Why Not Question : Adoption

Romans: 8:15, 8:23, 9:4. Galations 4: 5, Ephesians 1:5.

Paul talks of adoption many times when speaking our relationship to God.
What exactly does this mean? The Greek word used means 'Placing as a Son'.

According to 'Manners and Customs of the Bible' by James M. Freeman,
Greeks and Romans who did not have a son were allowed to adopt one including a child of one of the their servants. The son then took the family name.

With the Romans, it could be a private or public adoption. Private was an arrangement between the parties concerned; the public was, 'Hey, so and thus is now my son'. The child now had the right to address his adoptive parent as 'Father'. Something he had no right to do as a servant. He was also free.

There is one more aspect to this and I don't actually have the reference but it has been confirmed by those who have attended seminary. Adoption also meant under Roman law, that while a biological child could be disinherited - an adopted child could not because they'd been chosen.

Now, when you put all these together in our relationship to God, you begin to see the parallels. Before accepting Christ we were like the servant, unable to call God 'Father' and with none of the rights of a son. After accepting Christ, we become the Sons of God with full freedom to cry 'Daddy' and inherit all God has in store for us.

We also know God will never push us away because we are 'His'. With a fuller understanding of the word adoption, we can also understand that once we're saved, we always will be. We can't 'lose' our salvation.

What a wonderful example Paul used and he used it because in his time, believers understood what he meant. Now, we do as well.