Home / Topics / Bible Verses for Adoption Struggles
Romans 8:15 says Christians have received "the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Abba is Aramaic — the intimate, informal word a child would use with their father. The New Testament's central metaphor for what God has done for humanity is adoption: taking children who were not his by birth and making them fully, permanently, irrevocably his. Every family attempting to adopt is enacting in the physical world what God does in the spiritual one. The difficulty is real. So is the theology behind it.
Get These Verses Daily — Free“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Paul's word for adoption — huiothesia — is a precise Roman legal term for making a non-biological child fully and permanently your own with all legal rights. God chose this term deliberately. Adoption is not a lesser relationship in God's economy.
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”
The phrase 'good pleasure of his will' — eudokian — means delight, pleasure, joyful intention. God adopted because he wanted to, because it was his delight. The adoptive parent who chooses a child reflects the same movement.
“God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”
The Hebrew word for 'setteth' means to establish as a resident, to cause to dwell. The solitary child placed in a family is an act God himself performs. Adoption is not a workaround — it is God's method.
“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
Three verbs: created, redeemed, called by name. Then the possessive: 'thou art mine.' This is the structure of adoption — specific identity given, specific name spoken, specific claim made. God demonstrates the pattern.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
The right to be God's children is given to those who receive — who take hold of — Christ. Not by birth. Not by lineage. By reception. The parallel to adoption is structural: the child is taken in, and full sonship follows.
Ephesians 1:5 says God "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." The word translated "adoption" — huiothesia — is a specific legal term in Roman law: the formal act of taking a child not born to you and establishing them with full legal rights as your own. Paul chose this legal term deliberately. God's adoption of believers is not metaphorical generosity — it is a legally precise, binding commitment with full rights and standing. What adoptive parents do in courtrooms is a reflection of this.
Isaiah 43:1 — "I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine" — is God speaking to Israel, a people he formed and claimed. The claiming of a specific name, followed by the possessive "thou art mine," is the structure of adoption: a specific child, a specific name, a specific and binding claim.
Commentary is from a charismatic Protestant perspective, drawing on KJV text and public-domain sources including Spurgeon, Andrew Murray, and Matthew Henry.
John 1:12 gives the right to become children of God to "as many as received him" — a phrase that is deliberately unconditional. The right is extended by reception, not by birth. The word "received" — elabon — means to take hold of, to receive actively. The parallel to adoption is exact: the child is taken, received, brought in. And the result is sonship — not servanthood, not visitation rights, but full children.
One verse per day. Free for 2 months. No spam — just Scripture in your inbox before the day begins.
Subscribe Free →No credit card · Unsubscribe any time
If these verses helped you, your story could encourage someone else going through the same thing.
Not sure this is the right topic for you?
Answer 2 questions and we'll find the verse that meets you where you are.
Take the Topic Finder Quiz →Family & Relationships
Biblical wisdom for navigating family bonds, honoring parents, and loving those closest to you.
💍Marriage & Partnership
What Scripture teaches about covenant love, mutual sacrifice, and building a marriage that reflects God's own faithfulness.
🤝Friendship & Community
The Bible's surprisingly high vision for friendship — covenant bonds, loyal love, and what it means to truly know and be known.