Category Archives: What The Bible Says

What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child?

What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child? By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child?

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child?

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Adopting A Child

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Also Read

What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption?

What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption? By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption?

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption?

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Putting Up A Child For Adoption

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Also Read

Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity?

Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity? By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity?

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity?

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Group 3 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Group 4 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Group 5 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Group 6 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Group 7 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 8 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Group 9 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 10 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Group 11 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 12 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 13 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Group 14 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Group 15 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Group 16 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Group 17 – Is Adoption Biblical And Allowed In Christianity

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Also Read

What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God?

What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God? By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God?

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God?

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Group 3 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Group 4 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Group 5 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Group 6 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Group 7 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Group 8 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Group 9 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 10 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Group 11 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Group 12 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 13 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Group 14 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Group 15 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Group 16 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Group 17 – What Does It Mean To Be Adopted By God

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Also Read

What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible?

What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible? By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible?

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible?

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Group 3 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Group 4 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Group 5 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Group 6 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Group 7 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Group 8 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Group 9 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Group 10 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Group 11 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 12 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Group 13 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Group 14 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Group 15 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Group 16 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Group 17 – What Is The Special Privilege Of Adoption In The Bible

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

Also Read

Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Discover Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible. By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Group 3 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Group 4 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Group 5 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Group 6 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Group 7 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 8 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Group 9 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Group 10 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Group 11 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 12 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 13 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Group 14 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Group 15 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Group 16 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Group 17 – Christian Adoption Stories In The Bible

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

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What Does The Bible Say About Adoption?

What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

What Does The Bible Say About Adoption? By definition or in meaningful words, adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or parents or legal parents. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” The Bible encourages and commands parents to take responsibility for providing for their relatives and households. Sadly, we are in a world where stories of mothers, fathers, and parents as a whole maltreating and/or killing their children for one reason to another are alarming. In fact, child abandonment is not something that is strange in this world. We regularly hear stories of some women/mothers giving birth and abandoning their children. Some of these children end up dying while others are rescued.

Pertaining to all these, giving up children for adoption can be a loving alternative for those parents who may, for several reasons, be unable to care for their own children. Many couples who have not been able to have children of their own see adoption as a blessing. Adoption is, for some couples, a godly calling to multiply their impact as parents by expanding their family with children who are not biologically their own. Notice that adoption is spoken of favorably throughout Scripture. God’s adoption of mankind through Christ is the heart of the Gospel.
Galatians 4:4-8 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, …

What Does The Bible Say About Adoption?

What Does Scripture Say About Adoption?

The most meaningful, strongest, and deepest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. God’s act of adopting humans through Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. In fact, Galatians 4:4-8 is as central a Gospel statement as there is: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

In addition to using the concept of adoption to explain how He saved us or how we became part of His family, the Lord God makes use of the language of New Birth in Jesus Christ. John 1:9-13 says, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Amazingly, the Lord God chose to speak of us as adopted as well as children by a new birth through Christ.

Where is Adoption first mentioned in the Bible?

The first time we clearly read about adoption in the Bible is in Exodus 2. Fascinatingly, Israel’s great leader, Moses who brought them out of captivity and into the Promised Land was adopted. Before his birth, a wicked and evil Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male children who were born should be thrown into the Nile River. Think about the number of children that were killed. Many innocent lives were taken before they were able to even have a chance at life. Behold, Moses was born into a world where being a male baby was a dangerous thing. God’s solution to this killing in the case of Moses was adoption. Moses was hidden on the riverbed and risked dying. It’s amazing how our sovereign and loving God orchestrated it so he would be saved. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:21).

Adoption in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

In the New Testament, several Apostles of Christ make use of the term “adoption” to describe our salvation or right to belong to God’s Family and as such be called children of God in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In the Old Testament, the word “adoption” does not appear. The legal aspects of adoption were not outlined in the Jewish Law, but it was likely practiced; as observed in the life of Moses and also in the story of Esther (Esther 2:7). Notice that adoption in the Bible incorporates both a legal aspect and a spiritual aspect. Legally, it’s simply having a new family. Spiritually, it’s a beautiful picture of our Salvation.

Adoption Stories in the Bible (Who was Adopted in the Bible?)

As previously mentioned, the story of Moses is the very first time where adoption is clearly portrayed in the Bible. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, we see other examples of adoption. Esther who became queen was adopted by her uncle (Esther 2:7), Mordecai. Another example is that of the children of Israel. On several occasions, the Lord God refers to Himself as their “Father” (Isaiah 1:2; Hosea 11:1). And today, He is a Father to all those who come to Him through Christ. In the New Testament, we find an amazing example of Adoption. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was adopted by Joseph. Notice that Mary’s husband, Joseph, was not Jesus’ true Father but the Holy Spirit was (Matthew 1:18). Knowing this, Joseph still took Jesus in as his own. What an example of adoption we have here!

What does the Bible say about Adoption and Orphans?

