Title: Adopted and Precious

XI The Gospel and Indebtedness

A Spiritual Sonship

Text: 8:12-17

Introduction

Reformed theologian D.F. Kelly has written “Adoption: an Underdeveloped Heritage of the Westminster Standards.” He is right that the implications of our adoption have not often been adequately spelled out in Reformed thought. It is that precious truth that Paul sets before us here. Most commonly when parents adopt children into their families they regard them with the very same love that biological children receive. Often it is a little harder to convince those adopted of how precious they are. Perhaps this is due to the failure of Reformation scholars to emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit who is the agent in adoption. James I Packer writes abut the Trinity in his book, “Knowing God,” “We have seen that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in power and glory and equally instrumental in our salvation. Yet the Spirit is often neglected, slighted and regarded as an impersonal force, and the abuses and excesses that have occurred in Church history connected to the Holy Spirit have made people hesitant to focus on His work.” In any case, as Packer points out, if there were no work of the Holy Spirit there would be no Bible, no gospel, no faith, and no Christians. Thus we must learn here that through the Holy Spirit we are adopted and precious. Being adopted means we are brought into intimate contact with God and one another in a family. Although there is much teaching elsewhere in the New Testament about the work of the Holy Spirit, we may sum up the teaching here as describing His ministry as Shepherding, Securing, and safeguarding. This ministry is only for those who truly repent and believe in Jesus Christ as the alone Savior. Paul writes in verses 12 and 13, Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. The assumption is that everyone to whom these words are addressed is sincere in his faith on Christ, and is following Him as Paul has laid out in chapters 6 and 7. This then is what we may expect.

I Shepherding

We read in verse 14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, and then in verse 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. God is identified as the Shepherd of Israel in the Old Testament and Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-5, I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. The work of a shepherd is to lead his flock, feed and care for them and protect them. In this passage we see the Holy Spirit as our Divine Shepherd. We are told in verse 14 that He leads and in verse 16 that He testifies. We should understand that this leading and this testimony is not some strange mystical message, not some vision or dream, not some ecstatic experience, not some psychedelic hallucination, but a plain leading by the inspired word of God. According to Paul in I Corinthians 2:14 and 15, The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment. We call this illumination and just as the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, so He illuminates the children of God to understand them. In doing this He leads us because the Scriptures tell us what we should do as servants of God. He also testifies to us that we are the sons of God which means he assures us of God’s provision for all of our needs and challenges. Thus through the Scripture as a tool and instrument he fulfills His assignment as our Shepherd. We do not need to sit around and wait for an angelic visitor to guide us; all we have to do is open our Bibles and let the Spirit lead us.

II Safeguarding

In verse 15 and again in 16 we are reminded of our position in the family of God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Fear is removed for us the same way it is for any child who nestled in the arms of his parents feels safe from all alarms. The most comforting words to a child are “Daddy’s here, or Mommy’s here.” Shepherding and safeguarding is a parent’s job. In fact Pastor Ted Tripp has written a parent’s handbook entitled, “Shepherding a Child’s Heart.” That is literally what we are recognizing through the agency of the Holy Spirit when we cry, “Abba, Father.” Again this experience of being delivered from fear is not some extraordinary mystical experience. It is simply the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirits through the Word of God. Thus the apostle John writes in his first epistle, 3:1-3, How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. Thus we are assured of our adoption, but we must constantly come back to assurances like this because we often experience doubts. These occur when we sin. This is why John also tells us in I John 2:1-3, My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. In this last passage he gives us the reason why we may have doubt, namely that Jesus said if we loved Him we would obey His commands. We do not always do that, so John also tells us that if we sin we have one who stands in our defense, that is Jesus through His atoning sacrifice and perfect righteousness. Again, this safeguarding is ours because the Holy Spirit has enabled us to understand the promises of God in Scripture.

III Securing

Verse 17 assures us that we are both heirs of God and destined for glory, Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I have been present in court for the finalization of an adoption. The judge asks the potential parents if they promise to regard the child as their own and he also asks them if they intend this relationship to be permanent. Their attorney is present and often gives testimonials to the dedication of these parents. Upon affirmative answers he will legally approve the adoption. We must realize that exactly the same thing has occurred with our adoption into the family of God. Our attorney Jesus Christ has appeared in the presence of the Father and declared for our integrity because He has died for us and He has sent forth His Spirit into our hearts, and as Paul says in Romans 8:30, And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. The relationship is permanent. We will not be cast off, and this means we are joint heirs with Christ. All the blessings which He has inherited from the Father as an obedient Son, now have become ours. How do we know this? We know it because the Holy Spirit has enabled us to truly hear the Word of the Lord, and He brings it to our attention constantly. Thus he secures our salvation by reminding us, through the Word, of the fullness and finality of our salvation in Christ. He brings us into possession of this salvation and keeps us. In truth Jesus said of His disciples in John 17:6-8, I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. The last verse of this passage is exactly the work that the Holy Spirit has done in you in applying the salvation that Jesus won, He gave us the words God gave to us and enabled us to accept them. And so we know with certainty Jesus came from God, and we believe that God sent Him, and we read the words of Jesus in John 5:19-21, Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.