adoption happens through Jesus Christ. The powerful metaphor of adoption deserves a closer look to understand its social context in the first century and its Old Testament context, before turning to the term’s theological potency. Adoption of adult sons was quite common among gentiles in the New Testament era, while adoption of girls or adult females was rare to nonexistent. The purpose of adoption was to secure the family’s heritage, including a continuation of honoring the traditional gods and
Pages 98–99