Before the world was created or from the very beginning, adoption was in God’s plan. And as such, the Lord God has had a lot to say about adoption. Let’s take a look at a few Biblical verses in order to understand what God is saying about Orphans and Adoption:

1) God is a Father to the Fatherless and He Cares for Lonely Children (Psalm 68:5-6)

Psalm 68:5-6 says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

2) God Defends the Fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18)

Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

3) God Commands us to Care for Orphans (James 1:27)

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

4) Welcoming and Caring for Children is Welcoming and Caring for Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:5)

Matthew 18:5 says, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

5) Participating in Orphan Care is a Christian Duty (Isaiah 1:17)

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.

6) It’s a Christian duty to stand for the rights of the silent, weak, and vulnerable in society (Proverbs 31:8)

Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

7) Adoption is the heart of the Holy Gospel (Ephesians 1:5)

Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

8) The Lord God watches over Orphans (Psalm 146:9)

Psalm 146:9 says, “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

9) It’s our Christian duty to Love and Care for one another (Matthew 25:40)

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Mark 12:30-31 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

10) Through Jesus Christ we are made Children of God (Galatians 4:4-5)

Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 12:50 says, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Biblical Facts from Adoption Stories in the Bible

1) Moses in the Biblical Book of Exodus was Adopted (Exodus 2)

Although adoption may be hard, it may turn out to be the best choice for you and your child. Notice that this was the case with Moses and his parents. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the killing of every Hebrew son. Fearful for her son’s life, Jochebed hid him in a basket made of reeds and left him on the riverbed, knowing that the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe there. As hoped, Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby when she came to wash at the river. She took the baby into her family to raise him as her own, giving him the name Moses. Later on, Moses grew up to be Israel’s leader and a faithful servant of God.

Moses is most commonly known for leading the Exodus of the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea after which he received the famous Ten (10) Commandments from God. From the tale or Biblical account of Moses, we clearly observe that even though Jochebed’s decision was not easy, she knew and clearly understood what the best choice was for her beloved son. Thanks to her brave decision, Moses grew up to serve the Lord God and his people as an important leader and prophet.

2) Esther’s Transformation from Orphan to Queen (Esther 2)

There are situations in which adoption can give your child his or her best chance as was the case with Esther. Sadly, it so happen that tragedy struck Esther at an early age. Following the death of both parents, she became an orphan. Luckily for Esther, her cousin, Mordecai, lovingly invited her into his family through adoption. This very act gave her a new chance at life. Later on, she got married to the king who was enchanted by her beauty.

However, following a disagreement with Mordecai, the king decided to not only kill Mordecai but also, the entire Jewish community. At this point, Esther who was the queen was forced to bravely plead with her husband, the king, to spare her people. She clearly knew that going before the king without invitation might mean losing her own life. But, after pleading for the safety of the Jewish people, the king gave her a listening ear and removed the death sentence. We see in this story how the Lord God was able to work through Esther and bring deliverance to the Jewish people. Notice that all of these would have likely not been possible if it were not for Mordecai. If it were not for the love of her adopted parents, Esther would not have been given a fair chance and could not have freed her people.

3) Joseph Accepted Jesus as his own (Matthew 1)

The godly and/or right adoptive parents would love and treat your child as their own as was the case with Jesus. They will teach your child the ways of God in line with Deuteronomy 11:18-19: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In Matthew 1:18, Jesus Christ was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Notice that even though Jesus was not his son, Joseph, a godly man, adopted Jesus as if He was his own.

Joseph together with Mary raised Jesus Christ and became part of the story that changed the whole world. In Joseph’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord God, he cared for, supported, protected, and loved baby Jesus just as a natural father would do for his own. When king Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary protected Him by fleeing with Him to Egypt. This incredible example shows the extent to which a godly adoptive parent loves an adopted child as their own.

4) The Lord God Adopts us into His Spiritual Family (Ephesians 1:5)

Behold, the Bible is the greatest story of adoption! Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight.” Brethren, the Gospel is the story of adoption. As Christians, we are all adopted into God’s spiritual family as His children. Through Christ, we are welcomed with love into God’s family. The Bible clearly makes use of the term “adoption” to portray what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

What Does The Bible Say About Adoption?

Ephesians 1:5 – “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Matthew 18:5 – “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Galatians 4:5-7 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 9:8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Acts 7:21 – “And when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

Esther 2:7 – “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Galatians 3:26 – “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

1 John 3:1 – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:14-19 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ...”

