Waiting For The Huiothesia

Introduction

Students of the Bible, if they are using an English translation, will find that the word "adoption" has most often been chosen by the English translators to convey the meaning of the Greek word "huiothesia," the word used solely by the Apostle Paul, only five times (with variant case endings) in his epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, and to the Romans. Unless instructed not to do so by a Bible teacher, they will naturally give to the word "adoption" its current definition in the English language, which speaks of the act of taking a child that is not one's own child by birth and making him/her a child by legal process.

Taking this definition and idea into consideration creates an incongruity in the mind of Bible students, for they ask themselves "how can I be an adopted child of God if I am so by birth of the Spirit?" Or, perhaps ask "if I am God's child by birth, what need is there for me to be adopted?"

Doesn't being adopted mean that my legal father is not my actual father by procreation? Whoever in the English speaking world ever had a child that was so by both birth and adoption? Don't all know that one excludes the other?

A search for a solution to this problem is sought, especially by those who are serious and industrious in their Bible studies. Others, sadly, simply accept the solution most often given to the problem, which solution leaves the incongruity in place, and so the Bible student goes on thinking that he is God's child both by birth and by adoption, though such a case is not possible by western ideas about the word "adoption." Simply put, he accepts the contradiction, though often not without some hesitancy and dissatisfaction.

A search, by the more serious Bible student, is made for the views of commentators, translators, and leading interpreters, men and women who are expert in the Greek and English languages. He will discover how the majority of such "scholars" give the English word "adoption" as the correct translation of "huiothesia." Yet, if he is studious enough he will discover that there are a minority of scholars who reject "adoption" as being correct, averring rather that such is even misleading and the cause of the whole knotty problem.

Had none of the five "huiothesia" verses been translated as "adoption" then there would never have been the problem to start with. Discovering the meaning of the Greek word is paramount.

We cannot escape personal responsibility in our Bible studies. Each Bible student must judge of the reliability of "translations," because translations are in fact but "interpretations." I know that those who think that the KJV is without error will not even consider whether "adoption" is correct. Others, thankfully, will be led to  enter more fully into the debate on this matter, and then hopefully come to the truth of the matter by the Holy Spirit and in the fear of God.

In order to give what is to me the correct solution to this incongruity I am publishing these chapters for my book on the subject. I will show that Christians are God's children by birth and not by adoption. I will show that "huiothesia" does not mean "son making" but "son placing."

I give thanks to God for blessing me to see the truth on this subject and for the joy in spirit that it has given to me as I spend my time as a Christian in eager anticipation of "the huiothesia."