And I invite you to turn tonight to the Book of Romans, chapter 8, as we continue to work through this great chapter. And tonight we are in verses 14 through 17, down on page 1122, 14 through 17 of Romans, chapter 8, and we will look at those verses tonight: four verses beginning at verse 14. This is. Let's give our attention to the holy Word of the Lord.
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of 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. 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."
There will end tonight the reading of God's Word.
Well, Romans chapter 8 is obviously a very full chapter. There's a lot going on here, and so many wonderful things that are being said to us. You don't want to move too quickly through it, because each sentence is just packed with wonderful truth. And this chapter, however, is a chapter that is intended to encourage us with assurance. As I've said before, not much in Christianity today has a robust or strong doctrine of assurance, and that is the great intention with Romans chapter 8. The Lord wants us to know, and the Lord desires for us to know that we are children of God, that, we believe that. That we know that. That is very important for any progress in the Christian life. That's very important for understanding and living with joy in the Christian life.
Think of the joy of the field this morning. You're not going to have any of that unless there's some assurance that you indeed are a child. And can you know that? Can you know that? That's an important question, isn't it? And Paul has been intending to do that. He's intending to assure them in chapter 8 that they are children of God. And that's for you too. That's the whole point tonight of the sermon. And he has made that case. He has said things here at the beginning of chapter 8 that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ in union with Him. And he has been wrestling and helping us with the backdrop of all of this in light of our continued struggle against sin.
I know that's confusing for you, he says. I know that's difficult to sometimes work through in life and how confusing sin is. It's like this morning. I mean, the challenge of this morning's message was: here is this great treasure? treasure this, what do you treasure? And you know, at times it's not very clear because we find ourselves at times struggling with treasuring the things of this life. And then you start to think, and then you wonder, "Well, maybe I'm not a real Christian." See, this is the struggle that Christians go through. And you go through it with various forms because of the surprise of sin the surprise of the ease of sin or the way you give in to it. It was Romans 7 was all about. And we looked at that. We spent time with that.
So we're thinking about progress, then. Paul wanted to think about progress in the Christian life. And Paul began in chapter 8 by saying something so important after he got through the implications of justification and the consequences, meaning there's no condemnation. He wanted to help us understand the crucial difference for assurance for the Christian and to understand the difference about those who are not Christians. What is different? What is fundamentally different?
Well, the big difference is, I think it's 21 times, I didn't fully count, I thought I did at one point, the Holy Spirit is mentioned in chapter 8. The difference is the Holy Spirit. That's what he's been saying. The difference is the Holy Spirit. That's what makes a Christian a Christian. He does. But if you want to know the difference, he explained it in the first few verses of Romans chapter 8.
Those who do not have the Spirit, here's the truth about their life: they have darkened minds. Number one. they are spiritually dead. Number two, they're not regenerate. Number three, they're driven by sinful desires. They're slavery to those sinful desires. And number four, nothing they do pleases God.
That's a pretty big difference, isn't it? Four big differences. But then in the middle of it, he said, "But you can be assured you're My children because you have the Spirit and you live according to the Spirit." It's His work to lead your life, to direct your life, and teaching you to set your minds on the things of the Spirit. As I said this morning, it's not perfect yet. We have perfection coming in glory, but it is the bent of our life. It is the drive of our life. It is the wish of our life, isn't it? Of course it is. Of course it is. I want more progress. You want more progress. Welcome to sanctification. That's the struggle of it.
And what Paul was doing here was explaining the Spirit's work. So remember the great logic that he gave us last time in verse 9. He said, "If anyone does not have the Spirit, he's not one of His." So what was the main point? You can't be a Christian without the Spirit. Nobody is a Christian without the Holy Spirit. He is not a child of God. So the logic goes like this: If you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you don't belong to Christ. If you belong to Christ, you have the Spirit of Christ. That's the logic here. It's like a syllogism.
So he sees the Spirit is the answer. the work, of the Spirit, the sealing work, the regenerating work, the giving life to the human heart. You can't even believe apart from the work of the Spirit regenerating the heart. That's why we say regeneration precedes faith, right? This is what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus in John 3. The Spirit blows and He gives life, and then you're able to believe, and then you're able to bear fruit. But apart from the Spirit's work, it's not happening. There's no faith. There's no fruit. There's nothing apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit.