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

John 1:13 – “Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Psalm 68:5-6 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

John 1:12-13 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Deuteronomy 10:18 – “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 8:23 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Galatians 4:5 – “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Hosea 14:3 – “Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

1 Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 82:3 – “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Ephesians 2:19 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 11:1 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Hebrews 2:13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Proverbs 14:26 – “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

2 Samuel 7:14 – “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Exodus 4:22 – “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,

Galatians 3:29 – “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Jeremiah 3:19 – “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Ephesians 3:6 – “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Proverbs 31:8 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

Philippians 2:15 – “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Romans 8:14-17 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Hebrews 12:7 – “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 21:7 – “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Isaiah 43:7 – “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Galatians 4:6 – “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Acts 15:17 – “That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

1 Chronicles 22:10 – “He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

Isaiah 8:18 – “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Isaiah 63:8For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

Numbers 6:27 – “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Genesis 48:14 – “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).”

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Genesis 48:16 – “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

1 John 3:10 – “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Exodus 2:1-25 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Exodus 2:5-10 – “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. …

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Romans 9:26 – “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Matthew 5:45 – “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 8:21 – “That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Matthew 12:50 – “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 1:18 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Psalm 127:3 – “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Hebrews 2:11 – “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

Genesis 15:2-4But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Ephesians 1:1-23 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …

Exodus 2:1-10 – “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. …

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Ephesians 4:1-32 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ...”

Luke 11:27-28 – “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. …“”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Job 24:9 – “(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.)

Romans 9:1-33 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. …

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

1 John 2:23-29 – “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ...”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Nehemiah 1:5And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Numbers 10:28-32 – “This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. …

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

Romans 11:17 – “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,”

Galatians 4:17-31 – “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? …

Acts 17:28For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Joel 3:16 – “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.”

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Adoption

John 8:35 – “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

Lamentations 2:20 – “Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Jeremiah 29:10-31:9 – “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. ...”

Also Read

Is Depression A Sin In The Bible?

Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Is Depression A Sin In The Bible? As a matter of fact, depression is a widespread condition that’s affecting many people, Christians and non-Christians alike. People suffering from depression are likely to experience intense feelings of hopelessness, sadness, anger, fatigue, and several other symptoms. In addition, depressed people may begin to feel useless and suicidal, losing interest in people and things that they once enjoyed. Depression is known to be often triggered by life circumstances, such as a loss of job, divorce, death of a loved one, or psychological problems such as low-self esteem or abuse. Amazingly, the Bible instructs and encourages us to be filled with joy and praise (Philippians 4:4; Romans 15:11). This is a clear indication that the Lord God Almighty intends for all of us to live joyful lives.

Situational depression can be remedied through God’s beautiful gifts of prayer, Bible study, and application, fellowship among believers, support groups, counseling, confession, and forgiveness. Let’s make the conscious effort not to be absorbed in ourselves, but to turn our efforts outward. Depressed individuals can overcome feelings of depression by moving the focus from themselves to Christ and other Christian brethren. Clinical depression is a physical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. Such may not be caused by unfortunate life circumstances, nor can its symptoms be alleviated by a person’s own will. Contrary to what some people in the Christian community believe, clinical depression is not always caused by sin. There are situations in which depression is caused by a physical disorder and needs to be treated with counseling and/or medication.
And of course, the Lord God is able to cure any disease or disorder. Nevertheless, in some cases, seeing a doctor for depression is no different than seeing a doctor for an injury sustained.

Is Depression A Sin In The Bible?

It’s important for us to know what the Bible says about depression because confusion and frustration can grow out of the chorus of voices in the public from people who claim to understand depression. Psychology and neuroscience offer many theories. Unfortunately, not all of them are actually based on facts and others are void of faith. Take note that depression is not just a medical or mental problem, but it’s often a being human problem. While emotional, situational, and medical problems can and often do contribute to depression, for others, this illness has significant spiritual components. Proverbs 12:25 clearly talks of depression, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad” (NKJV). From the Divinely inspired wisdom of Solomon, it’s clear that a heart full of anxiety is the culprit.
Likewise, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ says in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ equally said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). People suffering from depression can find hope, comfort, relief, and joy in Biblical foundations. They can as well find examples of Biblically depressed characters or stories in the Bible where certain people experienced depression: Moses (Numbers 11: 10-16), David (Psalm 51; Psalm 32: 1-5), Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18), Job, Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11), Psalmist (Psalm 73). Although being depressed is not a sin, we are accountable for the response.

Biblical Encouraging Facts About Depression That Will Help Us Through Our Darkest Hours

1) We should not be Afraid or Discouraged because God is with Us (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Although depression can make us feel lonely, we should remember that the Lord God Almighty is still with us. As Christians, we should remember that the good news is that the Lord God is with us at all times.

2) Despite the Challenges of Life we should Acknowledge the Good things as a way of staying Positive and Uplifting our Spirits (Philippians 4:8)

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Although there may be difficult or dark times in this life, as Christians, we should take time to be grateful as we reflect on things that are good. This will help us lift our spirits and stay positive knowing that all things happen for the good of those who love God. In support, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” With this in mind, we shouldn’t allow our situations to discourage or make us anxious.

3) We can do all things through Christ who is our Strength (Philippians 4:13)

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Unfortunately, depression can drain your energy and make it feel almost impossible to accomplish even simple daily tasks. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches and reminds us that Christ is always there to strengthen us. Through Christ, we can find the strength and light to successfully go through even the darkest moments of life.

