Nature and Legal Privileges

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that the biblical concept of adoption draws from the Greco-Roman legal system, where an adoptee was removed from their old state, had debts canceled, and entered a…

Martin quotes Sinclair Ferguson (Dr. Ferguson) on the Roman legal system's concept of adoption, which provides a valuable background for understanding Paul's use of the term for Christian sonship, emphasizing that Paul did not shape the gospel to fit the concept but saw echoes of divine truth in it.

In which the apostle lived and in the context of which he wrote to the various churches. And in Sinclair Ferguson's most helpful book, Children of the Living God, we have a very, very helpful section seeking to identify what that word would have meant to someone whose thought had been shaped by the linguistic patterns and usages of that Greco-Roman world. And Sinclair writes, and I call him that, he is a personal friend, that's not name dropping. I should say Dr. Ferguson writes, Biblical scholars have long researched the source of this idea of adoption in Paul's writings. Many of them have co...

5:28 - 6:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that the biblical concept of adoption draws from the Greco-Roman legal system, where an adoptee was removed from their old state, had debts canceled, and entered a…

Martin quotes Professor Lyell, who describes the profound truth of Roman adoption: the adoptee was taken out of their previous state, placed in a new family, had old debts canceled, and started a new life under the authority of the pater familias. This illustrates the legal transformation in adoption.

No. The concept was revealed by God in the activity of redemptive grace. And as the apostle understood it by the illuminating work of the Spirit, he saw some echoes of it in the Roman concept and therefore reached in and took a word that would be familiar to them in order to demonstrate certain facets of the blessing of God's adoptive grace. As Professor Lyell said, Professor Lyell has written, The profound truth of Roman adoption was that the adoptee was taken out of his previous state and was placed in a new relationship of son to his new father.

7:29 - 8:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin uses the analogy of human adoption to distinguish between the legal, objective privileges (the court's declaration) and the experiential, subjective privileges (the lived…

Martin uses the analogy of a family adopting a child in a courtroom. The legal declaration makes the child theirs, with all responsibilities, even before any experiential dimensions of parenthood begin. This illustrates the distinction between the legal/objective and experiential/subjective privileges of adoption.

objective privileges, and then, God willing, tomorrow, the subjective or experiential privileges. And let me try to illustrate that distinction in human life. One or two of you who have adopted children have already spoken to me concerning your delight in the handling of this subject and your anticipation of it that is peculiar to you. And I'm going to try to illustrate that to you, because it's peculiarly poignant to you, because you have adopted children. Well, imagine a family that has gone through all of the previous legal tangled essential to the adoption of a child in our society, and th...

16:05 - 17:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second privilege is becoming brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ, our elder brother. Martin expounds Romans 8:29 and Hebrews 2:10-12, showing God's purpose for…

Martin uses the analogy of a family with three children adopting a fourth. The moment the adoption is legal, the new child immediately gains an elder brother, illustrating how believers immediately become siblings of Christ upon adoption.

sibling, immediately inherits an elder brother. That firstborn son becomes elder brother of the adopted one, and should they adopt ten, he will yet be the elder brother of each one brought into the family circle and into that brotherhood of that particular family. And in the purposes of redemptive grace, God is not only establishing a new humanity, one new and living temple. He is not only gathering a bride for his son. These are all the images of what the people of God are in their aggregate. He is not only establishing a new humanity, one new living temple, a bride for his son. He is also es...

23:53 - 24:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Why should I be ashamed to call them my brothers, my sisters? And furthermore, my father has placed his spirit within him, as we shall see God willing tomorrow, because they are sons and have been adopted.

Martin briefly mentions a girl named Lucretia from high school, whose name stuck with him, to add a touch of personal humor and relatability when discussing Christ not being ashamed to call believers by name.

He calls you brother John, brother Pete, sister Mary, sister Margaret. Even if you've got a name like Lucretia, he's not ashamed to call you part of his family. There was a Lucretia in high school. That's why that popped into my head.

28:45 - 29:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Why should I be ashamed to call them my brothers, my sisters? And furthermore, my father has placed his spirit within him, as we shall see God willing tomorrow, because they are sons and have been adopted.

Martin recounts the incident in Mark 3 where Jesus redefines His family, stating that those who do the will of God are His mother and brothers. This serves as a foreshadowing of the spiritual family gathered through adoption.

He gave little foreshadowings of this in his earthly ministry. You remember the incident recorded in Mark chapter 3? The Lord Jesus has a great crowd around him, pressing in upon him. And we read these.

31:24 - 31:39 Read in full sermon