Well, he wants them to know they have the Spirit. How? I suppose it's a little more subjective tonight. And I think it is. It's all the Spirit's work, he says here. Last time he said it's even any progress in putting to death sin in your life is by the Spirit. Did you catch that? That's that crucial verse in Romans 8, verse 13: "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you'll live." He didn't leave out the Spirit. If he left out the Spirit, it would be all on us. No, no. It's the Spirit's work in us that puts to death sin in our lives. That's really encouraging. That's His work. And it's in His timing. Sure, we have obligation to no longer live according to that. Now that we have the Spirit, that was what he said last time.
Well, that's where we left off. Paul is now answering how then we can be certain about the Spirit's work in us. That's what somebody might say tonight: "Well, this is all good. I like it all in principle. But how do I know? How do I know?" A lot of Christians ask that, don't they? And I think that's tonight. I believe that's tonight.
Verse 14: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." This is what he's developing in the next few verses. He now here we have a lead statement in verse 14, because those were conclusive statements that we've been looking at. Now we have another lead statement in verse 14, and then he explains it. The Spirit is leading you, and that is the work. As the Spirit leaves you, He is doing things that prove to you that you are God's children. Very important. How does the Spirit do that, right? He is the means by which we strive and desire to actually put to death sin in our lives, as He just said.
But in verse 15, now He explains what that leading looks like. How does He lead us? Well, he always leads us in triumph, but stay with me. This is fantastic.
"For you did not receive notice here the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you've received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, abba father
Now that's a really important verse obviously a special verse. I know you love that verse. There's so much said there. "You did not receive the spirit of slavery again to fall back into fear." Huh? Um, what is he describing? Well, I think you kind of have Paul described that a little bit back in chapter 7 before he described the Christian experience of chapter 7 where he talked about life under the law, didn't he? What was life under the law like? Under condemnation? Now remember, you're not under condemnation. What was life under condemnation like? See, that's the difference. And life was pretty self-confident. You know, "I thank You, God, that I'm not like this publican over here. I'm not the sinner over here. I'm not the bad guy over here. I fast twice a week. I pray. I give tithes of all that I possess." He's dead. He's dead. No spiritual life. To think like that.
But Paul then described what happened to him. He said, "When the commandment came, sin revived and I died." Remember that? I came to an awareness of my misery. And that was a scary place for me.
Think of the, boys and girls, this might help tonight. Think of the three things we must know to be Christian in this life. What three things must you know to live and die, says the Catechism, and the joy of this comfort? And you know what those three things are:
The first is what? The greatness of our sin and misery. Second is how you're set free from your sins and misery. And third, how you are to live thankfully for such deliverance.
Let's just leave off the second two. What if you just had the first? The first is the greatness of my sin and misery. That was Romans 1 through 3. That was tough to plow through. That was terrifying stuff about human nature and the judgment of God that rests on human nature. Remember what he said? "People are storing up for themselves on the day of wrath judgment, keeping up sin for the day of judgment." This, That was weighty. That was scary.
Now, at some point, before people become Christians, well, and this is really true of people who are not Christians right now but who sort of walk close to it. At some point, imagine, maybe think of your own life when you realize you first missed the mark. Remember, sin is missing the mark. What kind of response comes out of someone who's thinking? It's fear. It's fear. There's a kind of fear that is built into you. That if you don't suppress it, will scare you to death. It's built into our children. When in the little wee hours of their lives, they're terribly afraid of the dark and monsters. I think this is why a lot of people stay away from the church. They don't want to face this because they'll say things like, "Oh, it's just about sin and it's just about judgment and it's an escape mechanism." But what you need to see that is is that ultimately there. is fear there. There is fear there. They may sound strong. They're very afraid. So they suppress it. There is a slavery of fear in this life that leads to slavery and sin.
Now, remember when Peter and Paul were preaching in Acts and they had the ears of the people and they preached the condemning power of the law, and they said, "You killed Jesus." Do you remember the response from the people in Acts? "Men and brethren, what do we do?" That was a cry of desperation and fear. You ever had it? You ever thought, "You know, I've really done a lot of bad things in my life. I know what I deserve. Hell's a terrible place. You ever had this dreadful thought? you might go there?"
Paul and Silas with the Philippian jailer, after they had witnessed what happened, said, "Sirs, what do I need to do to be saved?" He's scared to death. Fear. Fear. You can suppress it. People live under it. Calvin would talk about this innate sense. If you read the opening of the Institutes, he talks about this innate sense. It's in all people that they are out of harmony with God. So that if just a leaf rustles behind them, they're scared to death. They don't know what it is. I mean, you've had that happen, right? The leaf bounces around. Why is that in you? The dread of the Holy God is imprinted on every human heart. God put eternity in men's hearts. What are we talking about here? I think John Murray really gets this, and I think makes a helpful observation.
