As we end this series on the Holy Spirit, we will look at what Romans 8 has to teach us about the Spirit of Adoption. What does it mean for our relationship with God in and through Christ?
(A) There is One Spirit for you (Rom 8:1-11)
Romans 8 begins with: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:1-2)” As we read previously in Ezekiel 37, the prophet Ezekiel was told to prophesy to the dead and dry bones. The bones came together, joined by sinews, then covered by flesh and skin. And the Spirit of Life entered them and they stood as an exceedingly great army. God's Word through Ezekiel brings them back to life. But we find out that this army was the people of Israel, who had died because they were cut off by God for their sin and rebellion. They could not live up to the requirements of God' holy law. But God promised to bring them back to life in spite of their sin. So in Romans 8:3, we read that “God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.”
The Spirit of Christ empowers and enables the Son of God to obey the Father and do His will. How did God do this? "By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Rom 8:3b-4)” God sent Jesus to take on the penalty of our sin on the cross. And Jesus did not work alone. Isaiah 11 shows us how the Spirit of Christ dwelt on the promised Christ. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, his identity was confirmed by the Spirit at baptism, he was led by the Spirit in the wilderness where he was tempted, His ministry to proclaim the good news to the poor was anointed by the Spirit, His atoning death was enabled by the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14) and He was raised back to life by the Spirit. The entire life and ministry of Jesus was empowered and enabled by the Spirit, to obey the Father and do His will. And Christians are united with Christ by the Spirit.
3 times in Romans 8:9-11 it is said that the Spirit dwells in us. This was promised by Christ, that when He leaves, He will send the Spirit to be our Helper. The Spirit of Pentecost — the gift of the Spirit — came upon the believers on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Suddenly from heaven came a sound like a mighty rushing wind, filling the entire house. Tongues of fire appeared and rested on the believers and they spoke in tongues, not in unintelligible speech, but understood by people from every nation to be proclaiming the mighty works of God. This Spirit was poured out upon all who have Christ and now have His indwelling power for witnessing to Christ. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Looking at Romans 8:5-8, it looks like living according to the Spirit and not the flesh. Setting our minds on the things of the Spirit is life and peace, submitted to God's law and pleasing God. The Spirit of Holiness makes us holy as living temples of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:11-20). We saw that underneath our holy living is the stunning reality that it is the Spirit of Holiness who washed, sanctified and justified we who are in Christ. We are not our own, for we were bought with a price. We are joined to the Lord, and our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
This is also a Spirit of Knowledge, and the Holy Spirit brought to the apostles' remembrance all that Jesus said to them, and taught them how to understand Jesus' words. From 2 Peter 1:16-21, we learnt about the dual authorship and concursive inspiration of Scripture.
With a series as broad as this, it is very easy to walk away and think 'Oh, that was good to know.' We might even be thankful for what the Holy Spirit has done for God's people as a whole, without really grasping what it means for you. Romans 8 makes it crystal clear that the work of the Spirit is a deeply personal one. It is a work for you.
Romans 8:2 reads, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
And in Romans 8:4, “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Finally, Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
This work of the Spirit in redemption is for the Church, and it is also for you.
He is the Spirit of Adoption. It is the only descriptor that uses such familial and personal language. We need to know Him and the personal work He has done for us.
(B) The Spirit of Adoption makes us sons of God (Rom 8:12-16)
Paul addresses his readers as “brothers” and identifies himself with them with the use of the word “we” (Rom 8:12-13). He exhorts them not to live according to the flesh which leads to death, but by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body which lead to life.
Paul says they are debtors. That means that they owe something to someone. Looking at Romans 6:16-18, they are described as once being slaves to sin, but were set free from sin by God to become slaves of righteousness. We see that this switch happened as we were united to Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom 8:6-8). So they are indebted to God for what He has done, to now live for Him.
Coming back to Romans 8, there are 2 clear paths. One path involves us living according to the flesh which leads to death, and on the other path, we are to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit which leads to life. He made it in clear in Romans 6 that you were saved from the path of slavery to sin/flesh/death and put on the path of slavery to righteousness/life. Similarly, we are indebted to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit.
All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom 8:14). Paul emphasizes this new identity that believers have. And what marks believers as sons of God is that we are led by the Spirit of God. So even as we put to death the deeds of the body, we are not alone. The Spirit of God leads us to do what we are indebted to do. What would that look like for you? When you struggle with sin, would you pray for the Spirit to help you in your weakness? When you desire to live for God, would you pray for the Spirit to equip you by His Word for every good work?
How did we become sons? By adoption. What does that mean? We were not sons originally, but were taken into sonship.
An adoption is intentional, prepared for, costly to the adopting parent, but very precious. For the adopted child, the change is radical. Your identity is changed as you take on your new family name. You live in a new home, live with new siblings, and day by day you grow up in the likeness of your new parents who loves you and cares for you. Amazingly, the adopted child did nothing to earn this. It was chosen by the parent. That is the image given here. You have received the gift of the Spirit of adoption. It was intentional, prepared for, costly to God who paid with the blood of Christ, but you are precious to Him. You take on the identity of Christ-ian. You have new brothers, all adopted, living in a new way, led by a new Spirit. And day by day you grow up in the likeness of your Father who loves you and cares for you.
By this Spirit of Adoption you can cry ‘Abba! Father!’ because that is how closely intimate your relationship with your heavenly Father can be. In Mark 14:36, Jesus cried out to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was distressed knowing that the agony of the cross lay before him. But he also prayed ‘Yet not what I will, but what you will’. And because Jesus endured the cross for our sake, we have received this Spirit of Adoption as sons.
But we do not always feel like children do we? Especially not when we sin, or struggle with various challenges in life.
Paul goes on to write that the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:16). Simply put, we are assured that we are children of God because the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. In Deuteronomy 19:15, we learn that any charge can only be established on the evidence or testimony of at least 2 witnesses. The Spirit and our spirit serves as this witness.
Article 10 in the fifth main point in the Canons of Dort gives us three grounds for the assurance of salvation that we are given in God’s Word:
Assurance comes from faith in the promises of God.
Assurance comes from the testimony of the Holy Spirit testifying to our spirits that we are children of God.
Assurance comes from “a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works”.
(C) The Spirit of Adoption makes us heirs to be glorified with Christ (Rom 8:17)
As co-heirs with Christ, we have what Christ has. Just as Jesus was raised to life with a new resurrection body, we too await the redemption of our bodies as Romans 8:23 mentions. That means freedom from sin and suffering, entering into God’s rest and a perfectly restored relationship with God. But there is a condition at the end of Romans 8:17: provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Living for God now does come with a cost. Just as Jesus was hated and persecuted by the world, His disciples will be as well. Sometimes, it is the present suffering that feels the most real to us now. It can be hard to imagine a reality of glory that feels so far in the future, and that affects our ability to live as children of God today.
When we are glorified with Christ, our life and suffering on earth will fade into a distant memory. The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). This future glory is assured, because our redemption was purchased by the blood of Christ and applied to us by the Spirit of Adoption, who adopted us as sons of God and co-heirs with Christ. We need to know Him and the personal work He has done for us. Let us ask the Spirit to help us today.