by Peter Martyr Vermigli
This passage invites us to discuss the adoption of God’s children. Lawyers, as noted in their legal writings, define adoption as a lawful act that imitates nature and was established for the benefit of those without children. They distinguish between adoption and arrogation: arrogation refers to when an independent person is received as a son, while adoption refers to receiving someone who is under another’s authority. Laws prohibit the adoption of someone older than the adopter, as it would be unnatural for a son to surpass the father in age. Cicero strongly opposed such cases, such as the adoption of Clodius.
God adopts His elect not because He lacked a son—for He had Christ, His only begotten Son, in whom He was well pleased—but because humanity, as descendants of Adam, had become estranged from Him. For this reason, God sent His legitimate Son into the world so that through Him, He might adopt many others as His children. Unlike earthly parents who are reluctant to share an inheritance, God’s love and generosity are so vast that He willingly makes us co-heirs with Christ. Moreover, this heavenly inheritance is not diminished when shared among many.
How Does Adoption Come to Us?
Paul teaches that adoption is brought to us through the Spirit of Christ. It is through the Spirit that we receive faith, enabling us to embrace Christ and the promises of God. In this way, we are adopted as God’s children. As John writes in the beginning of his Gospel: "To all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God." This adoption is not achieved through circumcision, the works of the law, or moral deeds, but by faith alone. John clarifies: "To those who believed in His name." This "right" refers to the privilege and status of being God's children, which comes to those who believe in Christ.
John further explains, "They were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." By "not of blood," he means that this adoption is not a natural inheritance passed through human lineage. Nor is it achieved through the "will of the flesh"—desires for wealth, power, or beauty—or through human efforts like wisdom or moral virtue. Instead, it is entirely the work of God’s grace and mercy. As Paul states in Ephesians, "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ." Thus, our adoption depends entirely on God’s election and predestination.
The Nature of Our Adoption
Jesus teaches that this new birth is divine, likening it to the wind: "You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes." Through Christ, God generously gives us His Spirit, using the Word as the instrument to create faith, justify us, and bring us into adoption as His children. While we wait for the full realization of our adoption, Paul writes, "We eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies," which will be completed in the resurrection.
This adoption was foreshadowed in the Old Testament. For example, Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his sons, and the practice of raising seed for a deceased brother symbolized this divine adoption. In the New Testament, Christ confirmed adoption in His genealogy, where natural and adopted lineage are interwoven.
From Darkness to Light
Adoption transfers us from being children of wrath, unbelief, and darkness to becoming God’s children, partakers of His divine nature, and siblings of Christ. As God’s children, we are called to live in holiness, love our neighbors and enemies, and emulate our heavenly Father, who is merciful to all. Yet this adoption does not make us divine by nature—that honor belongs to Christ alone, who is God's Son by essence. Instead, we are adopted by grace, and with this privilege comes great responsibility to reflect our Father’s character.
Our Inheritance
Through adoption, we become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. This inheritance is not limited to one firstborn, as with human families, but is shared fully with all God’s children. We are assured that when Christ appears, we will be like Him and share in His glory. As Paul writes, "Your life is now hidden with Christ in God, but when Christ, who is your life, appears, you will also appear with Him in glory."
Inheritance as Defined by Lawyers
Inheritance, according to legal definitions, is the transfer of all the rights of a deceased person to their successor. Can we then consider it a small matter to be made partakers of the entire inheritance of God? Certainly not. Peter says that we are made "partakers of the divine nature." Ambrose rightly observes that this divine inheritance is unlike what we commonly see in the world. Typically, in human affairs, the one who makes the will must die before the successor can claim the inheritance. However, in God’s case, He does not die. Instead, we—those appointed to be His heirs—must first die before we can fully receive the inheritance. Even Christ Himself had to die before entering into the glory prepared for Him.
Moreover, under civil law, the heir is regarded as one and the same person as the one who bequeaths the inheritance. Similarly, through Christ, we are intimately united with God, becoming one with Him, just as Christ prayed: "That they may be one, as You and I are one." All things are ours because we belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
This inheritance is given to us freely by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore, it is deeply wicked for the bishops of Rome, their cardinals, and other false leaders to claim the power to lock away this inheritance of forgiveness and access to God’s kingdom. They misuse their so-called authority to sell heaven or condemn souls to hell at their whim. Such actions are a grievous perversion of God’s freely given grace.