"You did not receive the Holy Spirit as a spirit of bondage." He's kind of paraphrasing. I think he's spot on. "You did not receive the Holy Spirit as a spirit of bondage, but as the spirit of adoption. The expression," he says, "again unto fear is to be understood in the sense that the reception of the Holy Spirit in our lives does not have the effect. is not intended to have the effect. His work does not bring this effect in us to relapse into the slavish fear which characterizes The pre-Christian state. The Spirit's work is to promote that which is consonant with adoption."
Do you understand what he said there? That's an important point. The Spirit's work is to not constantly make us scared to death of God. That we're under judgment. No, no, no. The Spirit is taking the truth: "There's no condemnation," and he's leading you now. And that changes everything. He's not putting us back in the pre-Christian state all the time. He's not making you always feel like, "Well, maybe you're not a Christian, because you're not good enough." Well, does anyone think they're good enough? Well, if you do, let's talk.
Paul said all human beings here are sinners, and they're actually living in fear because they continue in sin and they're held under its dominion. They may deny that, but that's the reality. And fear governs their lives because they're under God's judgment. And it's a slavish fear that leads to slavery and sin.
Now, Paul's saying this tonight: you're not given that. You're not given the spirit of that kind of bondage. So the Spirit's work is not to hold you in fear. You have received something way different. You've received, notice how he puts it, the spirit of adoption. What a special term! A gift! I haven't left you to figure this out on your own. I haven't left you wondering if what I declared in the heavens is true of you. I've done something for you so that you will be inwardly persuaded of this truth. There's an inner testimony that he's about to talk about. The Spirit's work is the ministry of ministering the righteousness of Christ to us. Does that produce assurance or doubt? His intention is to produce assurance. It's very important. He's already answered the question: "Well, that's going to create some kind of lax life." It's impossible if you have the Spirit. We're already past that. Stop saying that, you could say, right?
When you come to Christ, you know what happens? Fear is released. You have confidence toward God. You have boldness for the day of judgment. That's the Spirit's work. There is no condemnation. I believe that. That's the Spirit's work. It's the Spirit's work.
Remember what Jesus said? The Spirit's work will be to take what is mine, and the word means gospel proclaim it gospel it proclaim it to you. He's proclaiming it to you. That's the ministry. It's all about, again, the Spirit will take mine and give you good news.
So notice how he's motivating us. You're not a slave to fear. You're not a slave to sin anymore. The Spirit's work is that of adoption. I have sent My Spirit to be a spirit of adoption into your hearts. Adoption is one of the most beautiful truths of the Christian faith. I don't think we give enough attention to it. gets a whole treatment in the Presbyterian standards and not so much in our standards, but it is absolutely beautiful.
If you understand it against the backdrop of what Paul was doing in Romans, in the Roman culture, in their culture, adoption was one of the most blessed privileges one could receive. Often in Roman culture, if there was a son who didn't meet the skills and the expectations of the father, the father could search and adopt a son who did. It's kind of shocking to us, but that was common to them, a common custom of the day. And so at death, the adopted son would receive everything: the family title, the estate, the inheritance. To adopt, he was totally severed from his old and brought into this new, permanently into this new family. All the debts and obligations were wiped out in Roman culture. When you would adopt, you'd even have seven witnesses who would stand up and testify that to the adoption that took place, and lest there was a challenge after the father died. It was a big deal.
Do you hear what's being said to you tonight? You've received the adoption by the Spirit as sons. And that's why he says, "Then you're heirs," right? "And if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Whatever is Christ's is yours. That is so special."
You know, when Jesus went around, why the Pharisees were so furious with him is because when he took the title "Son of God," they knew he thought he was equal with God. He was. He's truly God. But it offended them. Remember when they said that? "We don't want to kill you for a good work, but you being a man make yourself God. You take the title of the Son of God. We know what you're claiming." I have never in myself run around and said that I'm the Son of God. But I can say I'm an adopted son with the same treasures and privileges. A full right into that family.
If you look at, you know, you might say there's, if you look at this life, you have wealthy families. Imagine being brought into that wealthy family and given first right as a son of the entire inheritance. That's what God did for you. You are more rich than anyone else. Everything's yours. That's adoption.
I might quote the Westminster Confession: "All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for His only Son, Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption by which they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have His name put upon them. Who? Who? Right? Receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, chastened by Him. Notice that. As by a father, yet never cast off, sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises and are heirs of everlasting salvation."
