Romans 8:12-17 The Highest Gospel Blessing

Romans 8:12-17: The Highest Gospel Blessing

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 8. If you’re using one of the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 782. We’ve been working our way through Paul’s letter to the Romans passage by passage, and this morning, we come to Romans 8:12-17. Romans 8:12-17: 12

So then, brothers, 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 sons of God. 15 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!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 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. 

Adoption is probably one of the most beautiful things that one human can do for another. Most of us probably know people who have adopted a child into their home and made that child a part of their family. And that’s such a beautiful thing—because we recognize that children need something more than adequate food, shelter, and medical care. They need to be loved. They need a family. And that’s exactly what they get when they’re adopted. It’s beautiful. And as we see here in Romans 8, adoption is a picture of what God does for us in making us his children. The main idea of this passage is that Christians have been adopted as children of God. Christians have been adopted as children of God. And as we’re going to see, understanding our status as children of God is the answer to many of the struggles Christians often have. It’s the answer to feeling like we have to continually earn God’s love and acceptance by performing well enough for him—as if God’s love for us each day were conditioned on that day’s performance. It’s also the answer to feeling alone and forgotten during difficult seasons of life. And it’s the answer to the nagging feelings of doubt we often have during those difficult seasons about whether God truly has our best interests at heart and about whether we can legitimately trust him to take care of us. If you’ve ever struggled with any of those things, what you need perhaps more than anything else is a clearer understanding of what it means to be a child of God. 

You know, as we’ve been working our way through Romans, we’ve seen some amazing truths. Many of these truths have centered around the concept of justification—or being declared right before God. Paul’s explained how, even though we were once sinful and condemned, God provided a way for all of our sins to be forgiven. He sent his own Son Jesus to die for those sins on the cross. And because Jesus bore our sins on the cross, you and I can be cleansed of those sins and counted as righteous before God. That’s justification. It’s a tremendous blessing. However, I don’t believe it’s the highest blessing we receive through the gospel. And that may surprise some of you, but I do believe there’s a blessing even higher than justification. We find that blessing right here in Romans 8, where we learn that we as Christians have been adopted into God’s family.  

You might compare the book of Romans up to this point to a mountain that we’ve been climbing. One of the most enjoyable things about climbing a mountain is the view you get to enjoy—especially if it’s a clear day. Climbing a mountain usually allows you to see a panoramic view of the area that’s absolutely breathtaking. And the higher you climb on that mountain, the more breathtaking the view becomes. So we might say that the truth of justification we’ve learned so far in Romans has been amazing. However, justification isn’t the peak of the mountain. It’s pretty high up there, but it’s not the peak. I believe the peak is found here in Romans 8 in the form of our adoption into God’s family. Adoption is the highest, most breathtaking blessing the flows out of the gospel. Now, to clarify, I do believe that justification is the most foundational blessing we receive since it meets our most foundational need. Apart from Christ, we stand under God’s judgment and need to be rescued from that. That’s the most foundational need we have. So justification is the foundational blessing since it meets that need. However, that’s not to say that justification is the highest blessing of the gospel. Adoption is higher because of the richer relationship with God that it involves. I mean, it’s wonderful to be declared right before God, but to be loved by God and adopted by God as his own child is even more wonderful. There’s no higher privilege than to be a part of God’s family. It’s the highest blessing we receive.  

And think about the fact that God didn’t have to adopt us. Now, in reality, he didn’t have to justify us either. He could have left us in our sins and allowed us to experience his just condemnation. Yet, he didn’t. He chose to send Jesus to rescue us and make it possible for us to be justified. But God also could have stopped at our justification. That would mean we’d be forgiven of our sins and enjoy God’s goodness to some degree in heaven. I’m sure we’d all agree that that alone would be worthy of us praising God forever. It would be an unimaginably wonderful blessing. Yet God hasn’t even stopped there. He’s actually gone beyond even that and adopted us into his family as his beloved children. That’s just off the charts. What greater blessing could there be? And that’s the blessing we read about in this passage in Romans 8. Through Jesus, we’ve been adopted as children of God. And as we move through the passage, we see three features of this adoption. Number one, the proof of our adoption. Number two, the cry of our adoption. And number three, the benefits of our adoption. So let’s look at each one of those. 

The Proof of Our Adoption

First, the proof of our adoption. Look again at verses 12-14: 12 So then, brothers, 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 sons of God. So here we see that every person in this world is on one of two pathways. The first pathway is living according to the flesh, which basically means pursuing our sinful desires without much of a second thought about it. That’s the pathway a lot of people are on, and that pathway results in death on many different levels, the greatest of which is eternal death in hell. That’s the tragic end of those living according to the flesh. Others, however, are following a different pathway. By the Spirit, they’re putting to death the deeds of the body, verse 13 says. They’re fighting against the ghost of old sinful nature within them, actively discovering and ruthlessly executing the sin in their life. And again, their ability to do that comes from the Holy Spirit living within them. Remember, we said a few weeks ago that the Spirit’s ministry is to enlarge our appetite for God and give us a greater desire for God than we have for sin. And since sin gets in the way of us being close to God, we understand that it has to be executed. So the Spirit leads us to do that. And according to our text, the outcome of us doing that is that we “live”—we get to enjoy eternal life in heaven. 