4) Trouble is bound to come in this life but we remain Conquerors in Christ (John 16:33)

John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”
John 17:15 says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
Brethren, trouble is bound to come in this life but the good news is that we remain conquerors in Christ. Knowing that we will experience difficult, challenging, hard, or troublesome moments in this life, Jesus Christ has reassured us of His eternal peace. Behold, these comforting words can be a source of strength. And as such, through faith Christians can overcome the obstacles in life.

5) The Lord God Almighty has a Plan for you and for me (Jeremiah 29:11)

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Irrespective of what you are going through, remember as a Christian that there are better times ahead. The Lord God has a plan for each and every one of us. We should keep this in mind even if the current circumstances are proving difficult.

6) Our Lord and Savior is ready and willing to give us Rest (Matthew 11:28)

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The feelings of depression can be a heavy burden to carry, and many depressed people make the mistake of thinking that it’s a burden they must carry all alone. Scripture teaches and reminds us that Jesus Christ is willing and ready to lift our burdens and provide relief whenever we come to Him.

7) We should trust in the Lord God for Help, Guidance, and Direction (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
In the struggle with depression, it can be difficult to understand why one is feeling certain emotions. However, Scripture teaches and reminds us that the way forward is by trusting the Lord God to provide help, guidance, and direction.

8) Jesus Christ Cares (1 Peter 5:7)

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Depression and anxiety can be terrible and isolating experiences. However, Jesus Christ is there, and He cares about you and me. In fact, He cares about our well-being, and as such, we can turn to Him for help with whatever may be worrying us.

9) The Lord God is our Strength in the face of Oppression (Psalm 9:9)

Psalm 9:9 says, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Brethren, let’s find our strength in the Lord God and not allow oppression to lead us into depression. Although depression can be so troublesome to the point of making us feel as though we are weighed down and worthless, we should remember that the Lord God is always there to support and comfort us.

10) Let’s seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
By focusing on God and placing Him first in our lives, we are handing over to Him the control of our lives. And as such, we are making Him or trusting Him to be our comforter, provider, protector, and strength.

11) We must be Strong and Courageous in the face of Challenges because God is with us (Joshua 1:9)

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
As Christians, it’s important for us to understand that the Lord God is with us wherever we go. He is with us even when we are facing challenges and feel or think He is not. And as such, when struggling with depression and/or other mental health concerns, we should trust Him to help us because He is with us, willing and ready to help. Scripture teaches and reminds us that we are not alone.

12) Let’s Wait Patiently for the Lord God to intervene in our cases (Psalm 40:1-2)

Psalm 40:1-2 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”
Depressed people are likely to feel as though they are in a pit where all hope is lost. Amazingly, the Lord God is willing and ready to rescue us from the deepest of pits and make us regain stability once again. Through faith in Him, we can find hope, joy, and stability once again.

13) God Loves us and wants the best for us (Romans 8:38-39)

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The love that the Lord God has for us is steadfast. And as such, absolutely nothing can change or affect it.

14) The Lord God is our Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
No matter the challenging situations that we are going through, we should trust God to comfort us. The Lord God is our comforter in times f trouble. And anyone who trusts in Him will find relief and joy. Struggles are part of life, but as long as the Lord God Almighty is part of our lives, He will provide us with strength and comfort.

15) Let’s Trust God’s Word in the face of Temptations and Challenges (1 Corinthians 10:13)

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Emotions can lead us astray, but the Lord God’s Word stands firm and unchanging. And as such, we must maintain a strong faith in the Lord God and hold even more tightly to Him when we undergo trials and temptations. Scripture teaches and reminds us that the Lord God will never allow temptations into our lives that are too much or more than us to handle. The Word of God alleviates anxiety and brings hope with joy.

Is Depression A Sin In The Bible?

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad“.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Corinthians 7:6 – “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

Psalm 34:17-18 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Group 1 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Psalm 30:5 – “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 143:7-8 – “Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Group 2 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Psalm 9:9 – “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 3:3 – “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

Psalm 30:11 – “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

Isaiah 26:3 – “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Group 3 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Psalm 102:1-11 – “A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. …

Group 4 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Psalm 40:1-3 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Group 5 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Jeremiah 1:19 – “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 139:1-24 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. …

Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …

Group 6 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Psalm 42:11 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

1 Peter 1:13-16 – “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Psalm 77:4 – “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Psalm 40:2 – “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Group 7 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

2 Samuel 22:29 – “For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.”

Psalm 103:1-5 – “Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Matthew 28:20 – “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Group 8 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Psalm 32:10 – “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Psalm 34:17 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

2 Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Psalm 37:23-24 – “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Proverbs 15:13 – “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

Group 9 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

2 Corinthians 1:4-6 – “Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”

Habakkuk 3:16-19 – “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

Group 10 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

John 10:27-31 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Psalm 27:1-14 – “Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. …

Group 11 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Psalm 94:18-19 – “When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 34:18-19 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

2 Samuel 22:2He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,”

Psalm 42:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

1 Peter 4:12-13 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

Psalm 112:4 – “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Group 12 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

Romans 13:14 – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Matthew 6:27 – “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 – “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Lamentations 3:22-26 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Group 13 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Lamentations 3:31-33 – “For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Psalm 43:4-5 – “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Psalm 37:3-4 – “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – “But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”

Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Group 14 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Psalm 43:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Psalm 42:3-5 – “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Psalm 94:19 – “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Luke 10:27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Group 15 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Psalm 31:21 – “Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.”

