62 得着儿子名分——刚神使衪百姓作衪儿女Adoption - God makes Hispeople His children
《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。
62 得着儿子名分——刚神使衪百姓作衪儿女
Adoption - God makes His people His children
及至时候满足，神就差遣他的儿子，为女子所生，且生在律法以下，要把律法以下的人赎出来，叫我们得着儿子的名分。（加4:4-5）
保罗教导说：，称义（即现今被神——世界的审判者——所接纳）的礼物使我们的得着儿子的名分（即永远与神——天父——亲密，加3:26；4:4-7），而有作神儿子的地位。在保罗的时代，得着儿子的名分通常是指，有好品格的年轻成年男子，变成了富有却无子嗣者的后嗣，好使他的家族姓氏流传下去。可是保罗却宣告说：神满有恩惠地领养坏品格的人，赐予儿子的名分，使他们成为[神的后嗣，和基督同作后嗣。]（罗8:17）
称义是基本的祝福，惟有根据称义，人才拥有儿子的名分；后者是最大的祝福，称义为它开了们。凡肯接待基督的人，都可享受被神领养的地位（约1:12）。信徒被神领养的地位，意味着神在基督里透过基督爱他们，如同祂爱祂自己的独生子那样；又要与他们同享所有现在已属于基督的荣耀（罗8:17；来12:5-11），既然明白神是他们在天上的父，就蒙引导，尤其是蒙耶稣的引导，来渡此一生。祷告时就如同向父亲祷告（太6:5-13），行事效法天父（太5:44-48；6:12,14-15；18:21-35；弗4:32-5:2），信靠祂如同父亲（太6:25-34），这样，圣灵在他们里面所种下的孺慕之情即表露无遗（罗8:15-17；加4:6）。
得儿子的名分与重生彼此相伴，为基督所带来之救恩的两个方面（约1:12-13），但两者又有区分。得儿子的名分是一种关系的赐予，而重生是我们道德本性的转变。不过其间的关联却十分明显；神要祂所爱的儿女拥有祂的性情。并按之表露在行为上。
ADOPTION
GOD MAKES HIS PEOPLE HIS
CHILDREN
But
when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born
under the law... so that we might receive adoption as children. GALATIANS 4:4-5
(NRSV)
Paul
teaches that the gift of justification (i.e., present acceptance by God as the
world’s Judge) brings with it the status of sonship by adoption (i.e.,
permanent intimacy with God as one’s heavenly Father, Gal. 3:26; 4:4-7). In
Paul’s world, adoption was ordinarily of young adult males of good character to
become heirs and maintain the family name of the childless rich. Paul, however,
proclaims God’s gracious adoption of persons of bad character to become “heirs
of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
Justification
is the basic blessing, on which adoption is founded; adoption is the crowning
blessing, to which justification clears the way. Adopted status belongs to all
who receive Christ (John 1:12). The adopted status of believers means that in
and through Christ God loves them as he loves his only-begotten Son and will
share with them all the glory that is Christ’s now (Rom. 8:17, 38-39). Here and
now, believers are under God’s fatherly care and discipline (Matt. 6:26; Heb.
12:5-11) and are directed, especially by Jesus, to live their whole lives in
light of the knowledge that God is their Father in heaven. They are to pray to
him as such (Matt. 6:5-13), imitate him as such (Matt. 5:44-48; 6:12, 14-15;
18:21-35; Eph. 4:32-5:2), and trust him as such (Matt. 6:25-34), thus
expressing the filial instinct that the Holy Spirit has implanted in them (Rom.
8:15-17; Gal. 4:6).
Adoption
and regeneration accompany each other as two aspects of the salvation that
Christ brings (John 1:12-13), but they are to be distinguished. Adoption is the
bestowal of a relationship, while regeneration is the transformation of our
moral nature. Yet the link is evident; God wants his children, whom he loves,
to bear his character, and takes action accordingly.
