What is the meaning or doctrine of Adoption

Adoption

Huiothesia (5206) Huios - sons; Tithemi - to place, appoint, commit; to place as sons

Verses - Romans 8:15,23 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5

First Use: Genesis 48:5-6 And now thy (Joseph's) two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I (Jacob) came unto thee into Egypt, are mine (adoption); as Reuben and Simeon (existing sons), they shall be mine. And the children, which thou begettest after them, shall be yours and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

Adoption Biblically is slightly different than what we think of as adoption. For instance a stranger is not adopted into the family of God, like the concept we have of adoption where a non-family member becomes a family member through adoption. The Biblical concept of adoption is confirmation of adulthood of an existing family member and with adulthood comes privileges and inheritance. In the Bible Jacob actually adopted his two grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob did not need to adopt them to make them family but he did need to adopt them to give them an inheritance in the promise land. Indeed Ephraim and Manasseh did receive inheritances in the promise land just like their uncles did, because they were adopted as sons and received the same inheritance as their uncles the sons of Jacob.

We are born into the family of God, through faith in the resurrection of Jesus in the new covenant. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and told him that he must be "Born Again" in order to see the kingdom of God, [in Jesus the kingdom of God is now available] the First step to becoming a member in the family of God is to be born into the family as a child of God and that is done by the person accepting the covenant of God that we are His creation separated by our sin and that He loves us and died for our sins on the cross and then He resurrected from death to reconcile us to Him in His resurrection life. When we accept the "New Covenant" we are now in a correct relationship with God, we acknowledge that God exists and that we desire to have a relationship with Him. We have asked for forgiveness of our sins, we are now cleansed from our sin, we are now clean and God in Spirit has come inside of us giving us a new life in Him, our new birth into His family as a child of God.

Once we are a "born again" child of God we are then predestined (appointed outcome) to the adoption. The actual adoption takes place later, when we physically die and our spirit and soul enter the visible presence of God where we are then adopted as sons of God and being sons of God we then receive an inheritance in heaven (visible presence of God).

Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the Firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to whit, the redemption of our body.