Rom 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
What Paul describes here is our deepest level of assurance. Beyond the body and Soul(feeling,mind,will and emotions), is a deep conviction that is born of the Spirit of God himself, an underlying awareness that we cannot deny that we are part of God's family. We are the children of God. I think this is the basic revelation to which our emotions respond with the cry, Abba, Father. That is our love to him, but even more - THIS IS HIS LOVE FOR US. It is what Paul refers to in Rom 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.
1Jn 3:20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things”. There is a witness born of the Spirit which you can't shake, which is there along with the ultimate testimony that we belong with the children of God. This is where to begin when you get into trouble. Go back to this relationship. Remind yourself of who you are. You can see it in your experience as you look around. You are led by the Spirit of God. You can feel it in your heart. There are times when your emotions are stirred by the Spirit, and you can sense at the level of your spirit that you belong to God.
Father, help me to understand these things. Thank you for the work of the Spirit. What a wonderful thing it is that you have called me a child of the living God. Help me never to forget it, and to walk worthy of such a calling.
Life Application: Our adoption as God's children is far from simply theoretical -- so what response does it evoke from us? Do our lives bear witness to our shared inheritance with with Christ? How do we share in His sufferings?
What Paul describes here is our deepest level of assurance. Beyond the body and Soul(feeling,mind,will and emotions), is a deep conviction that is born of the Spirit of God himself, an underlying awareness that we cannot deny that we are part of God's family. We are the children of God. I think this is the basic revelation to which our emotions respond with the cry, Abba, Father. That is our love to him, but even more - THIS IS HIS LOVE FOR US. It is what Paul refers to in Rom 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.
1Jn 3:20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things”. There is a witness born of the Spirit which you can't shake, which is there along with the ultimate testimony that we belong with the children of God. This is where to begin when you get into trouble. Go back to this relationship. Remind yourself of who you are. You can see it in your experience as you look around. You are led by the Spirit of God. You can feel it in your heart. There are times when your emotions are stirred by the Spirit, and you can sense at the level of your spirit that you belong to God.
Father, help me to understand these things. Thank you for the work of the Spirit. What a wonderful thing it is that you have called me a child of the living God. Help me never to forget it, and to walk worthy of such a calling.
Life Application: Our adoption as God's children is far from simply theoretical -- so what response does it evoke from us? Do our lives bear witness to our shared inheritance with with Christ? How do we share in His sufferings?