Michael
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2019
- Messages
- 691
- Location
- SoCal
- Gender
- Male
- Religious Affiliation
- Non-Denominational
- Political Affiliation
- Conservative
- Marital Status
- Married
Book of ROMANS
A Study of Chapter 8
Part 8
Romans 8:14-17
CHILDREN OF GOD
Continued…
“For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God. 17 And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.” – Rom 8:14-17 AMP
Freedom from slavery to sin and fear… walking with God’s Spirit… adoption to sonship… the promise of inheritance… all these can only be received and entered into by faith. We must believe these things are True, lay aside our carnal way of thinking and acting, and grasp hold of something we cannot see, but hope in.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Gal 3:26-29 NIV
Those who have been baptized into Christ and are living by faith in Him are Abraham’s seed. Abraham’s natural descendants, the Israelites, were first called to be God’s children and declare His glory to the nations, but rather they became stiff-necked, self-willed, stubborn and disobedient. So, God turned from them as they forsook Him (Deut 32:15).
In Deut 32 God speaks of the “provocation of His sons and His daughters.”
20 He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be, (I will see what will become of them)
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith.”
- Deut 32:19b-20 NKJV (HCSB)
Verse 19 above says that these were His sons and daughters, His children, yet they forfeited their position in God’s family by continual unbelief. They refused to believe their Father would judge them for their behavior. They were Abraham’s descendants. They said to one another - “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.” (Jer 5:12 NIV). These had no faith in His goodness or in His demand for righteousness.
Although they knew about Him, they didn’t really believe Him. That is our challenge today as well. Many claim to know Him as Savior, but do we truly know Him, His goodness, and His demand for righteousness and holiness?
“For My people are fools; they do not know Me.
They are foolish children, without understanding.
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.”
- Jer 4:22 HCSB
We cannot claim to have received Jesus without receiving what He said. How can we know Him, if we don’t believe His words? Jesus Himself rebuked even some who were following Him -
“why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46 NKJV)
And again He says - “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” – Matt 7:21 NKJV
Yet even in this, God’s desire is always to bless His people. He wants all to be children who love Him. You can hear His heart in Jesus words, and sense His deep desire to have all become part of His family.
“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” – Matt 23:37 NKJV
(We can fall into this in modern Christendom, as we search the Bible for verses we like that give us an easy salvation and seem to assure us of eternal security, and we gloss over verses that make demands upon us or make us uncomfortable. Yet ALL these passages speak of Christ, and in communing with Him He will bring understanding and clarity to even the difficult verses. As Jesus told the religious leaders - “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have Life.” (John 5:39-40 NAS)
Why do we so often think we know better than God what is best for us? And sometimes He will give us just enough of what we want as He patiently waits for us to realize we’re heading down the wrong path, like the prodigal son. And He waits for us to “come to our senses.”
And oh, how He is patient and good.
“As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” – Eze 33:11 NKJV (see also Eze 18:23,32)
Yes, God is for us. He will judge sin and remove all iniquity & evildoers from His Kingdom in that Day, but in His love He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2Pet 3:9). He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim 2:4). So through the prophets He told Israel back then -
“Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.” – Jer 25:5-7 NJKV
~ continued below ~
A Study of Chapter 8
Part 8
Romans 8:14-17
CHILDREN OF GOD
Continued…
“For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God. 17 And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.” – Rom 8:14-17 AMP
Freedom from slavery to sin and fear… walking with God’s Spirit… adoption to sonship… the promise of inheritance… all these can only be received and entered into by faith. We must believe these things are True, lay aside our carnal way of thinking and acting, and grasp hold of something we cannot see, but hope in.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Gal 3:26-29 NIV
Those who have been baptized into Christ and are living by faith in Him are Abraham’s seed. Abraham’s natural descendants, the Israelites, were first called to be God’s children and declare His glory to the nations, but rather they became stiff-necked, self-willed, stubborn and disobedient. So, God turned from them as they forsook Him (Deut 32:15).
In Deut 32 God speaks of the “provocation of His sons and His daughters.”
20 He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be, (I will see what will become of them)
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith.”
- Deut 32:19b-20 NKJV (HCSB)
Verse 19 above says that these were His sons and daughters, His children, yet they forfeited their position in God’s family by continual unbelief. They refused to believe their Father would judge them for their behavior. They were Abraham’s descendants. They said to one another - “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.” (Jer 5:12 NIV). These had no faith in His goodness or in His demand for righteousness.
Although they knew about Him, they didn’t really believe Him. That is our challenge today as well. Many claim to know Him as Savior, but do we truly know Him, His goodness, and His demand for righteousness and holiness?
“For My people are fools; they do not know Me.
They are foolish children, without understanding.
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.”
- Jer 4:22 HCSB
We cannot claim to have received Jesus without receiving what He said. How can we know Him, if we don’t believe His words? Jesus Himself rebuked even some who were following Him -
“why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46 NKJV)
And again He says - “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” – Matt 7:21 NKJV
Yet even in this, God’s desire is always to bless His people. He wants all to be children who love Him. You can hear His heart in Jesus words, and sense His deep desire to have all become part of His family.
“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” – Matt 23:37 NKJV
(We can fall into this in modern Christendom, as we search the Bible for verses we like that give us an easy salvation and seem to assure us of eternal security, and we gloss over verses that make demands upon us or make us uncomfortable. Yet ALL these passages speak of Christ, and in communing with Him He will bring understanding and clarity to even the difficult verses. As Jesus told the religious leaders - “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have Life.” (John 5:39-40 NAS)
Why do we so often think we know better than God what is best for us? And sometimes He will give us just enough of what we want as He patiently waits for us to realize we’re heading down the wrong path, like the prodigal son. And He waits for us to “come to our senses.”
And oh, how He is patient and good.
“As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” – Eze 33:11 NKJV (see also Eze 18:23,32)
Yes, God is for us. He will judge sin and remove all iniquity & evildoers from His Kingdom in that Day, but in His love He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2Pet 3:9). He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim 2:4). So through the prophets He told Israel back then -
“Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.” – Jer 25:5-7 NJKV
~ continued below ~