1 John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

2 Peter 2:9 – “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Ephesians 2:6 – “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 16 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

Deuteronomy 33:27 – “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.”

Psalm 31:1-24 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. …

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 – “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

John 1:1-51 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …

Group 17 – Is Depression A Sin In The Bible

1 Kings 19:1-21 – “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” …

Proverbs 17:9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

Isaiah 40:30-31 – “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 9:1 – “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

Also Read

What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication?

What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication? As a matter of fact, depression is a widespread condition that’s affecting many people, Christians and non-Christians alike. People suffering from depression are likely to experience intense feelings of hopelessness, sadness, anger, fatigue, and several other symptoms. In addition, depressed people may begin to feel useless and suicidal, losing interest in people and things that they once enjoyed. Depression is known to be often triggered by life circumstances, such as a loss of job, divorce, death of a loved one, or psychological problems such as low-self esteem or abuse. Amazingly, the Bible instructs and encourages us to be filled with joy and praise (Philippians 4:4; Romans 15:11). This is a clear indication that the Lord God Almighty intends for all of us to live joyful lives.

Situational depression can be remedied through God’s beautiful gifts of prayer, Bible study, and application, fellowship among believers, support groups, counseling, confession, and forgiveness. Let’s make the conscious effort not to be absorbed in ourselves, but to turn our efforts outward. Depressed individuals can overcome feelings of depression by moving the focus from themselves to Christ and other Christian brethren. Clinical depression is a physical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. Such may not be caused by unfortunate life circumstances, nor can its symptoms be alleviated by a person’s own will. Contrary to what some people in the Christian community believe, clinical depression is not always caused by sin. There are situations in which depression is caused by a physical disorder and needs to be treated with counseling and/or medication.
And of course, the Lord God is able to cure any disease or disorder. Nevertheless, in some cases, seeing a doctor for depression is no different than seeing a doctor for an injury sustained.

What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication?

It’s important for us to know what the Bible says about depression because confusion and frustration can grow out of the chorus of voices in the public from people who claim to understand depression. Psychology and neuroscience offer many theories. Unfortunately, not all of them are actually based on facts and others are void of faith. Take note that depression is not just a medical or mental problem, but it’s often a being human problem. While emotional, situational, and medical problems can and often do contribute to depression, for others, this illness has significant spiritual components. Proverbs 12:25 clearly talks of depression, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad” (NKJV). From the Divinely inspired wisdom of Solomon, it’s clear that a heart full of anxiety is the culprit.
Likewise, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ says in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ equally said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). People suffering from depression can find hope, comfort, relief, and joy in Biblical foundations. They can as well find examples of Biblically depressed characters or stories in the Bible where certain people experienced depression: Moses (Numbers 11: 10-16), David (Psalm 51; Psalm 32: 1-5), Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18), Job, Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11), Psalmist (Psalm 73). Although being depressed is not a sin, we are accountable for the response.

Biblical Encouraging Facts About Depression That Will Help Us Through Our Darkest Hours

1) We should not be Afraid or Discouraged because God is with Us (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Although depression can make us feel lonely, we should remember that the Lord God Almighty is still with us. As Christians, we should remember that the good news is that the Lord God is with us at all times.

2) Despite the Challenges of Life we should Acknowledge the Good things as a way of staying Positive and Uplifting our Spirits (Philippians 4:8)

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Although there may be difficult or dark times in this life, as Christians, we should take time to be grateful as we reflect on things that are good. This will help us lift our spirits and stay positive knowing that all things happen for the good of those who love God. In support, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” With this in mind, we shouldn’t allow our situations to discourage or make us anxious.

3) We can do all things through Christ who is our Strength (Philippians 4:13)

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Unfortunately, depression can drain your energy and make it feel almost impossible to accomplish even simple daily tasks. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches and reminds us that Christ is always there to strengthen us. Through Christ, we can find the strength and light to successfully go through even the darkest moments of life.

4) Trouble is bound to come in this life but we remain Conquerors in Christ (John 16:33)

John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”
John 17:15 says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
Brethren, trouble is bound to come in this life but the good news is that we remain conquerors in Christ. Knowing that we will experience difficult, challenging, hard, or troublesome moments in this life, Jesus Christ has reassured us of His eternal peace. Behold, these comforting words can be a source of strength. And as such, through faith Christians can overcome the obstacles in life.

