“Aug 13, 2024 - Heirs of God”

Monday, August 12, 2024

Heirs of God

Reading:  Romans 8:12-17
    
    Since it is the Spirit (not the flesh) that offers hope of eternal life (Rom 8:11), Christians are obligated to live now by following the Spirit.  “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”(Rom 8:12-13).  The paths here are clear:  living by the flesh produces death while following the Spirit brings life (now and in the future).  Yet we also learn that we gain power by the Spirit to eliminate our old ways of living (“by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body”) that we did not have before coming to Jesus (Rom 7:18).

    But the Spirit also confirms a new relationship we have with 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!’”(Rom 8:15).  God has sent us his Spirit in part to confirm to us that we are more than simply his servants.  He is not merely our master.  We are adopted sons and daughters, welcomed into his family and honored to call him 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”(Rom 8:16-17).   As God’s children, we also stand to receive the blessings of the family.  Alongside Jesus (!), we bask in the approval of the Father and anticipate the prospect of future glory (Rom 8:17).  This assurance drives us through times of suffering because we remember that Jesus suffered before his own exaltation.

    When we live according to the flesh, the “spirit of slavery” bears witness with our spirit that we are unworthy of God’s favor or blessing.  We deserve death.  Yet when we are set free to live according to the Spirit—when we start using his power to eliminate evil from our hearts and bodies—the spirit of adoption speaks alongside our own spirits that God has bigger plans for us.  He longs to bless us and make us his heirs.  So we suffer now and keep following the Spirit, knowing the great glory that awaits us.

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One Thing to Think About:  Why does suffering often precede glory (Rom 8:17)? 

One Thing to Pray For:  A deeper awareness of my acceptance as God’s child
 

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