υἱοθεσία (placement of a son) is a word that expresses the cultural concept of when a child has matured enough to no longer be required to be under guardians and stewards, he is placed as a son. While the child is an inarticulate babbler, he is under guardians and stewards until the appointed time of the father. During this time the child does not differ from a slave of the household (Galatians 4:1-2). Although typically used of a mature male child, a mature female child could also hold the position in homes that lacked a son.
This aspect is brought over into the Church because all those who are immersed into the Christ (the new creation God made when He raised Christ), are placed as sons.
… while having marked off our bounds to the placement of sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desirous will, Ephesians 1:5.
The significance of this, is that all who are placed as sons are not under law. Those under law, before faith in Christ came, were kept under guardians and tutors (Galatians 3:23-24). When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those who were under law that they should be placed as sons (Galatians 4:4-5). As members of the Church, we did not receive a spirit of bondage, but one of son placement (Romans 8:15). Therefore, we live out from faith (Romans 1:17), not by law for the law does not require faith (Galatians 3:12). The placement of sons actually belongs to Israel but when they rejected righteousness through Christ God opened it up to the Gentiles who accepted the truth (Romans 9:4).
When Paul wrote that our bounds have been marked off to the placement of sons, he was expressing the concept of God’s will in which those who are placed into Christ would not be under law, for they would be given all things pertaining to life and godliness so they can train their senses to distinguish between good and wrong and use the new mind they have to discern the desirous will of God in all situations. That is, they spiritually mature.
As for the erroneous translation of “adoption”, it does not actually mean taking the legal responsibility as a parent of a child that is not a biological child. Rather, “ἄμφανσις – adopt” is used for that concept, where “ἐκποίητος” refers to the one who was given to be adopted. Not only is this a bad translation, but it is also directly refuted by the fact that we are legitimate children of God, for He has placed His seed within us (1 John 3:2,9).
Since we are not under law, we are expected to mature and live righteously. When we do not, God will child-train us to correct our actions (Hebrews 12:5-6). Even to the point of death, for He will not allow us to be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32). Therefore, the placement of sons has nothing to do with the sex of a person, it is a position of maturity. Our standard is the risen, glorified, Christ and we live up to this standard by setting our minds on the things above (Colossians 3:1-2) and lining up our actions with God’s opinion of us in Christ. As we mature, we come to a full experiential knowledge of who we are in Christ so that we are no longer tossed around by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men (Ephesians 4:13-14). To our faith we add virtue, to our virtue knowledge, and to our knowledge we add self-control, and to our self-control we add patience, and to our patience we add godliness, and to our godliness we add fondness and to our fondness we ad love, for while these things exist in us, we will never be unfruitful in the full experiential knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8). But the one who lacks these things has forgotten that Christ cleansed us from our sins (2 Peter 1:9).
Therefore, as sons, let us live out the salvation we have in Christ, not by governing our lives through “do nots” but by manifesting who we are in Christ by loving other saints, doing good to all, and expressing a proper opinion of God through our lives as mature ones by living according to His opinion of us in Christ.
