Landmark Baptist

Forum Readers here is a nugget of truth you consider:

Romans 8:14 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father"
"The term "adoption" is the to modern English readers a legal term of relationship. One who is not of the blood line of a family is made to be a legal part of that family as though he were born into it.
The Bible term "huiothesia" is a combination of two other Greek words: "Huios" (mature son) and "Thesia" (to put or place). Hence, the rendering should convey "put into the position of a mature son."
The context is contrasting the spirit of Israel under the Law of Moses in which they literally feared and knew God principally as "LORD God." However, the New Testament position in the church is a position whereby disciples achieve a high degree of maturity of grace and knowledge in which they are able to act in the absence of the bodily Son of God as though He were here doing the acting. In other words we are able to grow up in grace in Him. This word "huios" (mature son) is in contrast to "Padion" small child and "teknon" born child.
The only way one is admitted into the family of God is through a birth from above on the basis of blood. He is then a born child. Israel under the Law was in the position of "padion" a small child under a tutor (the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ). The position of New Testament Church members is that of "huios" those in the position of mature sons; hence, "huiothesia" is a term of position more than a term of relationship. As such, it has little to no relationship of meaning to the modern English term "adoption."
What think ye?

bro. Dillard,

I believe that if we read further on in Romans 8 Paul clarifies this adoption:

And not only they, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (v. 23)

Your assessment of adoption as the placing of a mature son is correct, but we must understand that it has reference to when our hope of salvation is ultimately fulfilled in the resurrection and we are placed in God's kingdom.

The "Spirit of adoption" in verse 15 is the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and assures us that we are God's children, are the heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and are reserved a place in his everlasting kingdom, which, by the way, will be coming to earth and for which reason necessitates the resurrection of our bodies.

In Ephesians 1 we are told that those of us who "first trusted in Christ" were then "predestined" in Christ unto the adoption of sons," and were thus sealed with this Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of "our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession," which, again, will be ultimately fulfilled in the resurrection of the just.

In short, the doctrine of the adoption is a doctrine of eternal security, God's guarantee that we who have believed in Christ have a glorious future to look forward to, as Jesus himself taught:

And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone who seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn. 6:40)

Good subject. Thanks for bringing it up.

Dear Rev:

I think you are taking two separate scriptures and two separate contexts and forcing them to mean the same thing simply because the term "adoption" is used in them both. Certainly there is a sense in which adoption is very meaningful in both contexts, but one is the ultimate fulfillment of the promises as you indicated, but the other has to do with present position in the body of Christ whereby spiritual maturity may be reached. At the new birth level the Greek "huios" (mature son) is unnecessary. The Greek "teknon" born child and the Greek "padion" little child in training are both applicable to the new-born babe in Christ and each has the promise of eternal life and a glorified body. It is; however, the position (the faith once delivered to the saints) to which we are come that allows us to become "huios" mature sons and thus be qualified to rule and reign in the age that is about to happen.

Good stuff! Roll it around. It is not mine.

Bro.Dillard,

I think perhaps you may be making a bit much of the word huios, which simply means a descendant or legitimate son. Besides the fact that it is mostly used in Scripture for persons who seem to be of a mature age, the word itself is not restricted to that definition alone. We see it even referring to infants, such as Jesus (Mt. 1:21; Lk. 1:31), John the Baptist (Lk. 1:13), Isaac (Rom. 9:9), and is even used of the young of an animal (Mt. 21:5).

Every born again person is a legitimate son of God, precisely because he has been born of the Spirit and the Spirit indwells him, for, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Rom. 8:9). And then we read:

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:29)

Consequently it is through the new birth we become a legitimate son of God, and if a legitimate son, then we are likewise heirs:

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. (Gal. 4:6-7)

This goes right along with the verse that you used as your beginning text:

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Thus every child of God, because he is an heir, stands to receive an inheritance from the Father; that is, the guarantee of one’s lot or portion in our Father’s heavenly kingdom.

With this understanding of what it means to be a huios–a legitimate son of God and therefore an heir–we can then clearly comprehend the concept of the adoption of sons as being defined by Paul as the redemption of our bodies, and why those who are in Christ are said by Paul to be predestined to this adoption, for it is in the resurrection that God will “place” his sons in his earthly kingdom to inherit their portion for all eternity, according to the glorious promise afforded to those who trust in Christ:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:11-14)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pet. 1:3-5)

He that overcometh shall inherit all things. (Rev. 21:7)

Wow, just writing this stuff makes me realize just how blessed one is to be a child of the King!

Bro. Dillard,

I have a lot of catching up to do as far as Romans goes.

But here goes my small and incomplete contribution to "adoption" in the context of Romans 8:14-15.
Some of this you have already said.

Being "born again (from above)" puts one into the family of God. He is made alive, he is no longer separated (dead) to God. One who will (future) inherit the things that God has for him. Therefore, one now has a relationship with God.

Adoption does more. It brings one to the point (positional at the point of salvation) of where they receive the rights and privileges and abilities of that inheritance, ergo here, citizenship of heaven, which deals with the here and now in this present life.
Would not this have the same idea as Ephesians 1:3?

The idea seems to have to do with the freedom we now have in Christ.

Thanks,
Joe L Looney III

Joe:

You are thinking and that is good! The covenant work of God with His people is under consideration. Both Old and New covenants are predicated upon the new birth, but each bears a different purpose. The Old Covenant was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. This statement does not refer to spiritual salvation, but to the code and authority of life. Under the law they cried "LORD, God! in fear. In the grace afforded in the church, we cry "our Father." In this system of love and grace, we have an extra tutor, the Holy Spirit who helps us to understand the ways and will of God, thus bringing us to spiritual maturity.

This is really good stuff. I encourage you to spend some time with it.

The idea that the promise of the adoption is tied to church membership is classic Fred Stevenson theology, taking this promise (as he did almost every other New Testament or Covenant promise) and placing them under his all-important "church relations" status. I say of this idea as I do all the rest of his thinking that this means we are baptized into the adoption and the adoption is then subject to church authority so we can be voted into it and voted out of it.

Such an idea is as foreign to the scriptures as chopsticks.

I realize I'm a bit late on this discussion, but I just read it.

Rich