children. Today, in the mind of some, to be adopted regrettably speaks of a lower position. This unfortunate caricature may cause some to view adoption in a negative manner, but in first-century Rome, adoption was a high honor. Adoption in that ancient culture was not seen as second rate, but rather as a necessary privilege of the first order. With this biblical term for salvation, the original first-century understanding is far more powerful than our modern, English equivalent. “Adoption” (huiothesia)