Adoption and the Gospel

Ryan Bomberger writes, "Adoption is at the heart of our soul's redemption".

Adoption is an issue so central to the Christian faith that it is shocking how little mention is made of it in regular Christian life.

Various letters to TODAY have discussed the issue recently. Joseph Wong writes in "To help orphans, change our views on adoption" (27 December 2013):

Adopting a child is as much giving life as giving birth and should be celebrated.

Perhaps if society views adoption and adopted children more positively, many more of the millions of orphans in the world might have a family and a new life.

Shafiq Abdullah reiterates this point in "Adoption: Point is to care for orphans, neglected kids" (30 December 2013):

Although many people I know see adoption as a “solution” for couples who cannot have children, I think they miss the more important point of it: Caring for orphans and neglected children.

Adoption is a way for a child to find a stable home where he is loved and protected by adoptive parents.

A progressive society should put the needs of children first. If our society views adoption and adopted children more positively, we could indeed find homes for many orphans and neglected children.

Likewise, Darius Lee writes in "Streamline adoption process, form support groups for families" (31 December 2013):

I agree with Mr Joseph Wong (“To help orphans, change our views on adoption”, Dec 27) and Mr Shafiq Abdullah (“Adoption: Point is to care for orphans, neglected kids”, Dec 30) that we should change our perspective of adoption in order to help orphans and neglected children find homes where they can be loved and protected.

The needs of children should come first. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Singapore is a party, stipulates that the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration under a system of adoption.

According to statistics provided in March by Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing in Parliament, the average number of child adoptions in Singapore over the last five years has been about 400. It takes about five months to process each adoption case.

As a society, we should not only work to streamline our system of adoption, but also encourage adoption by raising awareness of its life-giving potential. The community can form support groups for adoptive families to empower parents in sensitive matters such as disclosure. Likewise, the Government should consider measures to provide information about adoption, while respecting confidentiality.

Thus, we can unleash the life-giving value of adoption, in the best interests of our children. As the minister said, every one child matched with a proper family is one more happy Singaporean.

New family and new life

The Gospel message is about our adoption into God's family through the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 

The Book of Genesis begins with the story of how Adam, whom Luke refers to as "the son of God" (Luke 3:37), was cut off from God because of his sin in the Garden of Eden. Death entered the world through Adam's sin. Paul explains that "through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners" (Romans 5:19). 

 

All at once, Man had lost his family and life because of sin.

Yet through faith in Jesus Christ, we have all received God's grace and are adopted into God's family. Paul teaches us that we "are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). God has made us His children and heirs:

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17)

We have been given a new family and a new life.

Caring for orphans

Another reason why adoption is so central to the Christian faith is the importance of caring for orphans.

 

The Bible describes God as a "father to the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5). He "defends the cause of the fatherless" (Deuteronomy 10:18).

 

All throughout the Old Testament are injunctions to protect the rights of the fatherless. For example, the prophet Isaiah exhorted the people of Judah to "defend the cause of the fatherless", and rebuked the rulers for failing to protect their rights (Isaiah 1:17, 23).

 

Likewise, James writes in the New Testament:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

The Bible is clear about the importance of caring for orphans. God cares for them, and we as His children should do likewise.

 

Should we not do likewise?

Adoption is central to the Gospel message. Through Jesus Christ, we receive God's grace and mercy and become His children when we were once cut off by sin and death. We have been given a new family and a new life. 

 

Moreover, we reflect the love of God Himself when we care for orphans and neglected children and protect their rights. 

 

Having received God's love and having been adopted into His family, should we not also open our homes to the orphans and neglected children in our midst?