The sermon 'Of Adoption, 1689 SLBC, Chap. 12, Par. 1' by Nate Wikman explores the theological concept of adoption as presented in the Second London Baptist Confession. The sermon emphasizes that adoption is a privilege granted to all who are justified through faith in Jesus Christ, making believers children of God and joint heirs with Christ. It highlights the involvement of the Trinity in the adoption process, with the Father predestining believers, the Son accomplishing salvation through His life and death, and the Spirit enabling believers to cry 'Abba, Father.' Adoption is described as a legal transaction distinct from regeneration and justification, transforming believers' status and bestowing upon them the name, protection, and discipline of God. The sermon also draws historical parallels to Roman adoption practices and underscores the privileges and responsibilities that come with being part of God's family, including intimacy with God, spiritual protection, and divine chastening. Ultimately, adoption inspires believers to live in a manner pleasing to their new Father, reflecting their identity as God's children.

Chapter 12, the second London Baptist Confession, is a single paragraph. Paragraph 1 says, All those that are justified, God conferred, in and for the sake of his only Son, Jesus Christ, to make Partakers of the grace of adoption, by which the children of God have his name put on them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by Him as a Father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation." J. I. Packer wrote that adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers. Chapter 12 starts out by identifying adoption as belonging to all those that are justified.

In John 1-12 we read, But as many as received him, To them he gave the right to become children of God, To those who believe in his name. Prior to the quickening of the Spirit, all of God's people were in a state of rebellion against God, were slaves to sin, were spiritually dead and unable to discern the things of the Spirit, unable to change their condition, and unable to desire to move in a direction toward God. At conversion, the believer is changed from a slave of sin to a slave of righteousness. And while we serve a new master now, the glory of the doctrine of adoption is that God has not only justified us, but He has also made us His children, members of His family, and joint heirs of Christ our Savior. Moving on, our paragraph states that God conferred or gave us the grace of adoption in Christ Jesus in Jesus Christ before his sake.

Ephesians 1-5 uses the same language of adoption as being by or through Jesus Christ stating that God the Father predestined us to adoption by Jesus Christ according to the will of the Father. Salvation was made possible only by the work of the Son in his life on earth and death on the cross, but it was all in obedience to the will of the Father. It was the Father that chose us before time. So we see adoption being accomplished through the will of the Father and the work of the Son, and now also through the agency of the Spirit. Adoption is tied very closely to our justification, which happens at conversion.

And just as we see all three persons of the Trinity involved in salvation, so we see all three working together in our adoption. Galatians 4-6 says, And you, and because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba Father. And again in Romans 8.15, But you receive the spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, Abba Father. The confession goes on to state that by this grace of adoption, we are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God. Before taking a moment to look at what these blessings of adoption are, let's stop to examine what the essence of adoption is.

Adoption is described here as being added to the number of the children of God and as God's children being granted the full freedoms and blessings that belong to his family. Romans 8-17 describes our sonship as making us joint heirs with Christ, and at the end of 1 Corinthians 3, Paul writes, For all things are yours. All are yours, and you are Christ's. Christ is God's. In John MacArthur's condensed book on systematic theology, adoption is contrasted with both regeneration and justification.

In it, regeneration is described as being authored by the Holy Spirit, being transformative in nature, and accomplished through the Word of God. In those three areas of author, nature, and means, adoption is contrasted as originating with the Father being legal in nature and accomplished through faith. At this point, I think it's helpful to step back and examine the historical context of adoption in the New Testament period. In quoting from MacArthur's book on slaves, he writes, the background of the New Testament concept of adoption comes from the practice of adoption in ancient Rome. The adoption process consisted of several specific legal procedures.

The first step completely terminated the adopted child's social relationship and legal connection to his natural family. The second step made him a permanent member of his new family. Additionally, any previous financial obligations were eradicated as if they had never existed. In order for the transaction to be legally formalized, the presence of seven reputable witnesses was required. If necessary, their testimony would refute any potential challenge to the adoption after the father had died.

For me, reading that context helped me to see more clearly the contrast between adoption as being a legal transaction and regeneration as being a transforming work of the spirit. And just as adoption is legal in nature, so also is justification. But, and here I'll quote Arthur's systematic theology Again, justification is the legal declaration that one is righteous with respect to the demands of God's law. Adoption, however, is the legal declaration by the divine judge that the justified one has been made a member of the divine judge's family." And right here we see why Hacker describes adoption as the highest privilege of the gospel. Not only does God send his Son to pay the penalty for our sins so that we can be declared righteous.

Not only is God working us through his Spirit to sanctify us, but he takes those who are formerly rebels and haters of God and makes them his children, granting them the full liberties and privileges of the position. At this point, as we work through the paragraph, we have a listing of these liberties and privileges that belong to the children of God. I'll just reread these from here. The adopted children of God have His name put on them. They receive the Spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace, can intimately address God as Abba Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened.

Three things from this list stood out to me, having His name put on them, addressing God as all the Father, and being chastened. Revelation 312 says, He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I'll write on him the name of my God, the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and I'll write on him my new name." Before reading MacArthur's theology, I never stopped to fully digest what that means to have God's name put on his people. In reference to this, MacArthur writes that God pursues the welfare of his people, having put his name on them, thereby attaching his honor and reputation to them, and thus he pursues the welfare of his people with the same zeal that he attaches to his own name and glory. That is amazing.

God takes us, those who were formerly rebels against him, adopts us as his children, and holds us forth to the world, having the honor of his name attached to us, to bear his name, the name of Christians. And this leads right to my final point, which is what the result or effect of adoption should be. But before ending with that, two other items stood out to me in this list, addressing God as Father and then the chastening of God. The fact that we can address God as Abba, Father, speaks the heights and depths of God's love for us, that He would bring us into such a close fellowship with Him. The Apostle John writing as an old man was struck with this when he penned the inspired words, behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God.

And then finally, before we end with the outworking of adoption, we have the blessing of God's chastening. Proverbs 13, 24 states that he who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. God's love for us as his children is evidenced by his chastening and correction when we go astray. Hebrews 12.6 echoes Proverbs saying, For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. And the love that is behind the chastening of God is beautifully described in Isaiah 54 verses 8 and 9.

With a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer. For this is like the waters of Noah to me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth. So I have sworn that I would not be angry with you nor rebuke you. And now the result or effect of adoption. Our paragraph doesn't go into this, but when you dig into the full meaning of adoption and all its accompanying blessings, the natural outworking of this is a desire to please our new Father.

MacArthur points out that God ignored the cry of his own son when he cried on the cross, Abba Father, that our cry of Abba Father would be heard. He chastens us, He has placed the honor of His name in our hands, having set His name upon us, and He chastens us as a loving Father who will never finally cast us away. As Paul writes in response to the truths of adoption, Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Thanks for watching!