Readings: Romans 8:5-39
Notes: The Jews had no such custom of adoption but it was common to the Romans and the Greeks. The adopted son had full rights of sonship. The Spirit of adoption in v 14 is the Holy Spirit. In v 15 ‘abba’ is Aramaic, Jesus' mother’s tongue.
Look up Galatians 4:5-7; Mark 14:36. To address God as Father is not a natural human right. Our consciousness of sonship is also a divine gift.
The Spirit subdues our flesh and controls us (Romans 8:5-13). In Christ, therefore, we are free from our old masters. We can be sure of this from the fact that Christ's Spirit lives within us. It is He who causes us to love God and hate sin. It is He who gives us true life now, which we shall experience more fully when he raises our bodies from the grave. It is he who assures us that we are God's sons (Romans 8:1-13). The Spirit witnesses to our sonship and gives us assurance (Romans 8:14-17).
The Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance and encourages us in suffering. The Holy Spirit witnesses to our great heritage as children of God (v 14-16). Suffering is a prerequisite. We share in Christ's sufferings. Christ is a suffering Saviour (Romans 8:18-25). Compare these passages with Philippians 3:10. Suffering is not an optional extra but a basic spiritual ingredient for the Christian. If we hope to share in the future glory we must be prepared to share in the present suffering.
The creation in Romans 8:20-21 says there will be transformation rather than annihilation therefore heaven will not be a strange place.
The Spirit helps our weakness in prayer. We need help in actually praying, then in knowing what to pray for and how to pray (Romans 8:26-27).
Romans 8:28-39 demonstrates the invincible purpose of God.
Questions and Comments
- In v 28-30, what 5 undeniable affirmations does Paul make? List them.
- Romans 8:31-39 gives us a hymn of praise:
- What 5 unanswerable questions does Paul pose? List them.
- Why are they unanswerable?
