get that, of course, from the Bible, but from the definition that we have in our confession. We're made to become partakers. We enjoy liberties and privileges. It's the language of legal provision.

We see that reality brought out by the shorter catechism, again, have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Notice in the gospel of John here, though, the language is biblical. The reality that adoption has as its essential character a legal quality. In John 1, beginning in verse 10, he was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him.

He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But now notice, but as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You may have a marginal reading or it may be different depending on the version that you have there. When we read, he gave the right, it could also be translated, he gave the authority. to become children of God.

It carries with it a legal weight. Remember, one who is not a son by birth, outside of the blessed confines of the privileges of the household of God, is brought into and granted, God vouchsafed, given from on high, legal status, privileges. They are sons of God. This is the case in earthly adoption, isn't it?

It's a legal status given to one who is not a son by birth. One who was not a son prior to this legal act of adoption is now by that legal act. And it's the same in God's salvific universe. We are made to become partakers.

We are given the right. We are given the authority to become children of God. And again, that right does not come by us receiving him. The text goes on to say those who receive him are born again of God.

All of that to say, though, is that the nature of adoption is that it is an objective legal determination made by God as a father. If justification is a legal, an object of legal determination made by God as judge, then adoption is a legal, an objective determination made by God as a loving father. Justification is by virtue of the legal determination is made by virtue of Christ's righteousness imputed to us and received by faith alone. The ground of adoption, that legal determination is made again by virtue of Christ as the one who procures the grace of adoption.

It's not based upon anything we have done, just like justification. Our adoption does not come by our own merit, our own deeds, our own actions, but rather the grace of God, His free grace, whereby we're received into the number by virtue of the perfect and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So it is a legal determination made by God as Father. We see this as well, again, in that language of members of the household of God.

We are adopted members and can only be so by a legal determination made by God.

Application

So what are some things, as we close in 10 minutes, what are some things of application with regards to the doctrine of adoption? Well, I think first thing, we need to be grounded in the joy of adoption. As we walk and stumble and sometimes crawl our way to heaven, The ground of our joy is not to be ourselves. It's not to be our growth in grace.

It's not to be our improvements in sanctification and those sorts of things. Because what ultimately happens if that is the case? Well, we have a sandy ground, but we boast then or we glory in our performance and our gains, don't we? If our boast is solely in God, because it only can be solely in God, and if we're grounded in the joy of adoption knowing that it is an act of God's free grace whereby we are received into the number and are given the rights and privileges of the sons of God, then man, do we ever have a solid ground as we walk and sometimes crawl our way to heaven, don't we?

Ground Your Joy in Adoption

We'll not be stolen away by our own by our own self-confidence, but rather will be resting, standing strongly upon confidence in the Lord God and the work of the triune God.

Walk as Children of God

Secondly, we need to walk as children. You can turn to the book of Ephesians with me. If we are children, then we are to walk as children. That's a simple sort of argument and explanation, isn't it?

We are the children of God, adopted children of God, and we are to walk as such. In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul brings this out quite clearly. We won't read all of it, but in Ephesians 5, 1 to 11, we have That brought out, notice right away in Ephesians 5.1 the implications of being children of God. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us and offering in a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.

So basically, not basically, what the Apostle Paul is saying here is that Christ has Christ by his perfect atoning work has rendered a sweet-smelling sacrifice That comes up to the nostrils of God to use an anthropomorphism God is well pleased with this and by virtue of that perfect work has caused us has made us to be children of God Therefore we are as dear children to walk as children of God we are to in light of so great a salvation and in light of such a glorious father and In light of such a blessed Christ who has won for us this grace of adoption, we are to walk as children. You see the language continuing here, the arguments being made is that we are to put off all of these wicked things and we are to put on, to use the language of Paul elsewhere, these righteous and good things as those who are the children of God. We are to walk as children. those children of such a glorious father.

Welcome Fatherly Chastening

And thirdly, we are to understand chastening. We already touched upon this, so just by way of reminder, we are to welcome chastening. We are to welcome it with joy, because it is a good thing to be chastened by an earthly father, correct us, help us along the way. It is glorious to be chastened by a heavenly father. because it is there in that he hedges us in, puts us on the right path, and keeps us in the way everlasting.

Love Your Brothers and Sisters

And then lastly, we are to cherish and encourage brothers and sisters. Remember, we are children of God, individual Christians, but we're children of God in the household of God with other spiritual siblings, if you will, other brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are to cherish them and to encourage other brothers and sisters. And we see this clearly in 1 John. In 1 John, there are evidences given with regards to a true Christian.

He is antichrist, not a child of God who says that Christ has not come in the flesh. There are other proofs as well with regards to who a true Christian is. And we see this in 1 John 4, At verse 20, with regards to adoption and sonship, if someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

In this commandment, we have from him that he who loves God must love his brother also. So as an adopted son or daughter of God, what are we to do? We are to love our fellow brothers and our fellow sisters. We are to cherish and to encourage them. 1 John 5, 1 to 20 brings this out as well.

And hopefully, you know, this doctrine of adoption isn't really one, it's not necessarily one of those doctrines that is really covered a whole lot. You don't see a lot of books on justification. You don't see many on the doctrine of adoption. I think perhaps some of that is maybe by way of ignorance, but some of it could simply be by the fact that we use other synonymous language when we're talking about salvation and Christianity.

We're the sons of God, we're children of God, and that sort of a thing. But when we dive into the doctrine, what it means and what it bears with regards to its character as something real, an object of legal reality that we enjoy, all the rights, the authority, the privileges of being members of the household of God when we dive into its depths, hopefully, well, not even to its depths, with just a few fathoms below in 45 minutes, hopefully we can see the glory of this doctrine return often to Ephesians 1 and Galatians 4 and Romans 8 To relish in this blessed truth that by God's grace we as Christians have been made partakers of the the all the privileges and the rights of the sons of God God is gracious Christ is victorious and winning this for us and our holy spirit is effectual and Making it known to us and causing us to cry out of a father. Well.

Closing Prayer

Let us pray heavenly father We thank you for this truth of adoption. We rejoice in it. God, we pray that you would help us daily to do so. We rejoice god in the fact just as as john so many years ago wrote we uh... we behold what love of god you have bestowed upon us that we could be called the children of god we pray that you'd help us uh... each and every day to glory in this truth and now uh... and especially on this your lord's day that we would glory in the fact that we have been made by your grace and for your glory to be called the sons and daughters of god that we might glory in this and give you all honor and praise We just pray that you go with us now, strengthen us for worship.

Worship, own us as we stand, as we sit, as we engage in all those acts of worship, as we pray, as we sing. All these things, God, we pray that you would stir our hearts to truly worship you and to give honor and praise to the triune God. It's in Christ's name that we pray, amen.

Scripture References

• Deuteronomy 7:14
• Matthew 23:9
• John 1:10-13
• Acts 17:28-29
• Romans 8:15; 8:28-29; 9:4
• 1 Corinthians 4:15-17
• Galatians 4:1-6
• Ephesians 1:3-5; 2:14-19; 5:1-11
• Hebrews 12:3-8; 12:9
• James 1:17-18; 5:2-3
• 1 Peter 1:3-4; 1:17-19
• 1 John 3:1; 4:20; 5:1-20