Now understand that Paul isn’t saying we earn eternal life by putting sin to death. That would contradict everything he said in chapters 3, 4, and 5 about justification and how justification is a free gift obtained by grace and through faith. So we don’t earn eternal life by killing sin. Rather, eternal life is the outcome in the sense that, by killing sin, we show ourselves to truly be children of God. As verse 14 states, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” So being led to the Holy Spirit to kill sin in your life is proof that you’re truly a son or daughter of God. Your behavior reveals your identity. It would be kind of like a spy revealing his true identity by the things he does. Let’s say the CIA thought one of its agents might actually be a double agent working for a foreign government. So they might tap that agent’s phone and follow him around to observe his behavior. And if they observed that agent dropping coded notes in public trash cans and making regular calls to Moscow, that of course would be an indicator of his identity. A loyal CIA agent doesn’t take orders from Moscow and doesn’t act in Moscow’s best interest. Instead, he takes orders from Washington and acts in our country’s best interest. And in the same way, a person’s spiritual identity is revealed through their behavior as well. They receive their “orders,” so to speak, from the Holy Spirit and are led by the Spirit to kill the sin within them. That’s the proof that they’ve truly been adopted as a child of God. So if someone comes to me and wants me to help them figure out if they’re truly saved or not, one of the most important questions I ask them, among other questions, is, “Are you killing the sin in your life?” Very simple. Are you tolerating the sin in your life or are you killing it? That’s an indicator of your identity. 

The Cry of Our Adoption

Then secondly, not only does Paul talk about the proof of our adoption, he also talks about the cry of our adoption. That’s point two: the cry of our adoption. Look at verse 15: 15 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!” That word “Abba” is an Aramaic term that carries with it the idea of tenderness and intimacy. It’s often pointed out that the rough equivalent of “Abba” in the English language would be “Dad” or “Daddy.” So the fact that the Spirit leads us to cry out “Abba!” toward God shows the intimate relationship we now have with him. We’re neither condemned nor estranged any more. We’ve been saved not only out of our sin but also into a wonderfully close relationship with God. We get to relate to him as a Father. I love this picture of John F. Kennedy, Jr., playing under his father’s desk in the oval office. Of course, his dad was the President of the United States and was therefore arguably the most powerful and influential person in the world. And so, I imagine that whenever most people came into the oval office, they’d be very guarded and formal and perhaps a bit anxious as they interacted with the very powerful man behind that desk. And yet, we see quite a different attitude in JFK, Jr. There’s no fear or anxiety because the president is his dad. And that’s similar to the manner in which we get to approach God. Although we certainly revere God, we don’t have to be afraid of him or be anxious as we approach him. We come to him as our Father—as “Abba.” 

And it’s important to remember that regardless of what your earthly father was like growing up, God is a perfect Father and a loving Father. Here are a few ways I jotted down in which God is the best Father we could ever imagine. This certainly isn’t a complete list, but I hope it’s helpful. First, God is a Father whose love isn’t conditioned on our performance. If you’re anything like me, sometimes you might be tempted to think that God loves you more on days when you’re a better Christian and less on days when you’re not a very good Christian. So maybe you’ll have a day where you read the Bible, tell someone about Jesus, help out at a soup kitchen, and do some other really amazing things and think because of those things that God must really love you. But then, perhaps you have another day where things go a lot differently. Let’s say you miss an easy opportunity to share the gospel, you avoid making eye contact with the homeless person on the street corner asking for money, you fall to a temptation, you yell at your spouse, and for good measure you kick the dog. Perhaps after a day like that, you’d be tempted to think that God loves you less. But the wonderful truth contained in this idea of God as Father is that God’s love isn’t conditioned on your performance. You don’t have to be good enough or perform well enough for God to love you. He just loves you.

Second, God is a Father who loves to be generous to us. He’s not stingy with his blessings. In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus says: 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” So God surpasses even the best of earthly fathers in his desire to be generous to his children. He loves to be generous with his blessings. As Jesus points out, the reason we so often don’t receive God’s blessings isn’t because of God’s refusal to be generous but because of our failure to ask. 

Then third, God is a Father who’s made himself available for the closet of relationships with us. He’s not perpetually unavailable or closed off as some earthly fathers are. Rather, he invites us into the closest of relationships. 

Next, number four, God is a Father who’s for us, not against us. Maybe you’re sometimes tempted to think that God’s in some way out to get you or perhaps that he’s just waiting for you to mess so he can bring down the hammer on you and put you in your place. Yet that’s not at all what this truth of God as Father teaches us. God wants us enjoy his goodness and fullness and blessing both in this life and in eternity. He’s for us, not against us. 

And along with that, number five, God is a Father who will take care of us and provide for our needs. He’s not a negligent father who carelessly leaves his children on their own to fend for themselves without any regard for their welfare. No, he takes care of us and provides for our needs. As we saw in Matthew 7, he’s not going to give us a stone when we ask for bread or a serpent if we ask for a fish. 

