Book Review: Tim J.R. Trumper – Adoption: A Road to Retrieval

From His Fullness Ministries, 2022. 528 pages. £33.99.

Scotland is a land of mountains. Hundreds of peaks stretch high above the landscape. But Scotland is also a land of rain. The result is that, all too frequently, the highest points of her mountains are hidden from view, obscured by cloud. Such imagery might be said to depict the doctrine of adoption in the history of the Christian church. For Scottish theologian John Murray, this doctrine is the mountaintop in the Christian theology of salvation; to be a child of God is “surely the apex of grace and privilege.” But, as many have observed, the soteriological heights of adoption have often been obscured and overlooked throughout church history. Recognising this risk of neglect, it is very welcome to see the recent publication of Adoption: A Road to Retrieval, by Tim J. R. Trumper.

The work is divided into three parts: The Theological History of Adoption, The Metaphorical Import of Adoption, and The Biblical Exposition of Adoption. Across these, the author’s expressed aims include providing a comprehensive theological history of adoption, presenting a rigorous investigation of the Scriptural teaching concerning adoption, and offering a fresh approach to the wider study of Systematic Theology.

Part One

Part One, the Theological History of Adoption, offers an immensely thorough review of how Adoption has been approached in the history of the church. The reader is taken from the Early Church right through to present-day authors. The section on the ante- and post-Nicene Fathers in particular, is a very rich resource. A brief survey of the Middle Ages is offered, followed by a more detailed look at Reformation and post-Reformation theologians. Attention is given to Calvin who, after the Apostle Paul, is said to be the church’s theologian of adoption par excellence. 

However, despite such highlights, the main thesis of the historical survey is that the doctrine of adoption has suffered from increasing neglect in the history of the church up to the nineteenth century. Luther is identified as a one who failed to give adequate attention to the doctrine, but particularly culpability is attached to post-Reformation theologians, such as Francis Turretin. It is suggested that in both Creeds and in works of systematics, the doctrine of adoption is either overlooked entirely or frequently absorbed into discussions about justification. The result, it is claimed, is a lopsided understanding of soteriology among Reformed theologians. 

The last two centuries, however, have seen a recovery of interest in adoption. Trumper highlights some key discussions in the nineteenth century, particularly in Scotland, before noting the valuable contributions of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, James I. Packer, Sinclair Ferguson, and others for drawing adoption back into focus as the twentieth century progressed. 

Of particular value in Part One is a section where the author persuasively demonstrates that a clearer understanding of the doctrine of adoption offers an important counter to the claims of the New Perspective understanding of justification. The author engages with N.T. Wright’s argument that Justification brings the believer into the covenant family and perceptively highlights that inclusion in God’s family does not come through a redefinition of Justification, but through a clearer recognition of the significance of adoption.

Part Two

Part Two examines the Metaphorical Import of Adoption. This begins with an examination of New Testament terminology, especially υἱοθεσία, arguing that this should be understood as a ‘adoption’ or as ‘adoption as sons’, rather than as ‘sonship’. Next, the author calls for the disentanglement of Johannine teaching on the new birth from Pauline teaching on adoption. Such clarification is helpful, although some readers may feel that the dividing line between Paul and John is drawn just a little too sharply. There is also discussion of how adoption functions as a metaphor, or in the terminology preferred by the author, as a model to convey doctrinal truth. This is followed by a wider analysis of the background to Paul’s use of the term. Attention is given to both the Greco-Roman background and to connections with the Old Testament. 

Part Three

Finally, Part Three explores the Biblical Exposition of Adoption. Here the study broadens and explores connections between adoption and other areas of systematic theology before going to offer reflections on how to approach the discipline of systematics itself. Hesitation is expressed in relation to traditional articulations of the Ordo Salutis, and while the author does not call for it to be jettisoned, he suggests that typical understandings of the Ordo Salutis need to be supplemented with other frameworks in order to give a more appropriate place to adoption. This leads on to wider discussions on methodology, nomenclature, and a proposed ‘revamping of systematics’. Trumper prefers the label ‘Biblical Dogmatics’, by which he means the formulation of theological doctrines in a manner that is both subordinate to the authority of Scripture and more sensitive to redemptive history and biblical imagery, alongside the more logical emphases of traditional systematics. Such a shift in approach, it is argued, will facilitate a more thorough retrieval of the doctrine of adoption. 

Overall, the work is very comprehensive, readable and stimulating. The research and detail is impressive, and, throughout the book, helpful diagrams are included which effectively clarify points. Most of all, the author’s enthusiasm for his topic is infectious. 

On occasion, however, the argumentation of the book runs the risk of attempting too much. While the overall thesis that adoption has suffered neglect after the Reformation is generally well presented, some of the arguments feel stretched. For example, in examining the Westminster Confession, comparison is made between the comparatively short Chapter 12 on adoption with the much longer preceding chapter on justification. The length of Chapter 11 is said to evidence mature reflection, which by implication is seen as lacking from the chapter on adoption. But such argumentation is risky, for among the shorter chapters in the Westminster Confession are those on God and the Trinity (Ch 2), Saving Faith (Ch 14), and the Sacraments (Ch 27). Despite the brevity of these chapters in comparison to others, it is surely impossible to argue that these topics had not received mature reflection. 

Moreover, Part Three, which explores wider questions of methodology, while very stimulating, is nevertheless in danger of trying to do too much. Some readers may feel that proposing a ‘revamp of systematics’ distracts attention away from adoption rather than clarifying understanding of the doctrine. Others may hesitate at the author’s sharp critique of those who regard adoption as a consequence of justification, particularly when the overall movement of Paul’s teaching in both Romans and Galatians moves from justification into adoption. While Part Three offers much fascinating food for thought, perhaps a more focussed discussion on how to preach adoption and how to apply its implications in contexts of pastoral care would have been a more valuable area to examine.

Alongside the stimulating contributions of the author, one of the most valuable aspects of the book is that it now serves as a treasure trove of golden quotations from theologians across church history. Whether or not every reader will embrace the wider suggestions for approaching systematics, it is certainly the case that all will benefit from the immensely thorough research that has gone into this work. 

The author has provided the church with a deeply valuable resource that will no doubt help contribute to a clearer view of adoption. With such a thorough and stimulating book in hand, the mountaintop of the believer’s privilege and preciousness in and through Christ will come much more clearly into view.