5) The Lord God Almighty has a Plan for you and for me (Jeremiah 29:11)

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Irrespective of what you are going through, remember as a Christian that there are better times ahead. The Lord God has a plan for each and every one of us. We should keep this in mind even if the current circumstances are proving difficult.

6) Our Lord and Savior is ready and willing to give us Rest (Matthew 11:28)

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The feelings of depression can be a heavy burden to carry, and many depressed people make the mistake of thinking that it’s a burden they must carry all alone. Scripture teaches and reminds us that Jesus Christ is willing and ready to lift our burdens and provide relief whenever we come to Him.

7) We should trust in the Lord God for Help, Guidance, and Direction (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
In the struggle with depression, it can be difficult to understand why one is feeling certain emotions. However, Scripture teaches and reminds us that the way forward is by trusting the Lord God to provide help, guidance, and direction.

8) Jesus Christ Cares (1 Peter 5:7)

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Depression and anxiety can be terrible and isolating experiences. However, Jesus Christ is there, and He cares about you and me. In fact, He cares about our well-being, and as such, we can turn to Him for help with whatever may be worrying us.

9) The Lord God is our Strength in the face of Oppression (Psalm 9:9)

Psalm 9:9 says, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Brethren, let’s find our strength in the Lord God and not allow oppression to lead us into depression. Although depression can be so troublesome to the point of making us feel as though we are weighed down and worthless, we should remember that the Lord God is always there to support and comfort us.

10) Let’s seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
By focusing on God and placing Him first in our lives, we are handing over to Him the control of our lives. And as such, we are making Him or trusting Him to be our comforter, provider, protector, and strength.

11) We must be Strong and Courageous in the face of Challenges because God is with us (Joshua 1:9)

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
As Christians, it’s important for us to understand that the Lord God is with us wherever we go. He is with us even when we are facing challenges and feel or think He is not. And as such, when struggling with depression and/or other mental health concerns, we should trust Him to help us because He is with us, willing and ready to help. Scripture teaches and reminds us that we are not alone.

12) Let’s Wait Patiently for the Lord God to intervene in our cases (Psalm 40:1-2)

Psalm 40:1-2 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”
Depressed people are likely to feel as though they are in a pit where all hope is lost. Amazingly, the Lord God is willing and ready to rescue us from the deepest of pits and make us regain stability once again. Through faith in Him, we can find hope, joy, and stability once again.

13) God Loves us and wants the best for us (Romans 8:38-39)

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The love that the Lord God has for us is steadfast. And as such, absolutely nothing can change or affect it.

14) The Lord God is our Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
No matter the challenging situations that we are going through, we should trust God to comfort us. The Lord God is our comforter in times f trouble. And anyone who trusts in Him will find relief and joy. Struggles are part of life, but as long as the Lord God Almighty is part of our lives, He will provide us with strength and comfort.

15) Let’s Trust God’s Word in the face of Temptations and Challenges (1 Corinthians 10:13)

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Emotions can lead us astray, but the Lord God’s Word stands firm and unchanging. And as such, we must maintain a strong faith in the Lord God and hold even more tightly to Him when we undergo trials and temptations. Scripture teaches and reminds us that the Lord God will never allow temptations into our lives that are too much or more than us to handle. The Word of God alleviates anxiety and brings hope with joy.

What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication?

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad“.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Corinthians 7:6 – “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

Psalm 34:17-18 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Psalm 30:5 – “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 143:7-8 – “Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Psalm 9:9 – “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 3:3 – “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

Psalm 30:11 – “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

Isaiah 26:3 – “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Psalm 102:1-11 – “A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. …

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Psalm 40:1-3 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …

Jeremiah 1:19 – “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 139:1-24 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. …

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Psalm 77:4 – “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Psalm 40:2 – “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Psalm 42:11 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

1 Peter 1:13-16 – “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Matthew 28:20 – “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2 Samuel 22:29 – “For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.”

Psalm 103:1-5 – “Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Psalm 34:17 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

2 Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Psalm 37:23-24 – “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Proverbs 15:13 – “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

Psalm 32:10 – “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

2 Corinthians 1:4-6 – “Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”

Habakkuk 3:16-19 – “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

John 10:27-31 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Psalm 27:1-14 – “Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. …

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

1 Peter 4:12-13 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

Psalm 112:4 – “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Psalm 94:18-19 – “When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 34:18-19 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

2 Samuel 22:2He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,”

Psalm 42:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Lamentations 3:22-26 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

Romans 13:14 – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Matthew 6:27 – “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 – “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Lamentations 3:31-33 – “For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Psalm 43:4-5 – “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Psalm 37:3-4 – “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – “But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”

Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Psalm 94:19 – “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Luke 10:27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Psalm 43:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Psalm 42:3-5 – “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Psalm 31:21 – “Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.”

