Adoption is a profound and beautiful expression of love, compassion, and selflessness. It mirrors the spiritual adoption that believers receive through their faith, being welcomed into God’s family with open arms.
The Bible speaks to the significance of adoption in numerous passages, offering encouragement, guidance, and affirmation for those involved in this noble act. Whether you are considering adoption, have already embraced it, or are seeking to understand its biblical perspective, these verses offer a deep well of inspiration and comfort.
Bible Verses About Adoption
God’s Love and Adoption:
1. Ephesians 1:5
“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
2. Galatians 4:5-7
“To redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
3. Romans 8:15
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'”
4. Romans 8:23
“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”
5. 1 John 3:1
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
6. John 1:12
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
7. Isaiah 43:6
“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.”
8. Psalm 68:5-6
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Biblical Examples of Adoption:
1. Exodus 2:10
“When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.'”
2. Esther 2:7
“Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.”
3. Genesis 48:5
“Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.”
4. Ruth 4:16
“Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him.”
5. 2 Samuel 9:11
“Then Ziba said to the king, ‘Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.’ So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.”
6. Genesis 15:3-4
“And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.’ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.'”
7. Numbers 27:7
“‘What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.'”
8. Matthew 1:24-25
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”
Spiritual Adoption:
1. Romans 8:17
“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.”
2. Galatians 4:7
“So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
3. Ephesians 1:11
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
4. Titus 3:7
“So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
5. Hebrews 1:14
“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
6. 1 Peter 1:4
“And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.”
7. Colossians 1:12
“And giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”
8. Revelation 21:7
“Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”
Old Testament Insights on Caring for the Orphaned
1. Deuteronomy 10:18
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.”
2. Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
3. Psalm 82:3
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”
4. Deuteronomy 14:29
“So that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
5. Jeremiah 22:3
“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”
6. Exodus 22:22-23
“Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.”
7. Zechariah 7:10
“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.”
8. Proverbs 23:10-11
“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.”
New Testament Teachings on Adoption and Belonging
1. John 14:18
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
2. James 1:27
“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.”
3. Romans 9:8
“In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
4. Matthew 18:5
“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
5. Galatians 3:26
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.”
6. Matthew 25:40
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”
7. 1 Peter 2:9-10
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
8. Hebrews 2:11
“Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
The Role of Adoption in God’s Plan for Redemption
1. Ephesians 1:7
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
2. Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
3. Romans 3:24
“And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
4. Colossians 1:13-14
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
5. 1 Peter 1:18-19
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
6. Hebrews 9:12
“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
7. Titus 2:14
“Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
8. Revelation 5:9
And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.’
Scripture Encouragement for Adoptive Families and Parents
1. Proverbs 22:6
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
2. Isaiah 54:13
“All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.”
3. Psalm 127:3
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
4. Matthew 18:10
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”
5. 1 Samuel 1:27
“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.”
6. Philippians 4:13
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
7. Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
8. Colossians 3:21
“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
The journey of adoption is both a challenging and rewarding path, reflecting the heart of God’s love and acceptance. The Bible provides a rich tapestry of verses that underscore the importance and sanctity of adopting children into loving families.
Through these scriptures, we are reminded of our own spiritual adoption into God’s family and the call to extend that same grace and love to others. May these verses continue to inspire and guide you in your adoption journey, reaffirming that each act of love and kindness brings us closer to embodying the true essence of our faith.
