Adoption (huiothesia, υἱοθεσία) is an important Pauline metaphor describing our connection with God the Father (as well as with the Son and the Holy Spirit) (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:23). Adoption shows the honor which has been bestowed by the Heavenly Father on those who have been adopted (Garner). DeSilva has shown that honor and dishonor are twin counterparts in understanding New Testament culture. Burke incorporates honor as part of his understanding of Christian adoption, based on the honor ascribed by the Father, a new name given to those who have been adopted, and the incorporation of all believers into one family.

However, the physical adoption of children combines both honor and dishonor, both for the parents and for the children. Although the dishonorable features of adoption are not specifically delineated by Paul, the social metaphor of adoption helps elucidate these. The disruption in the lives of these children with the loss of their birth family, for example, can result in a lifelong dishonor that children carry with them, given their sense of the lack of permanence in relationships. Children who have severed ties to their birth families may question whether this was due to their fault or their own inadequacies (questioning what was wrong with them that their birth parents did not want them).

Therefore, understanding the meaning of one’s adoption by God requires acknowledgement of the dishonorable feature of adoption, both from the theological underpinnings and sociological elements of it. These include (1) the humiliation of Jesus in the incarnation (kenosis), (2) the dishonor of Christ’s death on the cross, (3) the shame associated by adoptees over their birth parents and loss of family name and heritage (including their poverty), (4) the lack of acceptance by non-Christians of the consequences of one’s adoption, along with ensuing suffering, and (5) the reluctance of adoptees to give up their former way of life (and the resulting disobedience). Reflecting on these dishonorable aspects causes the child of God to revel in the mercy and grace shown to him. The complementary nature of the honorable and dishonorable aspects of adoption (based largely on social science) is part of the tapestry of one’s connection with his Heavenly Father.