Spirit of Adoption

ROM.  8:14-17

THEME: the Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer’s life by enabling him to overcome the power of the old sin nature.  This sanctifying activity of the Spirit can only be experienced as we realize our spiritual wealth and then consistently make withdrawals from our spiritual accounts.

INTRODUCTION:

Through the work of the Holy Spirit we have a wealth of help for living the Christian life to the satisfaction of our Father in Heaven.  By realizing Who we are—believers, and accounting Who we have—the Holy Spirit, and then accepting the reality of our new position—mature sons by adoption, we now have enough spiritual wealth to live a successful Christian life. We must take full account of what it means then to be placed in the position of an adult son of God.  This is part of the key to victory over the flesh.

Being adopted in the NT sense can be compared to receiving a promotion that offers new privileges and responsibilities that one did not have prior to that promotion.  For instance when a common laborer becomes an asst. foreman or a solider becomes an NCO or when an NCO becomes a Senior NCO, even when an NCO becomes a Warrant Officer or a Commissioned Officer.  The NEW POSITION offers power, latitude, privilege, opportunities and responsibilities that one did not previously enjoy.  These privileges of course encourage his success in the new position. This is very similar to what NT adoption is like and we can be successful because of our POSITION as ADULT SONS of God.

LESSON:  WE HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION  

Romans 8:14-16, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17, And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

          A.  THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP   VS 14

Rom 8:14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

We have learned that we have the Spirit living us; we have the Spirit.  Therefore we realize that every Believer has the potential to live the Christ-like life.  In the Spirit, God gave us all the equipment that we will ever need.  Then we learned that it is just as important that the Spirit have us!  Only then can He share with us the abundant, victorious life that can be ours in Christ.  We have no obligations to the flesh, because the flesh has brought us nothing but trouble.  We do have a moral obligation to the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit who convicted us, revealed Christ to us, and imparted eternal life to us when we trusted Christ.  He is the sanctifier in the Christian’s life; He is the means of victory over the flesh.  The truth of this verse is that the Holy Spirit leads us into the sanctification experience as we “yield” and willingly follow Him!

The pillar of fire and the cloud that lead the children of Israel toward Canaan, are a picture of the sanctified life, after their redemption (Passover) out of Egyptian bondage.  The Spirit was leading them and he wants to lead us!

          B.  THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE     VS 15

Rom. 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Many Christians are more motivated by fear and punishment, instead of a love and appreciation for our Savior and Lord.  We learn once again from these verses that this attitude is inconsistent with the life lead by the Spirit.

                    1.  The Spirit of Bondage is the Life of  Servitude Under the Law.  The Bible is teaching us that we are not like “minor children” under the authority of a Master, the Law.  We are not “servants” or “slaves” under a harsh rule and inapproachable standards of the law, dreading and fearing failure and death.  Instead we are adopted sons with no obligations to the law and no fear of its penalties.

                    2.  This Bondage/Slavery and Servitude of a “Minor Child” is Also Referred to as being “kept under the law” and  “Shut up” Under the General Supervision of a School Master, the Law.

Gal 3:22-24, But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23, But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. (“Kept under”= an inferior position or condition, hence “minor children” who have not been adopted by their Roman parents into sonship.  They are merely “servants.”)    (“Shut up”= "to shut together, shut in on all sides"; God shut all humanity in under sin—Jews and Gentiles alike) 24, Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

                        a. “School Master”= Instructor (vs 24) :   Not the Impartation of Knowledge as a Teacher or Tutor.  The School Master was not the instructor of the child; he exercised a general supervision over him and was responsible for his moral and physical well-being.  This is what the Law did for Israel, through the Wilderness and during the Occupation of the Land of Israel where some Canaanites stilled lived.

                        b. “Shut Up”= Inclose (vs 23):    sunkleio ^4788^, "to shut together, shut in on all sides".  Is used of a catch of fish, ; metaphorically in , of God's dealings with Jew and Gentile, in that He has "shut up (KJV, concluded) all unto disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all."

In ("the Scripture hath shut up all things under sin"), the apostle shows that, by the impossibility of being justified by keeping the Law, all, Jew and Gentile, are under sin, so that righteousness might be reckoned to all who believe.

                       c. Once We Believe On Christ We Are Delivered From This Bondage, Servitude/ Slavery and Fear of the Law and then Adopted and placed as “Adult Sons” in God’s Family.

Gal. 3:23, But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24, Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25, But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26, For ye are all the [sons] children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Rom 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Believers are not under this Spirit of Bondage and Fear!  Therefore, we have no obligations to the Law, its Penalties, or to the Flesh life by which people tried to keep the Law. We are set free to enjoy the privileges of being an Adult Son of God! God’s Spirit always leads us into greater freedom and never back into bondage and grueling servitude.  We should examine what our attitudes are concerning God’s word, work and way.  Is it like obligation or is it like being set free to please God and satisfy His will?  Are we still being motivated primarily by fear and punishment as Believers or are we driven by a love and passion for our Lord and Savior?

