Romans 8:1-30 -- A Christmas story
The Gift of Christ Jesus
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
It is fascinating to me that there are two distinct variations here, those that live according to the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit. No where is that more evident than in the celebration of Christmas for Christians versus the celebration of Xmas for non Christians. We have seen the “battle to put Christ back into Christmas”. This festival reveals those who have the mind of the spirit versus those who have the mind of the flesh.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Once again, there are those whose mind is on the flesh. You have Christmas parties, gifts, and all kinds of ads to get you to buy stuff you don’t need. On the other hand you have beautiful Christmas plays and pageants, beautiful hymns of praise, candle light services and many other examples of those who are celebrating with the mind set on the Spirit. In this festival you are in the Spirit and Spirit is in you.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
This holiday comes with an obligation. I have always been against the commercial aspects and worldly aspects of this holiday. Yet even so there is an obligation on you because your children will not understand and will think that being a Christian means you are stingy and cheap. So I have always given gifts to my children, I just don’t pretend that there is a “Santa”, I don’t watch the most egregious children’s Christmas shows with reindeer and Santa, and I try to purge the celebration from the demands of the flesh. I find it interesting that “Santa” is merely a rearrangement of the word “Satan”. The story is a lie and they try to force parents to lie to their children and then have children equate this lie with the Bible. If Santa flying around in a sleigh is a lie that was told to you by people you trusted, what about the rapture? It is an evil poison designed to inoculate young children from believing and receiving the gospel. However, according to the Spirit there is an obligation to treat others with love and charity during this time. We even call it “the Christmas spirit”.
The adoption to sonship = rapture of the overcomers
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God Are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Christmas is a holiday for children. My parents really went all out, I would be up at the crack of dawn and sure enough something had happened from the night before. New gifts were there and the stockings were filled. Those gifts testified that you were children of your parents and heirs. The rapture is a testimony that all who are raptured are children of God and co heirs with God. This term “adoption” refers to a legal declaration that you are heir to the father’s business. This is a big deal in families where a father has a great business. Some children of the father may find themselves disqualified from being heirs, that is sad, but it happens. At the rapture some will be left behind, they will get a second chance but it will still be sad. As it says in Amos if you are not raptured on that day it will be a bitter day for you. Your singing will turn to mourning.
The idea of Santa in the middle of the night coming down chimneys and giving gifts is the photographic negative of Jesus Christ rapturing all the overcomers who are likened to a treasure and the rapture to the Lord coming as a thief (by coming down the chimney?). In the world those the world despises will very often turn out to be the ones the Lord treasures. The “Cinderella” that does all the work so the evil sisters can go to all the balls. Imagine waking up on this Christmas day and instead of finding gifts under your tree you find all those who were doing all the work have been taken.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Christmas is all about wearing brand new Christmas clothes. There is a glorious celebration and children wait in eager expectation for this day. In the rapture we are “liberated from the bondage of decay”. He doesn’t just say “believers” but rather “creation”. What about our pets? If you were raptured what would happen to your dog or cat? Creation is waiting eagerly because they all will be liberated from decay.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
This is the hope of the gospel. The rapture is likened to the birth of the manchild. Once again Paul is talking about the hope that we wait for patiently, just like we had to wait each year for Christmas.
Pray for what we ought versus the “letter to Santa”.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Another part of this religious festival is that kids are to write a letter to Santa praying for things they want. This can be fleshly or it can be spiritual with the Spirit interceding for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
These are the things we need. We need to be conformed to the image of His Son, we need to know the firstborn Son of God and we need to be born again to be the children of God. We need to be called, we need to be justified, and after all that we need to be glorified. Again, the rapture is the glorification of those who have been born again, called and justified.