Theology not Biology

As we move forward with the adoption process, one of the biggest and most important questions many people may have is, "Why?" "Are you unable to have children of your own?" "If you are able to have children, why would you want to choose adoption instead?" These are all great questions, and I'd like to try and answer them as best I can.

Without going into too much detail, our desire to adopt has nothing to do with an inability to have biological children. For us, "It's not about biology, it's about theology," to quote Tony Merida, author of Orphanology. Adoption for us is not a second choice, it is a first choice because of what it represents.

In Ephesians 5, Paul talks about the mystery of marriage as a living metaphor for the union of Christ and the Church. Because of this profound mystery, marriage is a joyous opportunity for us to be living, breathing Gospel representations to a lost world. We believe that adoption is a similar, if not MORE powerful picture of the Gospel.

It was John Piper, inspired by J.I. Packer, who said that in the order of salvation, "Adoption is not more important than Justification. Both are equally important. But while justification is the head of the Gospel, adoption is the heart of the Gospel." In justification, Christ has taken our sin upon himself and has given us His righteousness in exchange, and that is amazing grace! But in adoption, we become a part of the family of God, and we get to sit at His table as heirs of the Kingdom. That is sweet, amazing grace!

Obviously the Ugandan orphans we will eventually adopt will have absolutely no familial connection to us (other than that we all descend from Adam). And that is what makes this so cool! We believe that adopting is a picture of what the Father has done for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit. He chose us to be his children, a part of His family, while we were yet sinners and therefore utterly foreign to him.

And now every time someone asks why we wanted to adopt, we get to tell them that wonderful true story!