          C.  THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION    VS 15

Rom. 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

                 1.  We Have Received the Spirit of Adoption

Adoption in the NT is really not the same as in our modern society—to take a child of other parents as your own.

“Regeneration has to do with our change in Nature; Justification, with our change in Standing; Sanctification, with our change in Character; adoption with our change in Position.  In Regeneration the Believer becomes a Child of God (Jn. 1:12, 13); in Adoption, the Believer already a child, receives a place as an adult son; thus the child becomes a son, the minor becomes an adult (Gal. 4:1-7).”—William Evans

                         a. By the New Birth We Were Regenerated and Received God’s Nature (Jn. 1:13; Tit 3:5; 1Pet. 1:23)

                         b. By the Act of Adoption We Receive a Position by being “Placed as an Adult Son” this is the meaning of Adoption.  We are not brought into God’s ‘household’ as ‘Servants’ and ‘Slaves’ but Sons.

“...God adopts us and gives us the position of adult sons.  A baby cannot walk , talk, make decisions, nor draw on the family’s wealth.  But the Believer can do all these things the instant he is born again.”—WW Wiersbe

In other words we don’t have to wait to grow up before we can enjoy the Christian life nor do we have to wait until we can understand the whole Bible before we began to follow the Holy Spirits leadership in our lives.  We are established as Adults capable of getting victory over the flesh immediately after the new birth!

                         c. The Holy Spirit Regenerates Us Into the Family of God and then He Immediately Adopts Us or Places us into the Position of a Mature Son of God. In addition to this it is the Person of the Holy Spirit who makes us conscious of our sonship and its associated dignity. He imparts to us the Spiritual Instinct to call God Father!  He also helps us realize our freedom from the Bondage and Condemnation of the Law.

Rom. 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

                 2.  We Now Have Privileges as Adult Sons of God

Rom. 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

                             a. The Privilege is That We Can Conduct Ourselves As Adults and We Are Not Restrained to the Dexterity of Infancy.  We can “cry, Abba Father!”

Wouldn’t it be amazing if a tiny little infant looked up at his dad and said, Hi Pop!  Or maybe address him with another term of endearment, like Abba Father!  A baby cannot talk, sign checks, but the child of God by faith can draw on his spiritual wealth as an heir of God and joint heir with Christ!  We are in a position of victory over the flesh as Sons of God! (Wiersbe)

Every believer enjoys a special relationship carrying the privileges of one who has reached the maturity of manhood.

                                            1.  The Privilege of Intimacy towards the Father—Rom. 8:15

                                            2.  The Privilege of and Inheritance with Christ—Rom. 8:17

                                            3.  The Privilege of Illumination by the Spirit—Rom. 8:14, 16

                             b. With This Privilege Comes the Responsibility of Honoring Your Father!  Live up to the Family’s reputation, you have a senior Brother, Jesus Christ as an Example!  Don’t dishonor your Father’s good name.  Secondly, we should consistently “cry Abba Father.”  The word “Cry” can mean a loud spontaneous emotional cry  and it can refer to praise in public worship and certainly calling on the Father in private devotion.  All in all this is the attitude and full assurance of being a Son of God as opposed to a servant still under the Law and filled with uncertainty and fear in relation to the Law’s demands. 

                                             1.  We Should Be Lead By the Spirit   Gal. 5:18

                                             2.  We Should Have a Childlike Confidence and Assurance in our Father-God   Gal. 4:5,6

                                              3.  We Should Love the Brethren   1John 2:9-11; 5:1

                                              4.  We Should Be Obedient Sons     1Jn. 5:1-3

          D.  THE SPIRIT OF WITNESS   VS 16-17

Rom 8:16-17, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

                1.  The Holy Spirit Bears Witness Along Side Our Own Human Spirit that We Are The Sons of God.  The OT required the testimony of at least two witnesses to establish a testimony.  We see an illustration of this concept in the trial of our Lord before the Sanhedrin when they finally secured two false witnesses against the Lord Jesus in Matt. 26:59-65.  The concept seems to have carried over to the NT period after the Lord’s ascension.  (Heb. 10:28; 1Tim. 5:19; 2Cor. 13:1; 1Cor. 14:29)

Therefore our own spirit now quickened and alive to God witness to the truth that we are God’s Sons and the witness of the Holy Spirit joining our spirit as the testimony of two witnesses that we are God’s Sons.  This is great assurance and comfort.

                   2.  The Holy Spirit Accomplishes This Primarily With the Word of God.

As a Christian studies the Bible the Spirit will confirm the reality of his Sonship/ salvation on the basis of faith in Christ.  He seems to say from the Scriptures that the Believer is indeed saved and secure and constantly reassuring us of victory over the flesh.

CONCLUSION:

The Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer’s life by enabling him to overcome the power of the old sin nature. This sanctifying activity of the Spirit can only be experienced as we realize our spiritual wealth and then consistently make withdrawals from our spiritual accounts.

Let us not live like poverty stricken beggars when we have a spiritual account in the Holy Spirit to enable us to be successful or victorious over the Flesh!