The Beauty of Adoption In Christ: A Devotional on Westminster Larger Catechism Q.74

The Westminster Larger Catechism has just finished describing justification: God’s gracious act of pardoning our sins and accepting us as righteous for Christ’s sake. But the catechism does not stop with the courtroom. It now ushers us into the living room. Question 74 asks, “What is adoption?” and answers, “Adoption is an act of the free grace of God, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, by which all those who are justified are received into the number of His children; have His name put on them; have the Spirit of His Son given to them; are under His fatherly care and dispensations; are admitted to all the liberties and privileges of the sons of God; and are made heirs of all the promises and fellow heirs with Christ in glory.”

With those words, the catechism reminds us that salvation is far more than a legal transaction. God not only releases the guilty from condemnation; He brings the forgiven into His household. He moves us from the prison to the table, from the judge’s bench to a Father’s embrace. If justification addresses our status, adoption addresses our identity. Justification declares, “You are accepted.” Adoption declares, “You are beloved.” God’s redemptive work is not distant but deeply personal; He draws near, He names, He shepherds, He welcomes. Adoption is that welcome brought to full expression.

The Father Who Receives Us

The catechism begins by saying that adoption is “an act of the free grace of God.” This means that belonging to God’s family is not earned, negotiated, or deserved. It begins entirely by the Father’s loving initiative. Paul writes that “in love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:4-5). Before you ever looked toward heaven, the Father’s heart was already set on you. He does not adopt reluctantly or out of obligation; He adopts because He delights to redeem sinners into His household. Those who are justified, the catechism says, “are received into the number of His children.” This is the language of welcome, not mere tolerance. The Father does not allow forgiven sinners to slip quietly into the back of the kingdom; He opens His arms and receives them as true sons and daughters. John marvels at this when he writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). In Christ, God becomes not only your Judge and Savior but your Father.

 

The Name That Redefines Us

Adoption, the catechism continues, means that believers “have His name put on them.” In Scripture, a name is not a label; it is identity, belonging, and protection. To bear God’s name means that we are marked by His ownership and enveloped in His care. It means that the truest thing about you is not your past, your failures, your achievements, or your struggles, but your relationship to the Father who has claimed you for Himself. This is why Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven.” He is not ashamed to call us His own, and He gives us a new identity rooted in His love rather than our performance. The world urges us to define ourselves by what we accomplish, feel, or pursue, but Scripture insists that our identity begins with the Father’s declaration, “You are Mine.” When God places His name upon a person, He is not offering a metaphor. He is offering Himself. He is saying, “I will be your God, and you will be my child,” and He ties His own glory to the care of those He adopts.

The Spirit Who Makes Us Sons and Daughters

The catechism says that adopted children “have the Spirit of His Son given to them.” This echoes Paul’s words in Galatians 4:6: “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Adoption is not only a legal status but a spiritual reality. The Spirit Himself creates in us the instinctive cry of children who know they are loved. He teaches our hearts to trust the Father, to cling to Him, to run to Him. Apart from the Spirit, “Father” would remain only a title; through the Spirit, “Father” becomes our deepest reality. This means that assurance is not grounded in our feelings but in the Spirit’s witness. Even when you are adrift in fear and anxiety, the Spirit anchors you in the truth of your adoption. His presence is the Father’s pledge that you belong in His family, not temporarily or conditionally, but eternally. And this is where adoption and sanctification meet, for the Spirit who assures us also transforms us. He conforms us to the likeness of the Son whose family we have entered.

The Father’s Care and the Son’s Inheritance

Finally, the catechism says that adopted children “are under His fatherly care and dispensations,” “are admitted to the liberties and privileges of the sons of God,” and “are made heirs of all the promises and fellow heirs with Christ in glory.” To be under the Father’s care means that nothing touches your life apart from His wisdom and love. Jesus reminds His disciples that the Father numbers the hairs on their heads and the smallest sparrow is cared for (Matt. 10:29–31). Everything in your life flows through a Father’s hands. Even His discipline is love, shaping you into holiness and keeping you near His heart (Heb. 12:6). And if you are His child, then you are also His heir. Paul declares that believers are “fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). Everything Christ inherits, He shares. The new creation, resurrection life, the Father’s presence, and eternal joy; these are your inheritance because you belong to the Son who purchased it with His blood. The privileges of God’s family are not temporary comforts but everlasting treasures.

 

Conclusion: Live as One Who Is Loved

The doctrine of adoption invites you to live with a new posture, not of fear, but of freedom; not as a spiritual orphan scrambling for belonging, but as a beloved child whose Father delights to give good gifts. When doubts rise, remember that adoption rests not on your faithfulness but on the Father’s grace. When suffering comes, rest in the Father who governs all things for your good. When sin entangles, run not from God but to Him, for the Father disciplines those He loves. And when the world tempts you to define yourself by anything other than Christ, cling to the name He has placed upon you. In Christ, you are forgiven, welcomed, named, indwelt, protected, and promised glory. You are a child of God. Live today in that assurance. Walk in the freedom of being a son or daughter. And let your heart echo the Spirit’s cry: “Abba, Father.”

Soli Deo Gloria