In his poignant article, Abba Changes Everything: Why Every Christian Is Called To Rescue Orphans, author and adoptive parent Russell D. Moore writes: “I was at first reluctant to adopt, because I assumed an adopted child would always be more distant than a child ‘of my own.’ I was wrong. And I should have known better. After all, there are no ‘adopted children’ of God, as an ongoing category. Adoption tells us how we came into the family of God. And once we are here, no distinction is drawn between those at the dinner table.”
Moore’s understanding of God’s adoption model matured as he studied Scripture and traversed with his wife the road of international adoption. Because you and I live in a day when there are 163 million orphans in the world, it’s important that we increase our understanding of what Scripture says about orphans and our role in assisting them. After all, James doesn’t exclude anyone when he exhorts believers to care for orphans and widows. “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father,” he says, “means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27).
As God’s adopted children, it’s also beneficial to grasp the riches that God eagerly waits to bestow on us. “You received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs” (Romans 8:15-17).
Ask God to show you the role(s) you should play in caring for orphans in the world. Pray too that He will help you better embrace what it means to be His adopted child so you can more confidently call Him “Abba Father.”
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 28:16-20
More:
How can you tangibly live out Psalm 82:3—an exhortation to “give justice to the poor and the orphan”?
Next:
As a believer in Jesus, how does it affect your view of God and yourself when you consider that you’ve been adopted by Him?
daleproulx on October 3, 2011 at 7:56 am
As the father of three children: one biological and two adopted, the article resonates with me. My love for each of my children is the same.
It is sad that when we adopted 14 years ago the number was 100 million orphans and it has risen to 163 million. We also sponsor eight children as a family. How I wish that we could do more!
daisymarygoldr on October 3, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Good post Roxanne Robbins! Agree Christians should care for orphans. Rom 8:15 is not a teaching to practise adoption. The adoption in Paul’s day has nothing to do with the placement of an orphan into a foster home. Rather, it has to do with young children attaining maturity to legally inherit the rights to their father’s wealth and property.
Therefore, adoption in the Bible does not mean adoption of a child not naturally your own. It refers to the coming-of-age of Christians. All believers are born of God’s Spirit into His family and await our adoption into sonship. Before Christ, we were like children. And when the right time came, through Jesus Christ we inherited full rights and privileges of heirship (Gal 4:3-7).
After marriage, I had shared with my husband the desire to have twelve babies. And he simply laughed it off, not because he didn’t like children but he feels they are expensive. Of course he is a classical case of little faith but it is a fact that all of us cannot afford to adopt children. There are many families that are not able to meet the needs of their own biological children. So, adoption of orphans is not a literal command.
Those who adopt and open their hearts and homes to orphans do have a special calling but then we are all called to defend the fatherless. Regarding tangible ways to give justice to the orphan, we can sponsor a child or reach out to the orphaned in our immediate communities to help with their financial needs—and extend a parenting role in their lives.
winn collier on October 3, 2011 at 8:41 pm
163 million orphans. I don’t even know what to do with that number. Thank you for forcing me to notice this staggering figure.
christianwilliams on March 22, 2013 at 6:20 am
My wife and I are missionaries in another country and before we left the U.S. we had tried to adopt from there. But after two plus years nothing so we packed and moved just as Abraham did and followed the King’s command. However, after being in foreign country for four months our adoption went through so we came back to the U.S. to get our son. We had the desire to have a family and to have a child. But, who’s desire was it? Was to fulfill our needs or the child’s? Now that I look and hold him I realize this is God’s desire for this little boy to grow up knowing Jesus and truth and having the love he may not have had otherwise. Adoption into the kingdom is a gift of new life no matter what age. This little boy, my son now, has been reading devotions this morning with his daddy and his Father also. Praise be to the King for allowing me and my wife to help provide a home for our son no matter what country we live in now, but for what home we will live in ALL together someday tTt.
tom felten on March 22, 2013 at 9:00 am
christianwilliams, thanks for sharing your inspiring story of God’s grace and provision. Praying for you and you son today. May he continue to grow in his faith in the Son of God, our Savior Jesus Christ.