1 John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

2 Peter 2:9 – “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Ephesians 2:6 – “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 16 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

Deuteronomy 33:27 – “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.”

Psalm 31:1-24 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. …

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 – “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

John 1:1-51 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …

Group 17 – What Does The Bible Say About Depression Medication

1 Kings 19:1-21 – “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” …

Proverbs 17:9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

Isaiah 40:30-31 – “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 9:1 – “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

Also Read

How To Overcome Depression Biblically

How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Learn How To Overcome Depression Biblically. As a matter of fact, depression is a widespread condition that’s affecting many people, Christians and non-Christians alike. People suffering from depression are likely to experience intense feelings of hopelessness, sadness, anger, fatigue, and several other symptoms. In addition, depressed people may begin to feel useless and suicidal, losing interest in people and things that they once enjoyed. Depression is known to be often triggered by life circumstances, such as a loss of job, divorce, death of a loved one, or psychological problems such as low-self esteem or abuse. Amazingly, the Bible instructs and encourages us to be filled with joy and praise (Philippians 4:4; Romans 15:11). This is a clear indication that the Lord God Almighty intends for all of us to live joyful lives.

Situational depression can be remedied through God’s beautiful gifts of prayer, Bible study, and application, fellowship among believers, support groups, counseling, confession, and forgiveness. Let’s make the conscious effort not to be absorbed in ourselves, but to turn our efforts outward. Depressed individuals can overcome feelings of depression by moving the focus from themselves to Christ and other Christian brethren. Clinical depression is a physical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. Such may not be caused by unfortunate life circumstances, nor can its symptoms be alleviated by a person’s own will. Contrary to what some people in the Christian community believe, clinical depression is not always caused by sin. There are situations in which depression is caused by a physical disorder and needs to be treated with counseling and/or medication.
And of course, the Lord God is able to cure any disease or disorder. Nevertheless, in some cases, seeing a doctor for depression is no different than seeing a doctor for an injury sustained.

How To Overcome Depression Biblically

It’s important for us to know what the Bible says about depression because confusion and frustration can grow out of the chorus of voices in the public from people who claim to understand depression. Psychology and neuroscience offer many theories. Unfortunately, not all of them are actually based on facts and others are void of faith. Take note that depression is not just a medical or mental problem, but it’s often a being human problem. While emotional, situational, and medical problems can and often do contribute to depression, for others, this illness has significant spiritual components. Proverbs 12:25 clearly talks of depression, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad” (NKJV). From the Divinely inspired wisdom of Solomon, it’s clear that a heart full of anxiety is the culprit.
Likewise, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ says in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ equally said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). People suffering from depression can find hope, comfort, relief, and joy in Biblical foundations. They can as well find examples of Biblically depressed characters or stories in the Bible where certain people experienced depression: Moses (Numbers 11: 10-16), David (Psalm 51; Psalm 32: 1-5), Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18), Job, Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11), Psalmist (Psalm 73). Although being depressed is not a sin, we are accountable for the response.

Biblical Encouraging Facts About Depression That Will Help Us Through Our Darkest Hours

1) We should not be Afraid or Discouraged because God is with Us (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Although depression can make us feel lonely, we should remember that the Lord God Almighty is still with us. As Christians, we should remember that the good news is that the Lord God is with us at all times.

2) Despite the Challenges of Life we should Acknowledge the Good things as a way of staying Positive and Uplifting our Spirits (Philippians 4:8)

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Although there may be difficult or dark times in this life, as Christians, we should take time to be grateful as we reflect on things that are good. This will help us lift our spirits and stay positive knowing that all things happen for the good of those who love God. In support, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” With this in mind, we shouldn’t allow our situations to discourage or make us anxious.

3) We can do all things through Christ who is our Strength (Philippians 4:13)

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Unfortunately, depression can drain your energy and make it feel almost impossible to accomplish even simple daily tasks. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches and reminds us that Christ is always there to strengthen us. Through Christ, we can find the strength and light to successfully go through even the darkest moments of life.

4) Trouble is bound to come in this life but we remain Conquerors in Christ (John 16:33)

John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”
John 17:15 says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
Brethren, trouble is bound to come in this life but the good news is that we remain conquerors in Christ. Knowing that we will experience difficult, challenging, hard, or troublesome moments in this life, Jesus Christ has reassured us of His eternal peace. Behold, these comforting words can be a source of strength. And as such, through faith Christians can overcome the obstacles in life.

5) The Lord God Almighty has a Plan for you and for me (Jeremiah 29:11)

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Irrespective of what you are going through, remember as a Christian that there are better times ahead. The Lord God has a plan for each and every one of us. We should keep this in mind even if the current circumstances are proving difficult.

6) Our Lord and Savior is ready and willing to give us Rest (Matthew 11:28)

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The feelings of depression can be a heavy burden to carry, and many depressed people make the mistake of thinking that it’s a burden they must carry all alone. Scripture teaches and reminds us that Jesus Christ is willing and ready to lift our burdens and provide relief whenever we come to Him.

