Phases of Adoption

The planning of a child by adoption can be more calculated than biological conception. The decision to adopt is usually more deliberate: ie., upfront fees, applications, background checks, hiring legal counsel, petitioning a judge … These are steps biological parents need not perform.

The Lord used adoption to describe the relationship between He and His children. To fully appreciate this illustration, let us consider four phases common to both earthly and eternal adoption:

Earthly adoption:

1. Parents file applications, pay fees, and select
2. The parents’ attorney goes before a judge, secures parental rights and a name change
3. Parents take possession and bring the child home
4. The child becomes an heir

Eternal adoption:

1. God the Father chose His children – Eph 1:4-5
2. Jesus went before the Judge, satisfied all the legal requirements, made all the payments, and procured a name change – Gal 4:4-5
3. The Holy Ghost took possession – Rom 8:14-16
4. The child became a full heir – 1Pet 1:2-9

All four phases are necessary. Suppose a father chose a child, satisfied all the legal work, but never took possession – what benefit would the adopted child have gained? Or suppose a father chose a child, took possession, but never satisfied the legal work – the relationship could be terminated at any time. Think about the child who was excluded from the will, but scripture calls us joint-hears with Jesus – Rom 8:17.

We must not forget the maintenance which must be performed between the 3rd & 4th phases in both earthly and eternal adoption. Earthly parents and our Heavenly Father both: 1) feed & nourish their children; 2) teach & correct their children; and 3) oversee & facilitate the growth of their children to maturity. Lord, thank you for adopting me, and thank you for being a diligent Father in all phases of my adoption.