Daily Bread – June 30, 2021 (The Fourth Day – Genesis 1:14-19) Romans 8:15 – You have not received back the spirit of slavery to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship in which you cry out, “Abba, Father!” Part 3 ~ “Adoption” – Scriptural Context To say we have not been begotten of God is to deny the faith that is in Christ Jesus, for the only way we can come into this ‘so great a salvation’ is to be born into it by the Spirit (John 1:12-13, 3:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10). In the context of the New Testament, sonship cannot be described by the English word “adoption.” It would be better for us to make a literal translation of the compound word ‘huiothesia’; which is ‘huios-‘ (“son”) and ‘-tithemi’ (“to place”). The translation would then be “to place as a son.” The word ‘huiothesia’ is not found in classical writers, so the obscurity of the meaning must fit the context of the New Testament [Zodhiates, S. (2000, c1992, c1993, The Complete Word Study Dictionary)]. “In Greek, there are no instances of adoption in the transfer sense. Even when the ruler cult made its way into the world, the divinity of the ruler was viewed in terms of descent, rather than adoption” (Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9). The only example in the Bible that gets us close to the meaning of the English word “adoption” is found in Acts 7:21. When the daughter of Pharaoh found Moses and took him unto herself, she adopted him (‘anaireomai’). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 6/30/2021
