15 So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into His family. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”16 For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we will share in His treasures – for everything God gives to His Son, Christ, is ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
The power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is real and life changing. Paul needed to remind the Roman Christians of this. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are identified as children of God. And, without His presence, we can not live as children of God.
The first century Roman Christians knew what it meant to be a slave, because some were slaves. Slavery is talked about throughout scripture, but we all need to understand that God has never condoned slavery. Slavery is never a good thing, but it was a part of the culture. There were many reasons why someone would become a slave. In Genesis 37, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers that wanted to get rid of him without killing him. The Israelites were born into slavery in Egypt United States
Slavery wasn’t always brutal. It was not at all uncommon to have a master take a liking to a slave and choose to make him a part of his family. The Roman government had laws in place to accommodate this very thing. A master could legally adopt a slave into his family, and this slave would be given full legal and inheritance rights as any other member of the family. The Roman believers knew the huge, legal significance of being adopted into someone’s family.
Paul reminded them that they are God’s children now. They have been adopted into God’s family. And this wasn’t just some legal maneuver, this was real! God is not just our Father, He is our daddy. Abba – Father.
Humanly speaking, it isn’t anything more than a biological process that makes a man a father. Some men are fathers and never even know it. But it takes a special man to be a daddy. This is a man that takes responsibility for being a father. This is a man that is an integral part of his child’s upbringing. This is a man that teaches his sons to have strength under control, and his daughters what to look for in a future husband.
The Holy Spirit reminds us constantly that, no matter what, God loves us. We are His, and He is ours. Christ is our brother, and all of the treasures that Christ was given, are also ours to share. But, as with anything else in life, it comes with a price. Just as Christ suffered, we will also suffer.
It’s not easy being a Christian in our world. It wasn’t any easier in Paul’s day. But we are called by Christ to be His salt and light. Christ told His disciples;
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world – like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:13-16 NLT)
In the first century, salt was not only used as a seasoning, but also as a preservative to keep meat from spoiling. Salt brings out the best in flavor of what ever it touches – both are great metaphors for us today. Light chases away darkness. It helps us see what is right and true.
Someone once said, “Preach the Gospel of Christ continually, and when necessary, use words.” Christ said in John 13:35, “The world will know that you are Mine by the way you love one another.” The world should see Christ in our daily actions. Through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, Christ’s light should be pouring out of us.
It doesn’t do anyone any good, including yourself, to be a “closet Christian”. When was the last time that you touched someone with your spiritual salt and brought out the best in them? When was the last time you let Christ’s light shine through you for all the world to see?
No, it’s not easy being a Christian in our world today. Most of us here in the United States
In verse 20, Paul explains that everything on earth was subject to God’s curse. Adam’s rebellion introduced sin into God’s perfect creation. And with sin came death and decay. Ever since then, the entire world has been on a downward spiral. The world is struggling to maintain its precious balance. How much longer can it last? How much longer can the earth handle the amount of waste that is being produced? A couple thousand more years? Who knows?
But there is hope! Christ promised that there will come a day when everything that sin made wrong, will be made right, and the world will live in the perfection that it was originally intended. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of this future glory.
Hope is defined as, “The confident assurance that what has been promised will be delivered.” We tend to think of hope as nothing more than a wish with conviction, but it is not that at all. Hope is a certainty that is based on a promise. What gives hope its power is the trustworthiness of the one who made the promise. If your hope is placed in another person, you might be disappointed, but if it is placed in God, it is a certainty.
There is nothing to worry about. Christ set the plan in motion with His death and resurrection. Every human being is given the exact same choice that Adam was given – Do you choose to obey God, or do you choose to rebel against Him. Choosing to obey Him will result in everlasting life. But, choosing to disobey Him will result in everlasting death.
But, the Lord God gave Adam this warning, “You may freely eat of any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17 NLT)
But, as much as the Holy Spirit within us gives us hope of future glory, He also opens our eyes to the depravity of mankind. We groan to be released from the pain and suffering of this world, but our hearts go out to those who refuse His free gift.
We are all drowning in our sin. It is a hopeless situation. I’ve heard it said that, “Christ didn’t come to give us swimming lessons – He came to rescue us!” Apart from Christ, we cannot be saved. We can’t swim hard enough or long enough to save ourselves. But with Him, not only are we plucked from the water, we are given the help we need to stay out of the water. This help comes in the form of the Holy Spirit that dwells within all believers. He brings comfort in our distress, encouragement in our weakness, and support in our defense. He prays for us, in a way that only He can, in harmony with the Father’s will. It is the spiritual rebirth that Paul spoke of earlier, and it is very real.
One of the first verses that I ever memorized is Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” The key word in this verse is purpose. God has had a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us since the beginning of time. It is really amazing to see how purposeful our lives become when we align ourselves with God’s will. We are doing exactly what we were born to do.
The Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers, as well as nonbelievers, to call us to Himself. As believers, we answer this calling and we begin to see the doors open and the doors close as He directs our path.
As nonbelievers, the Spirit continually works to call us to Himself. He never stops calling, and never gives up, until the moment of our death. At that point, our fate is sealed. There is no turning back.
“ And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”
(Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT)
No one will be able to stand before the Great White Throne of God and say they didn’t know. God knew from the beginning of time who would follow Him and who would reject Him. Once again, we need to stress this point; just because God knows the choices we will make, doesn’t change the fact that we still make the choice. Our destiny is in our hands – our eternal address is our choice.
Are you still treading water, trying to keep yourself afloat? Your Rescuer is waiting. All you need to do is call out to Him.
Study Questions:
Does the world know that you are a Christian?
Paul wrote in Galatians 5:22-23 that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How many of these would your co-workers say that you live out everyday?
Are you still trying to make it under your own power?
Too often, Christians never grow up from being an infant in their faith. They are like a child learning how to swim. They get into the pool, they start kicking with both feet and paddling with one arm, but they just can’t let go of the side of the pool. As believers, we need to get past that. We need to reach out and grab a hold of the power of the Holy Spirit and trust that He will guide us to the place we need to be. Step out of your comfort zone. The next time a friend shares a difficulty with you, ask if you can pray for them – and then do it. Step out in faith and see where the Spirit leads you.
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