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Evangelical · 09-21-2018, 07:14 PM

The meaning of adoption under Roman law was still a legal transfer of identity. So it does not matter how much better Roman adoption was to adoption today, or what benefits it brought, when its meaning is strictly a legal meaning - the organic sonship is a much more comforting concept, which is found to be almost non-existent within Christianity.

I believe the adoptive language is a cause of many Christians not realizing their full identity in Christ - quite a number of Christians I have spoken to in the past cannot fathom how Jesus can be our adoptive brother, let alone an actual brother organically.

When we are talking about the born again experience, of the Holy Spirit making us born again, the legal adoptive explanation does not make much sense to me other than a way to describe the benefits that being born again brings. It seems to have served Paul's purpose for the audience he was writing to, but for us today I think we can understand the organic salvation better.

However I wonder why it is necessary at all to think of sonship in an adoptive/legal way, when we obtain all of the same benefits and more by virtue of organic sonship.

If we are organically sons and daughters of God, why do we need to think of ourselves as being adopted?

09-21-2018, 07:14 PM	#3
Evangelical Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 3,965	Re: Plumb the depths of Adoption The meaning of adoption under Roman law was still a legal transfer of identity. So it does not matter how much better Roman adoption was to adoption today, or what benefits it brought, when its meaning is strictly a legal meaning - the organic sonship is a much more comforting concept, which is found to be almost non-existent within Christianity. I believe the adoptive language is a cause of many Christians not realizing their full identity in Christ - quite a number of Christians I have spoken to in the past cannot fathom how Jesus can be our adoptive brother, let alone an actual brother organically. When we are talking about the born again experience, of the Holy Spirit making us born again, the legal adoptive explanation does not make much sense to me other than a way to describe the benefits that being born again brings. It seems to have served Paul's purpose for the audience he was writing to, but for us today I think we can understand the organic salvation better. However I wonder why it is necessary at all to think of sonship in an adoptive/legal way, when we obtain all of the same benefits and more by virtue of organic sonship. If we are organically sons and daughters of God, why do we need to think of ourselves as being adopted?