Romans 8:12-17 - We are Children of God
Romans 8:12) So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—13) 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. 14) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15) For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16) it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17) and if children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
About Romans: Paul’s letters are the oldest Christian documents we have. The earliest, probably 1 and 2 Thessalonians, were written within 25 years of Jesus’ death. Romans was the last letter/book that Paul wrote. Still, it may have been written before any of the Gospels. Romans was written to pave the way for Paul to visit the church in Rome, a church he had never visited, but whose help he needed to complete the work he longed to do in the western Mediterranean. Most scholars believe that Paul was imprisoned and died outside of Rome. Romans is the most fully developed and densely theological of all of Paul’s work. In it we see the Jewish roots of Christianity and the unspeakable grace of God that washes over all of human life and, alone, leads to salvation.
Basic Point of Today’s Lesson: Paul wants his readers to understand that in Christ their status before God has changed once and for all. No longer are we frightened people cowed by our own inabilities and failures in the religious sphere. We are not people who have no standing before God because of our sin and inability to live lives of holiness. We are not people who must cringe in horror as we stand before the seat of judgment. No. We are God’s own beloved children. We share the divine character. And, with Christ, we are heirs of all the wonder, power and blessings of the realm of God.
How did Paul understand the Holy Spirit? Paul refers to the Spirit as the Spirit of God or, on occasion, the Spirit of Christ. It is important to understand that the Spirit of God is not simply an aspect of God. Spirit is not 1/3 of God with Jesus being another third and the Father another third. The Spirit is all of who God is made available to human beings. Just as Jesus brought the full presence of God to earth, so too does the Spirit. Paul understands the Spirit as the power of God at work in human beings and in the world.
Why is this lesson often used on Pentecost or Trinity Sunday? Pentecost, the third of the great feast days of the Christian faith, along with Christmas and Easter, occurs 50 days following Easter and celebrates the gift and working of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church. Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after Pentecost. On Pentecost we focus on the gift of the Spirit. On Trinity Sunday we focus on the completeness of the Godhead. This lesson is especially important on those Sundays because it tells us that a primary work of the Spirit is to lead us into an understanding of our heritage and responsibility as God’s own children in whom the fullness of God dwells. That learning is essential for the church’s ministry and for the individual believer’s maturity.
Word Study
Vs. 12 – So then – This phrase indicates that what follows is a compelling conclusion.
Debtors – Paul wants us to understand that we owe everything to God.
Flesh – Paul uses this term frequently and with specific meaning. The flesh is not just the physical body, but everything in life that wars against the life of the Spirit. It can be rampant physical desires, greed (the looking to something other than God for fulfillment) or the subtle lures of secular pleasures or power. Flesh is anything that takes us away from the path of God and lures us to make sinful choices and compromises.
Vs. 13 – you will live – Paul is using this term both figuratively and literally. He is not saying that those who believe will never experience physical death. He is saying that the life that we live will be true life and that we will enjoy unending life in heaven.
Vs. 14 – who are led by the Spirit of God – The word led in this context is multifaceted. It means to obey, to be controlled by, to be willingly devoted to, to be compelled by, to surrender to, to be carried off by, to be swept up into. To be led by the Spirit implies emotional intensity and a deep level of obedience.
Children of God – Children of God share the divine character, are specially gifted and favored, have a claim on all that God has. It is especially important to Paul that we understand that as children of God and heirs with Christ, what Christ is due, we also are due. It is a matter of justice. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are legally due, before God, all that Jesus is due.
Vs. 15 – spirit of slavery – for Paul this term refers to the oppression that comes with trying to fulfill the letter of the Law.
Fear – the fear that Paul speaks of here is of falling short, failing before God.
Spirit of adoption – the legal change in status we have received in Christ Jesus.
Cry – an intense loud cry.
Abba – an Aramaic word that children used of their fathers, like Daddy or Papa. It is a word that denotes deep, child-like intimacy and trust.
Vs. 16 – Spirit bearing witness – the inner witness of our spirit by which we receive insight and understand truth.
Children of God – Paul uses different words here than the ones he used above but the meaning is probably the same. He is referring to all believers.
Heirs – as God’s legal heirs we are entitled to access to all that God is and has.
Suffer – it is important to note that along with the bounty of the kingdom and the bounty of the presence of God comes the suffering that is also a part of who God is. As God, especially in Jesus, suffered for God’s children, we, too, as we live obedient to the Spirit, will share that suffering, especially for the sake of others.
Glorified – refers to the radiance of heaven and of the presence of God. As we are led by the Spirit, accept our role as heirs, meet the suffering that comes from this new status, we will also experience the radiant glory of God’s realm and presence.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- In what ways do you think that you reflect the character of God? In what ways do you need to grow in that area?
- How do you experience the Holy Spirit bearing witness in your spirit?
- How do you cry out to God as a child? How do you expect God to answer?
- In what ways do you feel yourself being led by the Spirit today? What must you do to follow that leading?