Now, what is the spirit? He's the spirit of adoption, ministering that to you. Now, what should that produce? That should produce confidence toward God. It should inspire faith. You've not been given the spirit who produces you to run around and have slavish fear saying, "I'm a wicked sinner and I'm never good enough and I'm out of the kingdom." No, the spirit ministers, and he's the spirit of adoption to assure your hearts in your struggle against sin and your repentance. You are a child.
There's a good example some have used. I think is powerful. In 2 Samuel 9, one of the clearest examples of this is Mehiposheth. If you remember the story: David asks, "Is there anyone left in the house of Saul for me to bless?" One of his servants, Ziba, says, "Well, there's a son of Jonathan whose name is Mehiposheth who is lame in his feet." The name Mehiposheth literally means "a shameful thing." He's totally paralyzed. David said to him, "Do not fear. He says this to Mehibosheth. Do not fear. For I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake and will restore to you all the land of Saul, your grandfather. Now this is this inheritance. And you shall eat bread at my table continually." And he bowed himself and said, "What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?" And David responds, "As for Mehipposheth, he shall eat at my table like a king's son." That's adoption. Captures it. It was pure grace that motivated David to do it. And God was teaching us of the way he treats us.
And you get to call Him Abba Father, You know, a term of intimacy, meaning it's a term of complete lack of fear. When I mean lack of fear, you understand there's two kinds of fear in this life. There's servile fear, the fear that's under condemnation, and then there's filial fear. Filial fear is the reverential fear, the fear that honors him for who he is, that doesn't treat him lightly, but that honors him, that the King, this is the King. I am wowed by him. I am amazed by him. But here he's saying you get to come with the kind of relationship that you can approach him, your God, in the most affectionate, tender way as a father does, as a son does to his father.
You know you can come to your God that way? A good father you come to. and you know the love of a father and a son? Your son could do a lot of bad things, and you love him so much, you want the best for him, don't you? If that could be in us as sinners, think of this. You can come to your Father and say, Appa, You can address him as a good if you think in any good possible way of a good human father, this is God.
And then he says this to close us out tonight. You know what the Spirit's doing at verse 16? He's bearing witness with our spirits that we are sons of God. You know, a lot of people remember years ago a man came up and said, "My former charge, how do you know?" You know, he was always doubting. He was always doubting. He was always doubting. You ever thought of the blessedness of not living like that? The Spirit bears witness the inner testimony we call this of the spirit that we're sons. "You're My child," he said. There's a witness of the Spirit in your life.
Christians, of course, face periods of doubt, but Paul is explaining how this confidence, how this assurance is produced in us. He's told us everything is by the work of the Spirit, putting to death sin in your life, being led by the Spirit, walking in step with the Spirit. He exerts influence on our heart and mind by the Word, by the way. He's not speaking private messages to us. It's by the Word that He takes that Word and reassures our hearts and applies the truth of the Gospels to assure us that we're sons. He's doing that right now.
"And if children, he says, then heirs, heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him. Yeah, we're going to suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him. And that anticipates the golden chain that is to come. The Spirit's going to complete this great work in us, and that's what we'll look at here in the next few weeks."
But he wants to assure you tonight of your sonship. He wants to assure you that you have all things in Christ. He wants to assure you and bear work to the witness of Jesus Christ, what he did for you. And he wants to remind you that soon you're going to be glorified together with him in the heavens.
And I say tonight, then, in closing: May this kind of love, you know, Paul said in verse 12, "So then, brothers, were debtors not to live according to the flesh, but to live what? According to the spirit." That's a good response to all this, isn't it? To walk according to the spirit. He's committed to seal you. He's committed to dwell in you. That's such a mystery, by the way. It's just a mystery. He dwells in us, lives in us, but he's with you. He wants to reassure you that he is fulfilling everything that was spoken to you and promised to you in the gospel; that he is going to conform you to the image of the Son; and so he calls us in response to such grace to walk in step with the Spirit.
What a god that he sealed us with the Spirit and tonight calls us His children. May we live in confidence of such promises to us.
Let's pray.
Gracious Lord, thank you for your Word to us and thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What an encouragement! We don't run around. The Spirit is not ministering to us this slavish fear of the pre-Christian state where we always live in dread of you, but tonight can say "Abba, Father" and come to you as our Father, knowing that you care for us and have called us Your children with the full rights of children as adopted children by grace, heirs with Christ. Such a wonderful truth here that we have all things in Christ. Thank you for reassuring our hearts. Grant us boldness, O Lord, and assurance before you in love to walk as children of light by the Spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.