What does it mean that Christians are adopted by God?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Adoption is a process that makes one a legal son or daughter in a family they were not born into. The metaphor of adoption is used to give a picture of how we become sons and daughters of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. God sent Jesus to earth so we would become His sons and daughters through adoption. God’s gift of adoption involves an instant transformation of identity that we step into at the moment of salvation. Since in ancient Jewish society adoption was not a normal part of the culture, Jesus used the more common Jewish idea of being spiritually born again when speaking with Nicodemus, but the concept of spiritual adoption was still in effect. Amazingly, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are able to become sons and daughters of God. As His children, we become co-heirs with Christ, which means we share in His pain, His glory, and are grafted into His forever family. Our adoption is also permanent. Once our identity transforms, the Holy Spirit starts to live in us and even reminds us of who we are in Christ throughout our Christian walk.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Old Testament does not present adoption as a formal legal practice, but it reveals God's deep concern for the fatherless, calling His people to defend and care for them (Deut. 10:18; Ps. 68:5). Though examples like Moses (Ex. 2:10), Esther (Est. 2:7), and Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9:7) aren’t legal adoptions, they reflect God’s heart to include the vulnerable in His family, pointing forward to the spiritual adoption fulfilled in Christ.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Through adoption, God has permanently added those who trust in Him to His family of believers (John 1:12).
• The concept of adoption into God's family is another name for being "born again" like Jesus talked about with Nicodemus (John 3:3–6). In ancient Jewish society, adoption was not a normal part of culture, which is why Jesus used the more common Jewish idea of being born again when speaking with Nicodemus. In both the metaphor of being born again and of being adopted, we become children of God when we were not originally born into His family.
• Adoption grafts us into a new family line and gives us a new inheritance. When we are adopted into God's family, we become kingdom co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His glory and suffering, and supporting each other as the body of Christ (Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 12:25–26).
• God sent Jesus to earth "so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). The metaphor of adoption is used throughout the Bible to give a picture of how we become sons and daughters of God through the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Once we have been adopted into the family of God, He indwells us with the Holy Spirit who reminds us that we are God's children: "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" (Galatians 4:6–7).
• When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are adopted into God's family. He cancels our debt to sin, gives us His name, and makes us heirs of His kingdom. He adopts us because of His great grace and love for us. Ephesians 2:4–6 describes this miracle: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

It is important to note that while the language of the Bible often uses the word "sons" when talking about adoption into God's family, Paul was writing to both male and female believers. God’s gift of adoption is free to all who believe in Him, regardless of race, gender, or life circumstances: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12). We have an amazingly good God who is gracious enough to open His arms wide enough for all of His believing followers to become His children—and nothing can take us away from Him: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” John 10:18.

UNDERSTAND

• Adoption brings believers into God's family with a new identity as His sons and daughters.
• Adoption is made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice and permanently sealed by the Holy Spirit.
• As God’s adopted children, Christians become co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His inheritance, suffering, and glory.

REFLECT

• How does knowing you are adopted into God's family shape the way you see your identity today?
• How have you experienced the Holy Spirit reminding you that you are God's child?
• Are you living as a co-heir with Christ, embracing both the privileges and responsibilities that come with adoption?

ENGAGE

• What does it mean for believers to see themselves as part of one eternal family adopted by God?
• How can we support one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, especially during times of difficulty or suffering?
• What are some practical ways we can reflect God's heart for the fatherless and the vulnerable in light of our own adoption?