The Gift of Adoption: Your Place as a Beloved Child of God
Galatians 4:4-7
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
If you’d like a shorter, pocket-sized version of this devotional series, I created a 7-day “Gifts of Jesus” guide that offers quick daily Scripture, reflection, and prayer prompts. It pairs beautifully with what you’re about to read – Day 4 “The Gift of Adoption.”
Gift of Adoption: Planned Before Time Began
Before creation of the world, God had already planned out human salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5). Think about that timing. Before God spoke light into existence, before He formed Adam from dust, before sin entered the world—He already had the solution in place. This wasn’t divine improvisation after humanity’s rebellion caught Him by surprise. This was an intentional, purposeful, loving design.
He put into motion everything according to His design to send His Son to earth to die for sinful humankind, that for those who believe, He adopts as one of His children. The incarnation, the cross, the resurrection—all of it was planned with your adoption in view. God didn’t just want to rescue you from hell. He wanted to bring you into His family as His beloved child.
This may change how you understand salvation. You’re not just a forgiven criminal let off the hook. You’re not just a servant given tasks to perform. You’re sons and daughters, brought into intimate family relationship with the Creator of the universe.
From Orphans to Children
Adoption is the act of bringing the offspring of another into one’s own family. In the Roman world when Paul wrote these words, adoption was a profound legal transaction. An adopted child received the family name, the family inheritance, full legal rights as a son or daughter. The adoption was permanent and irrevocable—nothing the child did later could change their status as family.
But there’s something even more significant here. As sinful humankind, we are by nature children of Satan, estranged from God (Ephesians 2:3, John 8:44). This is the uncomfortable truth about humanity’s condition before Christ. We’re not neutral parties waiting to choose sides. We’re born in rebellion, children of wrath, following the father of lies. By nature, we belong to the wrong family.
But when we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness at the time of salvation, God spiritually adopts us into His family. This isn’t God accepting us as we are—that would leave us condemned. This is God transforming us completely, transferring us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). In that moment of salvation, everything changes. Your parentage changes. Your family changes. Your inheritance changes. Your identity changes. Your destiny changes.
You’re no longer defined by your natural birth into Adam’s fallen race. You’re defined by your spiritual birth into God’s family through Christ. And unlike human adoption, which brings strangers into a family, God’s adoption actually makes you a new creation with a new nature that reflects His character (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Spirit of Adoption
The Holy Spirit is graciously given to us to assure us of our adoption and to help us as we grow more like Christ (Romans 8:15-16). Your adoption isn’t a legal declaration that you have to take on faith. Instead, God gives you His Spirit as the guarantee, the down payment, the internal witness that you truly are His beloved child (Ephesians 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit does two essential things in your adoption. First, He assures you of your adoption. When doubts come, the Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you’re God’s child. When you’re tempted to believe you’ve finally gone too far and God has given up on you, the Spirit reminds you that your adoption is secure. When Satan accuses you and tries to convince you that you’re still his, the Spirit testifies to the truth: you belong to God.
Second, He helps you grow more like Christ. Adoption isn’t just about legal status—it’s about family resemblance. God doesn’t just want you to be called His child; He wants you to actually become like His Son. The Spirit works in you to transform your character, conform you to Christ’s image, and empower you to live as the beloved child you are (Romans 8:29, Philippians 2:13).
Abba, Father
We come to God as a loving Father, and we call out with a term of endearment. Abba is the equivalent of a young child saying “daddy,” showing our close relationship with our Father. This isn’t the speech of servants to a master or subjects to a king. This is the intimate cry of a child who knows they’re loved and secure.
Jesus Himself used this word in the garden of Gethsemane when He prayed in agony, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You” (Mark 14:36). And now, through Christ, you have the same access to God that Jesus has. You can approach the infinite, holy God of the universe with the confident familiarity of a child climbing into their father’s lap.
This doesn’t mean you lose reverence or awe. God is infinitely holy, powerful, and worthy of worship. But it does mean you don’t have to approach Him with uncertainty about whether you’re welcome. You’re not an intruder hoping He’s in a good mood. You’re His beloved child, and He delights in your presence.
No Longer Slaves
Therefore, we are no more slaves to the sin which once held us. Instead, we are beloved children and a joint heir of God through Christ (Romans 8:17). The contrast is stark. You were a slave—in bondage, powerless, owned by sin and Satan. But now you’re a child—free, beloved, secure in your Father’s love.
And not just any child, but an heir. You don’t just get to be part of God’s family—you get the family inheritance. Everything that belongs to Christ is yours: His righteousness, His acceptance by the Father, His eternal glory, His unshakeable kingdom. You’re co-heirs with Jesus, the beloved Son.
Not only has He forgiven us, but He has blessed us beyond all measure, for all eternity. Your adoption doesn’t end when this life ends. You’ll never age out of God’s family or lose your inheritance. You’re His child forever—secure, loved, blessed beyond comprehension.
In eternity, you’ll live with your Father in the home He’s prepared for His children (John 14:2-3). You’ll experience the fullness of adoption when your body is redeemed and you’re perfectly conformed to Christ’s image (Romans 8:23). And you’ll never, ever doubt that you belong, because you’ll see your Father face to face and live in His presence forever (Revelation 21:3).
Reflection Questions
- Do you relate to God primarily as a servant trying to earn approval, or as a beloved child secure in your Father’s love? What would change if you truly lived as His adopted child?
- When you pray, do you come to God with formal distance or with the intimate confidence of crying “Abba, Father”? What keeps you from approaching Him as your loving Father?
- How does understanding your adoption change the way you view your struggles with sin? You’re not trying to become God’s child—you already are His child learning to live like it.
- What specific insecurities or fears would the Holy Spirit’s witness of your adoption address in your life right now?
Prayer
Consider the areas where you still feel like an orphan or a slave rather than a beloved child. Thank God for planning your adoption before the world began and for accomplishing it through Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to deepen your assurance that you truly are God’s child.
If this devotional on the gift of adoption encouraged you and you’d like to go deeper, consider exploring how we’re called to respond to this amazing gift in our daily walk:
Adding Virtue with Diligence: Transforming Faith Step by Step ->
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