8
adoption is viewed from the perspective of the child of God`s being made meet for his
heavenly inheritance, which includes being endowed with the temper and disposition of
his children, consisting in humility, heavenly-mindedness, love to him, dependence upon
him, a zeal for his glory, a likeness to Christ, a having in some measure the same mind in
us which was in him, it in this respect agrees with sanctification.
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Third, the majority of the Puritans support the position of the Westminster
Assembly, stressing that justification and adoption, though intimately related, are two
distinct privileges and ought to be handled separately in theology. For example, in
expounding the Shorter Catechism, Samuel Willard emphasizes that the Bible clearly
distinguishes justification and adoption in Romans 8:14ff., Ephesians 1:5, and elsewhere.
Scripture makes plain that it is one thing to be judged righteous and another to be placed
among God`s children; one thing to have God accept us as a Judge, another to do so as a
Father, with all the love and care that that involves. Justification involves a legal
relationship; adoption, a personal relationship.
These three positions, practically speaking, are not far removed from one another.
Theologically, however, the second, and especially the third, are prone to accent adoption
more biblically. Though both justification and adoption are forensic concepts--the
former derived from the realm of criminal law and the latter from family law--their
practical outworkings differ substantially. Justification in abstraction from adoption
leaves us with a rather bare, legal concept, though, of course, the privilege of having our
sins forgiven and being made acceptable to God must never be underestimated. But
adoption enlarges our understanding of what it means to be acceptable to God. We are
acceptable not simply as moral agents, but as the image-bearers of our Father who are
being subjectively conformed to Christ. We are acceptable as sons of God who have the
privilege of calling God our Father and bearing the responsibility of serving Him as His
children.
Subjectively, of course, believers grow in the knowledge of their adoption, as will
be considered in more detail below.
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Thus, the Puritans taught that adoption in its
objective dimension, related to the believer`s state and to justification, is instantaneous
and complete; in its subjective dimension, related to the believer`s condition and to