7) We should trust in the Lord God for Help, Guidance, and Direction (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
In the struggle with depression, it can be difficult to understand why one is feeling certain emotions. However, Scripture teaches and reminds us that the way forward is by trusting the Lord God to provide help, guidance, and direction.

8) Jesus Christ Cares (1 Peter 5:7)

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Depression and anxiety can be terrible and isolating experiences. However, Jesus Christ is there, and He cares about you and me. In fact, He cares about our well-being, and as such, we can turn to Him for help with whatever may be worrying us.

9) The Lord God is our Strength in the face of Oppression (Psalm 9:9)

Psalm 9:9 says, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Brethren, let’s find our strength in the Lord God and not allow oppression to lead us into depression. Although depression can be so troublesome to the point of making us feel as though we are weighed down and worthless, we should remember that the Lord God is always there to support and comfort us.

10) Let’s seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
By focusing on God and placing Him first in our lives, we are handing over to Him the control of our lives. And as such, we are making Him or trusting Him to be our comforter, provider, protector, and strength.

11) We must be Strong and Courageous in the face of Challenges because God is with us (Joshua 1:9)

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
As Christians, it’s important for us to understand that the Lord God is with us wherever we go. He is with us even when we are facing challenges and feel or think He is not. And as such, when struggling with depression and/or other mental health concerns, we should trust Him to help us because He is with us, willing and ready to help. Scripture teaches and reminds us that we are not alone.

12) Let’s Wait Patiently for the Lord God to intervene in our cases (Psalm 40:1-2)

Psalm 40:1-2 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”
Depressed people are likely to feel as though they are in a pit where all hope is lost. Amazingly, the Lord God is willing and ready to rescue us from the deepest of pits and make us regain stability once again. Through faith in Him, we can find hope, joy, and stability once again.

13) God Loves us and wants the best for us (Romans 8:38-39)

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The love that the Lord God has for us is steadfast. And as such, absolutely nothing can change or affect it.

14) The Lord God is our Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
No matter the challenging situations that we are going through, we should trust God to comfort us. The Lord God is our comforter in times f trouble. And anyone who trusts in Him will find relief and joy. Struggles are part of life, but as long as the Lord God Almighty is part of our lives, He will provide us with strength and comfort.

15) Let’s Trust God’s Word in the face of Temptations and Challenges (1 Corinthians 10:13)

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Emotions can lead us astray, but the Lord God’s Word stands firm and unchanging. And as such, we must maintain a strong faith in the Lord God and hold even more tightly to Him when we undergo trials and temptations. Scripture teaches and reminds us that the Lord God will never allow temptations into our lives that are too much or more than us to handle. The Word of God alleviates anxiety and brings hope with joy.

How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad“.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Corinthians 7:6 – “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

Psalm 34:17-18 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Group 1 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Proverbs 12:25 – “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Psalm 30:5 – “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 143:7-8 – “Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Group 2 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 3:3 – “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

Psalm 30:11 – “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

Isaiah 26:3 – “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Psalm 9:9 – “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Group 3 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Psalm 102:1-11 – “A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. …

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Group 4 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Psalm 40:1-3 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Group 5 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …

Jeremiah 1:19 – “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 139:1-24 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. …

Group 6 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 77:4 – “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Psalm 40:2 – “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Psalm 42:11 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

1 Peter 1:13-16 – “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Group 7 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

2 Samuel 22:29 – “For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.”

Psalm 103:1-5 – “Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Matthew 28:20 – “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Group 8 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 34:17 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

2 Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Psalm 37:23-24 – “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Proverbs 15:13 – “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

Psalm 32:10 – “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Group 9 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Habakkuk 3:16-19 – “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

2 Corinthians 1:4-6 – “Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”

Group 10 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

John 10:27-31 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Psalm 27:1-14 – “Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. …

Group 11 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

1 Peter 4:12-13 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

Psalm 112:4 – “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Psalm 94:18-19 – “When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 34:18-19 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

2 Samuel 22:2He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,”

Psalm 42:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Group 12 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

Romans 13:14 – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Matthew 6:27 – “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 – “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Lamentations 3:22-26 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Group 13 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 37:3-4 – “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – “But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”

Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Lamentations 3:31-33 – “For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Psalm 43:4-5 – “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Group 14 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 43:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Psalm 42:3-5 – “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Psalm 94:19 – “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Luke 10:27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Group 15 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 31:21 – “Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.”

1 John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

2 Peter 2:9 – “Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Ephesians 2:6 – “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Romans 8:1-39 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …

Group 16 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 – “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

John 1:1-51 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …

Deuteronomy 33:27 – “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.”

Psalm 31:1-24 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. …

Group 17 – How To Overcome Depression Biblically

1 Kings 19:1-21 – “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” …

Proverbs 17:9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

Isaiah 40:30-31 – “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 9:1 – “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

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