adoption.

About adoption

Adoption, in Christian theology, is the reception of a believer into the family of God. In the Reformed ordo salutis, adoption is usually regarded as a step immediately subsequent to justification. As a theological word, adoption has similar connotations to the act of parents who legally take responsibility for a child who was not originally born to them. There are three references in the New Testament to God "adopting" Christians as his own children and one reference to God adopting the "people of Israel". Adoption as a theological term introduces a relational dimension to the consequences of salvation.