A Season of WaitingSample

Adoption to Sonship

In this Advent season, it’s important to remember not just how Jesus came but why He came. ‘Adoption to sonship’ is a metaphor Paul chose to explore in this passage so his readers could truly appreciate the significance of why Jesus came to earth.

To understand this passage well, it’s important to acknowledge the times in which it was written. In Roman times, adoption was much less about creating a family and much more about providing an heir. The volatile nature of accession in the Roman world meant there was a need to create stability. Many adoptions happened when people were adults because of the need to provide a competent heir. There is an interesting period in Roman history sometimes known as the ‘Five Good Emperors’ or ‘Adoptive Emperors.’ In this era, Rome had good governance and was in a relative period of peace. Each of these emperors was as a result of adoptive succession – they were chosen because they were good at the job, not because their parents were! To be chosen for adoption was a great privilege indeed. You got a new name, you were given all the rights of your adoptive family, and once the adoption was finalised it could not be reversed.

This is why Paul found it to be the perfect example to explore just how significant and complete Jesus’ work on earth was. The key difference, however, is that we are chosen not on our own merits but because of God’s profound and abounding grace to each one of us. It’s said best in 1 John 3:1a: ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’

Written by Lucy Weil