Then finally, number six, God is a Father who always remains faithful to us. He’s not like some earthly fathers who abandon the family and chase after some woman twenty years younger than them. God will always be faithfully present and faithfully engaged with you. You never have to worry about him leaving you, losing interest in you, or changing his mind about how he’s going to relate to you. 

So here’s the question: how do you view God? Do you view him as Father or as something other than Father? That’s a very important question because your view of God determines how you relate to God. One time, a good friend of mine tried to send a text message to his fiancé. However, instead of sending it to his fiancé, he accidentally sent it to another woman that he knew. And let’s just say he wrote something in this text message that he definitely wouldn’t write to another woman intentionally. Now thankfully, they were eventually able to get the situation figured out, but at first this other woman was very confused and my friend was very embarrassed. So we relate to people differently depending on who we perceive them to be. And the same holds true with the way we relate to God. Viewing God as Father will lead you to relate to him much differently than not viewing him as Father. For example, the way you approach God in prayer will be different. Are you prayers guarded and stiff since you really don’t know if God’s favorably disposed toward you or do you delight in God in your prayers and pray with confidence because you know God loves you and hears you? It depends on whether you view him as Father or not. Or let’s talk about your life in general. When you think about living as a Christian, do you think about it primarily in terms of adhering to a list of rules and duties or do you think about it in terms of loving God and delighting in God as your Father, with all of your devotion to him rising out of your love for him? Are you approaching God as Father?

The Benefits of Our Adoption

Then finally in our passage, we see the benefits of our adoption. So first we saw the proof of our adoption. Then we saw the cry of our adoption. And now we see the benefits of our adoption. Look at verses 16-17: 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 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. So if you’re a child of God, that makes you what Paul calls a “fellow heir” with Christ. That means we get to share in the inheritance Jesus receives. In Hebrews 1:2, the Bible describes the inheritance Jesus receives. It says that the Father has appointed Jesus as “the heir of all things.” So Jesus’ inheritance consists of “all things”—the entire universe. Jesus owns it all and rules and reigns over it all. And the amazing thing—and somewhat surprising thing—is that, as Christians, we actually get to share that inheritance and reign alongside Jesus. Of course, we’ll never be equal to him, but we will reign along with him. We see this stated quite clearly in Revelation 22:4-5. Describing Christians in heaven, it says, 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they [meaning Christians] will reign forever and ever. So as you can see, our adoption carries with it a very significant inheritance. And of course, the best part of our inheritance and the center of it consists of God himself. God’s better than literally all of the rest of the world put together. We’ll get to be with him, see his face, and enjoy endless delights in his presence. That’s the climax of the inheritance we gain through our adoption. 

However, there is a requirement before we receive this inheritance. We see it back in Romans 8, verse 17. Paul describes us as “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” So our inheritance is guaranteed, but first we have to suffer. And undoubtedly the suffering Paul’s speaking of here is a reference to the persecution Christians can expect to face while we’re still in this world. Now thankfully, here in America, Christians experience a lot less persecution than Christians in many other countries. Perhaps it’s not even worth being called “persecution.” However, as our country continues to go the way it’s going, perhaps we should prepare ourselves to face more direct persecution or opposition than we’ve faced up to this point. We should prepare ourselves for our Christianity to actually cost us something and cause us to be increasingly marginalized, mocked, misrepresented, and ridiculed.  

And unfortunately, I’m not sure how many Christians are truly prepared to be treated that way. That fact is that we desire to be prominent. We want social approval. We don’t like to be the outcasts of society. And so, even already, we’re often tempted to compromise our convictions in order to be accepted. I can’t help but think of Lauren Daigle and her recent statements compromising on biblical convictions. And even if you never become famous like Lauren Daigle, make no mistake: your moment will come. You also will have to decide between the approval of God and the approval of people. Are you prepared to be an outcast? Hebrews 13:12 states that Jesus “suffered outside the gate” when he died on the cross. It then says in the next two verses, 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Are you prepared to go to Jesus outside the camp and bear that reproach? Are your eyes looking toward that city that is to come? Romans 8 is clear. We’re “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Our time to be glorified with him will come, but first we have to prepared to suffer with him. And we know that if we do that, it will be worth it in the end. We will receive the glory Jesus promises—the heavenly inheritance that belongs to the children of God. 

Conclusion

So we’ve seen throughout the sermon how blessed it is to be a child of God. It’s the highest blessing that can ever be conceived. But as we conclude, I’d like to remind you that not everyone is a child of God. Sometimes I’ll hear people say something to the effect that everyone in the world is a child of God, but that’s simply not the case. According to the Bible, everyone in the world is a creation of God and bears God’s image, but the Bible nowhere refers to all people as “children” of God. That status is only applied to Christians—to those who turn away from their sins and look to Jesus for rescue. Jesus died on the cross to bear the penalty our sins deserved and then triumphantly conquered sin through his resurrection. And it’s through him and him alone that we can become God’s children. So have you turned to him? Have you put your trust in him to forgive you of your sins and bring you into God’s family?