Adoption
A Sermon on Adoption
Originally preached April 30, 1954
Scripture
Sermon Description
Adoption is a beautiful picture of selflessness and the strong protecting the vulnerable. To be a Christian means to be adopted into God’s family. Christians are chosen by God and brought into His family through no righteousness of their own. In this sermon on adoption, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains through Scripture how God transfers His people from children of wrath to His family as sons and daughters. Christians have been freed from sin’s bondage and are grafted into God’s eternal family. Some teachers have claimed this to be of no effect and instead support a universal fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of all people— yet, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones proves, that view is unbiblical. Similar to physical adoption, spiritual adoption has beneficial consequences for the believer: namely, the release from a spirit of bondage and fear into a spirit of liberty, unhindered access to the Father, and God’s present protection, consolation, and perfect provision for every need and the promise of a future inheritance.
Sermon Breakdown
- The doctrine of adoption comes after justification in the order of salvation.
- Adoption means the placing of a son or the transfer from one family to another and placing as a son in the new family.
- The term "son" is used in the Bible to refer to:
- Jesus Christ
- Angels
- Human magistrates
- Believers (through adoption)
- Not all people are sons of God. Only those who believe in Christ receive the right to become sons of God.
- Believers do not become identical to Christ in sonship. He is the only begotten Son of God. Believers become sons through adoption.
- Adoption is a judicial act of God by which He confers the status of sons on believers.
- Adoption is distinct from justification and regeneration but includes them. It proclaims believers as sons of God.
- Adoption applies to all Christians, not just some. The distinction between "children of God" and "sons of God" is false.
- Proofs of adoption include:
- Scripture (Galatians 3:26)
- The Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15)
- The indwelling Spirit (1 John 4:13)
- Being led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14)
- Results of adoption include:
- Loss of spirit of bondage and fear
- Spirit of liberty
- Bearing God's name
- Present protection, consolation and provision
- Fatherly chastisements
- Heirship and inheritance
- Certainty and security of inheritance
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.