Romans 8:14-17 - Sons of God
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Don't trust your feelings. Trust in what the Spirit testifies about you!
Romans 8:14-17 (LSB)
14 For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, also heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 9: The Assurance of This Preservation
Concerning
this preservation of those chosen to salvation
and concerning the perseverance of true believers in faith,
believers themselves can and do become assured
in accordance with the measure of their faith,
by which they firmly believe
that they are and always will remain true and living members of the church,
and that they have
the forgiveness of sins
and eternal life.
Summary
This is the fourth time now just this year that we've returned to the 8th chapter of Romans. And at this point, I can't promise you this will be our last time in what is arguably the greatest chapter in the whole Bible. This short portion we're considering today reminds you your true identity.
Society is consumed with curating your identity: to them you're a conservative or liberal, boomer or generation X, Y or Z; you're an American, Canadian, Mexican, or some other kind of 'an'. The list of variants goes on endlessly. But the Bible here, as it does elsewhere, keeps your identity far more simple: if you are being led by the Spirit of God, you are a son of God!
This sonship that you've been adopted into provides you with two key benefits. First of all, it changes your relationship with God. For you, He's not just the omnipotent ruler of all things, to whom you owe an unpayable debt. Rather, He's your Father - Paul here couples two languages to describe it: He's your Patēr, a Greek word designating Him as the sovereign head of household, but Paul also describes Him in much more intimate terms, using the Aramaic word Abba that Paul likely called his own father as a child.
Secondly, your adopted sonship gives you new legal status. You are now also an heir; an heir of God and fellow heirs of Christ. Notice, though, that this aspect of sonship comes with a caveat: You are an heir IF indeed you suffer with Christ so that you may also be glorified with Him. What will you do today that will help cement your legal status as a son?
Dig Deeper
Daniel Doriani offers an excellent explanation of the assurance that today's passage, especially the promise that the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, offers to you:
Adoption is no tenuous gift. Paul suggests that believers agree with the Spirit that we are God’s children. We ask, “How can this be, since my feelings may deny this?” Our emotions are as flawed as any other faculty. The mind forgets names, the body aches for no reason, and in our emotional self-appraisal, we may feel nothing like a child of God. If we grew up in the faith, we may wonder whether that faith is genuine, or whether we merely conform to parental expectations. Sin can also prompt a downward spiral. Anxiety or depression can become unwanted companions during a winter of the soul. Yet the Father does not abandon us to our doubts. The Holy Spirit confirms that we are children of God. This happens in varied ways. In worship, he “tunes our heart to sing his praise.” In prayer, he answers in ways that surpass our petitions. He may stir our spirit and grant a visceral certainty that we belong to him. If we came to faith as adults, we may remember that we felt a nudging to ask spiritual questions and to give credit to biblical answers, even if we once dismissed them. Perhaps a feeling swept over us—a sense of healing and joy. Or perhaps faith brought calm or a conviction that this is the truth about the world and the right map for negotiating it. Yes, doubts intrude. Feelings fade and vacillate. We wonder, philosophically, how words can establish a relationship with the eternal God. Or we question our sincerity: “Am I different from anyone else? Am I stronger than I was two years ago?” We are impatient gardeners, waiting for seeds to sprout, and then tugging on those sprouts and judging them feeble. But if we wait, assurance comes as the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit. As Sinclair Ferguson remarks in Children of the Living God, we can make two mistakes here: to expect a mystical, transporting experience and to expect nothing. Assurance can be dramatic or calm, but either way, it is a “joint witness” of God’s Spirit and ours.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Abba / Father, whose Spirit testifies we are God's children
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would recognize and accept opportunities to suffer with Christ so that we may also be glorified with Him;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Peter 1
