Sep 24
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Baptist Catechism 37
Q. 37. 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. (1 John 3:1; John 1:12; Rom. 8:16,17)
Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:1–10
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:1–10, ESV)
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Q. 37. 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. (1 John 3:1; John 1:12; Rom. 8:16,17)
In this section of our catechism, we are considering the many benefits that come to those who have been effectually called by God’s word and Spirit to place their faith in Jesus Christ, our great Prophet, Priest, and King.
I want to remind you of the question asked in Baptist Catechism 35: What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? Answer: They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
I have called the benefits of, justification, adoption, and sanctification fountainhead blessings. They are the main blessings that come to followers of Jesus in this life. And from these main blessings, many other blessings flow. Or perhaps we can think of them as three rivers emanating from a single source. But if we were to follow those three main rivers downstream, we would find that each of them branches off into many other rivers and streams. Justification, adoption, and sanctification are like that. They are the main blessings that come to those who trust in Jesus in this life, but from these three, many other blessings flow.
We have asked and answered, what is justification? Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone (Baptist Catechism 36)
And now we come to question 37. It asks, What is adoption?, and answers, 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.
If justification should cause us to think of a courtroom with God as judge, adoption should cause us to think of a dining room with God as Father. Justification is legal. Adoption is legal, too, but in the end, it is familial. God justifies sinners, not to send them away as pardoned orphans. No, he justifies them so that he might adopt them into his family. If justification seems somewhat cold to you, the doctrine of adoption will fix that. Adoption is warm, loving, relational, and familial. Those who have faith in Christ are not only justified, they are also adopted into the family of God.
What is adoption? Notice a few things.
Firstly, our catechism tells us who adopts. Adoption, we are told, is an act of God’s free grace. Like with justification, adoption is something God does. We do not adopt ourselves or contribute to our adoption in any way. And like with justification, adoption is an act. When our catechism says that adoption is an act, it is to be understood that it happens in a moment. In other words, adoption is not a work in progress. Yes, it has lasting ramifications – wonderful ramifications! But it is something that happens in a moment of time, and so it is called an act. Also, adoption is said to be an act of God’s free grace. This means it is a gift freely given by God. In no way can it be earned.
Secondly, our catechism describes adoption as being received into the number. This means those who believe in Christ are numbered as one of God’s children. Our catechism lists John 1:12 as a proof text. It says, “But to all who did receive [Christ], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12, ESV). Think of how wonderful it is to be numbered among God’s redeemed children.
Thirdly, our catechism tells us that those who are adopted by God and received into the number have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Romans 8:14-17 is listed as a proof text. There Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, saying, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:14–17, ESV). According to this text, those adopted by God through faith in Christ have the privilege of calling God, “Father”. The Spirit comforts the believer by testifying to their spirit (or soul) that they are children of God. And as children of God, we are heirs of God — co-heirs of Christ. An heir inherits the riches of another. Children are typically heirs of their parents. If the parent is wealthy, the children will inherit the wealth of their parents when the parent passes away. Here, Paul reminds us that we are heirs of God. This is a metaphorical way of saying that God bestows his riches and blessings on his children. More precisely, God the Father blessed Christ the Son when he raised him from the dead and transferred him to glory. And all who have faith in Christ are co-heirs with Christ.
Some may wonder why adoption is necessary. Are we not God’s children by nature? Well, there is a sense in which God is the Father of all. He is the Father of all in that he is the creator and sustainer of all. But we cannot forget about man’s fall into sin. When Adam sinned, mankind’s relationship to God changed. No longer are we by nature beloved children. To use the language of Paul from Ephesians 2:3, we are now “by nature children of wrath”. This is why adoption is necessary. When a sinner trusts in Christ, they are justified, forgiven, and cleansed, so that they might be adopted as God’s beloved children.
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Conclussion
The doctrine of justification is immensely important. Last Sunday I said, that to get the doctrine of justification wrong means we get the gospel of Jesus Christ wrong. And that is true. But the doctrine of adoption is also very important. It helps us to remember that Christ did not merely live, die, and rise again to forgive our sins, pardon us, and wash us clean. No, he died to atone for our sins so that we might be reconciled to God the Father.
We will conclude with a reading from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 which makes this very point. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17–21, ESV)
