God Is Pro-Adoption

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Gal. 4:4-5)

Question 33: What is adoption?
Answer: Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, (1 Jn 3:1) whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. (Jn 1:12; Rom 8:17)
 
Adoption as a gift of God’s grace is a word and a concept that is unique to the apostle Paul as he is the only one in the entire Bible who uses the word (Rom 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5).  The only exception is in Acts 7:21 where Stephen makes the statement that “Pharaoh's daughter adopted [Moses] and brought him up as her own son.”  Otherwise, Paul is the only one who develops the doctrine of spiritual adoption as children of God based on faith and on our union with Christ.  This is an incredibly important doctrine as it assures us of our relationship with God and that God the Father will never leave us nor forsake us.  When God adopts us as his sons and daughters, we are every bit as much a full and complete child of God as Jesus is.  The fact that we are adopted and Jesus is the only begotten son of God does not make us any less children of God than he.  It is for this reason that Jesus prays to the Father in the garden for all believers that “the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (Jn. 17:23).  Jesus prays that the world would know that God the Father loves all his children just as, to the same degree, that he loves Jesus.  This is truly amazing!  Not only for our comfort and assurance, but it communicates to us that God is pro-adoption.  Christians should take note of this.  We speak about being pro-life and encourage young mothers to consider adoption as an option, rather an abortion.  Yet, on average there are 135,000 adoptions which take place every year in the United States, there are currently 515,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted, and there are 156 million professing Christians in the United States who are actively involved in church.  Thus, if just .33% of Christians in the U.S. adopted one child, we could empty the foster care system.  Christians should not just be pro-life; we should be pro-adoption--because God is.