"To take as one's own . . . Used mostly in family law to refer to the legal and formal acceptance of another's natural or biological child as if that child were your own, with the same rights and responsibilities attached thereto as if the child were your natural child" (Duhaime Legal Dictionary).
"The official transfer through the court system of all of the parental rights that a biological parent has to a child, along with an assumption by the adopting parent of all of the parental rights of the biological parents that are being terminated and are assumed in their entirety by the adoptive parents, including the responsibility for the care and supervision of the child, its nurturing and training, its physical and emotional health, and its financial support" (Adoption.com).
Adoption Redefined
The information below is a result of Erin's quest for knowledge about what it means to be adopted forever. Read on to see what it means to have a forever father.
Forever Father
Written by Erin Miller
Royalty is not just for kings, it is also for the sons and daughters of kings! This concept was initiated at the beginning of time! "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:1-3). God is all-knowing and all-powerful. God is love. God is Father.
Just like earthly fathers should do for their children, God gives His children guidance and direction, and allows His children the ability to make choices, whether right choices or wrong choices. Adam and Eve abused this privilege in the Garden of Eden by making the wrong choice of disobeying God, their Heavenly Father. That disobedience was the first sin.
Sin is something done that does not please God, a wrong-doing. Since that day in the Garden of Eden, people continue to sin. As a result of humanities' sin, God had to make a way for forgiveness. Despite mankind's sinfulness, God displayed unconditional love: "God has sent His only begotten Son into the world . . . In this love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son . . . " (1 John 4:9-10). His Son, the Word, ". . . became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The all-knowing God knew that a sacrifice for my sins and your sins needed to be made, so ". . . when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons . . . and if a son, then an heir through God" (Galatians 4:4-7).
How did God sending His one and only Son to Earth bring forth redemption and the opportunity to become a child of God, an heir? The answer to this question rests in the truth ". . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). As a direct result of Christ's actions, Scripture says, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Saved from what? Saved from an eternity of separation from God in Hell and given the guarantee of an eternity in Heaven with God.
Accepting Christ's gift of salvation (a personal relationship with God on Earth and in Heaven) means that you become a child of God, an heir of His blessings! "For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed' " (Romans 10:11). Christ's crucifixion and resurrection made a way for us to become God's children through adoption. God, our Heavenly Father, chooses to accept us as His sons and daughters - His heirs! The fact that God, who created everything, wants to have a relationship with me and call me "daughter" turned my life around 180 degrees!
An heir of Christ the King makes me not only a daughter, but also a blessed princess! Are you longing for an eternally permanent father? Your Heavenly Father has His arms wide open for you, just waiting for you to accept his gift! Nothing in this world makes me feel more like royalty than being the princess of The King, my Forever Father!
