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How Not to Be a Heretic | How Not to Be an Adoptionist

December 1, 2024
Mark 1:1-11

¹The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

²As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, 

who will prepare your way, 

³the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, 

make his paths straight,’” 

⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came among us in great humility; that on the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Isaiah 2:1-5

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Summary and Connection

We are beginning a new sermon series called How Not to Be a Heretic, and we want to explore the heresy of Adoptionism and its implications for us today.

J.I. Packer, in his book “Knowing God,” writes:

What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.

Packer’s words highlight the transformative truth of adoption as the pinnacle of salvation. For Christians, being a child of God is not just a theological concept but the foundation of our identity and relationship with Him. It redefines our worship, shapes our prayers, and transforms our outlook on life.

This week, we’ll dive into Mark 1:1–11 and explore two powerful truths: the heresy of Adoptionism and the glorious reality of our adoption as sons and daughters of God. Adoptionism is the belief that Jesus was merely human and became the Son of God at a specific moment — typically believed to be at his baptism — because of his obedience. This idea directly contradicts the Bible’s teaching that Jesus is eternally the Son of God, fully divine from the very beginning. Mark’s gospel opens by affirming Jesus’ eternal sonship and divine identity, clearly rejecting the notion that Jesus “became” the Son of God. Why is this distinction so important? Because if Jesus had to earn his sonship, then salvation would depend on our works rather than God’s grace.

Adoptionism diminishes the beauty of grace and distorts the eternal love shared within the Trinity. Jesus’ sonship isn’t based on merit; it’s eternal, rooted in his unchanging relationship with the Father. And that’s precisely why our adoption into God’s family is so secure: It’s grounded in his grace, not our performance. Through Christ, we are given identity, security, and purpose as God’s beloved children.

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

• How does Mark introduce Jesus in verses 1 and 10–11? What does this reveal about Jesus’ identity?
• Why is it important that Jesus is called “the Son of God” before performing any ministry or miracles?

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

• How does John the Baptist describe Jesus in verse 7? What do John’s words teach us about Jesus’ authority and humility?
• Why does John say he is unworthy even to untie Jesus’ sandals? What does this reveal about who Jesus is?
  
• How does understanding Jesus’ full authority challenge the way you live your daily life?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

• Before Jesus began his ministry, the Spirit descended on him, and God the Father said that Jesus is his beloved, in whom he is well pleased (verses 10-11). How does the timing of God’s affirmation show that Jesus’ identity isn’t based on what he does but rather on who he is?
• Given that we are God’s children, what implications does this have for us? How does knowing that you are God’s beloved child — that you are adopted as a son or daughter — affect the way you approach him in prayer and worship?
• Our identity as God’s children is not something we earn; it is a gift of grace. Reflect on 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.” How does this truth shape your obedience and trust in God? 

4. Looking at Our World

• If Jesus had to merit his sonship, what implications would that have for our understanding of salvation? Why is it essential to emphasize that salvation is by grace alone?
• How does the eternal relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shape our understanding of God as love?
• How does knowing that God is a community of love (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) into which we have been invited impact the way you think about your relationship with God and with others in the church? 

Sending

• View Study Guide Notes

  Question 1: Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his earthly ministry. The gospel of Mark begins by describing Jesus as “Christ,” or “the anointed one,” which often served as the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Mark then establishes the deity of Jesus, applying a number of Old Testament references to Yahweh to Jesus himself. Finally, in verses 10 and 11, the gospel provides a visual and audible sign of the Trinity, affirming Jesus’ sonship and Godness.

  Adoptionists contend that Jesus was born a human (without divine pre-existence), was adopted by God at some point in his biography (typically believed to be at his baptism), and by that act of adoption, he became the divine Son (Coogan, Scottish Journal of Theology). They argue that Jesus had to earn his sonship — in essence, his deity — through obedience. This heretical theology has carried on to other modern religions such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, who believe Jesus is a mere human who was created by God but later became a lesser god; Muslims, who believe that Jesus is one of the many prophets of Allah; and Mormons, who believe that Jesus was made and then exalted to godhood. 

  However, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is eternally God who has no beginning. He is the Word that existed in the beginning (John 1:1). In John 8:58, Jesus said, “Before Abraham, I AM,” with “I AM” being the same name YHWH from Exodus 3:14. Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelations 22:13). There never was when Jesus was not. He wasn’t a man who became a god; rather, he is the eternal Son who took on flesh. Without Jesus’ eternality, we no longer have a Christ who can fully save us, as he is no longer fully divine. Jesus’ deity is of supreme importance as it pertains to our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. “In Jesus, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20). If Jesus isn’t fully divine, there is no reconciliation by his blood. Nevertheless, Jesus is God, and we have peace with God through him.

  Question 2: John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, and Jesus describes his cousin as “the greatest among those who are born of women” (Matthew 11:11). However, even John, who was “filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb” (Luke 1:15), explains that he is not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals (Mark 1:7).

  In our appreciation of Jesus’ humility and empathy, we may fall into the trap of under-emphasizing or misunderstanding his deity. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mathew 28:18), which means he also has all authority over us. Jesus is Lord over every aspect of our being — over our finances, our health, our words, our actions, and our life. John the Baptist later said about Jesus that “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). Jesus must increase in every part of our life, and we — our pride, our wisdom, and our sinfulness — must decrease. Instead of thinking about ourselves or the world around us, we need to turn our eyes upon Jesus and meditate on him.

  Question 3: Jesus is already the beloved Son, and everything he does is out of that identity; it wasn’t his actions that earned him this title. Through the Spirit, God also made us his children (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). We didn’t do anything to deserve this adoption, but it was all God’s unconditional love and grace. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). God didn’t love us because we are his children; rather, his love for us while we were yet sinners allowed us to become his sons and daughters (Romans 5:8). God calls us his children despite our imperfections. Our obedience isn’t to earn his love or approval. Rather, we obey out of the identity that we are already his beloved — ”for the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Cherish that same proclamation of the Father in your heart: “You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased.”

  Question 4: God didn’t need to create us in order to experience love. Rather, in creating us, he wanted to share with us the love that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had already experienced for eternity past. This study invites us to marvel at the richness of being children of God and challenges us to live as those secure in our Father’s love.