As sons, God “vouchsafeth” for us; He identifies Himself with us as His own for whom He has responsibility.  Adoption implies freedom from slavery.  Not only pardon from punishment, but acceptance and restoration.  We are not estranged.

During our Westminster Standards teaching time last Lord’s Day evening, our memory work with the Westminster Shorter Catechism was the following:

Q. What is adoption?
A. 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.
Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 34

Included in its Bible verse references was the one we memorized, 1 John 3:1: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Notice that this verse does not actually use the word “adoption” or any derivative of it.  But it does speak to adoption’s blessed result to behold: a legally binding filial identify of sonship by virtue of God the Father’s covenant love commitment to us through His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yesterday, scrolling through some YouTube Shorts (as you know I am prone to do while waiting on the bus or trolley—or rocking babies to sleep, though this is something I don’t get to do much of at the moment), I came across this beautiful illustration of how we should be moved to tears with humble gratitude for having been adopted by the Triune God and added into His family and household. Please do click and watch this touching 59-second testimony to the blessed doctrine of adoption.

This endearing young man in foster home care was clearly already jovial by informal fellowship with his host family.  But notice that after looking at a family picture, he reads a note from them out loud weeping the words, “Carter, would you like to be our brother and son? We love you.” When his soon-to-be formal Father asks, “What do you think, buddy?” as his soon-to-be covenanted Mother races to embrace him from behind, he only can nod in tears while dropping his head to express a nonverbal, “Yes.” His Father-to-be next assures him gingerly with, “We’re going to adopt you, Carter,” as his will-be Mother kisses his cheek. Overwhelmed with emotion, the humble boy manages to sweetly sob, “Oh, thank you so much!”

Beloved, may we behold in this deeply moving illustration the truth that by the love of God the Father, He chose to espouse and has adopted us as His sons and daughters!  We are not only admitted into the society of God’s Kingdom (Justification, WSC 33); we are welcomed into His family.

As we briefed upon in our study, let us remember that Romans 5:10 says we were enemies of God. Now we are His citizens. And now, we are His children with all the blessings of having God as our good, good Father.

We also recalled how this doctrine is expressed in the following texts:

Hosea 1:10

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Hosea 2:23

And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

See also Romans 9:24-26.

As Mrs. Renner added to these thoughts, it is the same idea expressed by Ruth to Naomi and by Boaz to Ruth, her kinsman redeemer (a type of Christ). As well, these verses reflect both for Jew and Gentile what God had already expressed earlier in Leviticus 26:12 to the descendants of Abraham: And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. And He later reaffirmed such a heart-warming notion with this beautiful expression of His faithful parental relationship to His people in Deuteronomy 1:31: And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

Thus, in Jesus…through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Ephesians 2:18-19; see also 1 Timothy 3:15; Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 3:6). Beloved, For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19).

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