Welcome To The Family

Week 9 Scriptures: Galatians 4:1-7

Having a stepbrother is about as close as I can personally get to understand adoption. Our family, my dad, sister, and myself, had conjoined with my stepmom and stepbrother when I was about 6 years old. I grew up in the same household as my stepbrother, we had rooms next to each other, and played, and fought, together like normal brothers. So when Paul uses the language of “adoption,” I connected to it quite easily. However, in further probing, it is important to understand the context by which Paul is speaking. Paul, as a Greek speaking—Jewish—Roman citizen, had a number of metaphors to draw upon and decidedly does so with his multifaceted background. However, he focuses his thoughts of adoption with a Roman understanding. This makes sense, because out of all five uses of “adoption” by Paul, each is written in to churches under Roman rule. So what did it mean to be adopted in the Roman Empire?

·      Old familial connections severed entirely: In the Roman system, fathers needed to sell their children into slavery three times before allowing another family to “adopt” them. So when Paul uses slavery language right next to adoption language he intends to capture this practice. God becomes the new father, and all old familial ties are abandoned. This has special interest for the Christian now has a new role within a new family. The old life is left behind and the new life is embraced with joy.  

·      Removal of all old debts, reputation, or status: Adoption looked quite different in the ancient world in that adults, and not children, were adopted into families. Therefore, along with all past familial ties being cut off, the entire reputation, debts, or status prior to joining the new family was removed. Your old life had literally been wiped clean, and you started afresh.

·      New legal status: The legal implication of adoption was powerful, as it gave new legal status to the adoptee. It was as if the adoptee had been born biologically under the adopter. In fact, Emperor Nero, during the time Paul wrote Galatians, tried to marry his adopted sister (no blood relation) and had to have special sanctions passed because they were considered “blood related.” The Christian is given the status of God, and their old status is wiped away.

·      New family: As previously mentioned, the adoptee would gain brothers, sisters, uncles, cousins, etc. These new family members treated them as if they were blood and had been there all along. As God exists as family—Father, Son, Spirit—so he opens up his family to us, and allows us to experience family in this new way. Additionally, we become “brothers and sisters” with those in this family with us.

·      New heir and inheritor: As a new family member, adoptees would receive the inheritance of the family. Whatever the father had, so they would get. In the same way, we become the inheritors of God’s blessing and mission.

Paul’s metaphor of adoption is rich and multilayered, and works well with his idea of salvation. We are part of a new family, and receive the benefits of our father adopting us.

Questions to Ponder:

1.     What does it mean to you that God has “adopted” you into his family?

2.     Have you acted as though God has really done away with your past?

3.     Have you cut off your past life entirely, and enter your new family fully?

4.     Do you live like an heir of God?

5.     What does it mean to you knowing you have a new family of brothers and sisters? Why is this such an important aspect of church life?