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The Greatest Gift of the Gospel

Jan 29, 2023 2:37:00 PM

 

Our human proclivity is simply put: to mess up. 

When we do, it’s common for us to spin out into a cycle of shame and self-reliance, as if we have the will power to sanctify ourselves. Shame sounds a lot like the “spirit of slavery”(v.15). It screams with every mistake that we will never be enough. That even if I live a life of striving to hold myself together by my own strength, my white knuckles will only lead to a “life in the flesh that cannot please God” (v.8). Under the spirit of slavery, I am an utter failure with no certainty of where I will reside eternally and no strength to continue in my fight against my sin. Yet, the only solution the culture offers us is just that- to muster up the strength from within to be better. This is futile. Trust me, I’ve tried it. 

Thankfully, Romans 8:1-17 steps in to quite literally be our war hymn against the raging thoughts of self-deprecation and fear. It offers an eternal end to inner suffering for the one who has put their faith in Christ. 

I would argue the greatest gift of the gospel is the Spirit of Adoption that Romans 8 talks about (v.15). Bold claim, I know, but this gift implies we have both the Spirit of God and are embraced into the family of God. Receiving the Spirit of God means these 3 things are true: God dwells with you (v.9), you are given new life in Christ (v.10), and by the Spirit you have the ability to mortify your sins (v.13). What a comfort is it to know that we are not alone. We are not justified by Christ only to be doomed to perpetuate a cycle of empty toil and shame, but can actually surrender striving for God’s favor, having assurance in the promise that “He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (v.11). 

That is our reality as believers redeemed by Christ, and nothing can change the trueness of this fact. Yet, our experience of this truth is altered based upon our active response to it. We can choose to respond from a place of slavery or adoption. The spirit of slavery tells us that we must clean up our lives prior to being made right with God and being invited to His family. But the Spirit of Adoption tells us that it is not our performance which drives our position with God, but that we have already received sonship/daughtership by grace. 

Only through the lens of the Spirit of Adoption can we experience the “freedom from condemnation” (v.1) in our fight to “put to death the deeds of the body” (v.13). A child adopted is, in the eyes of the law and the parent, unified with the family in every way. They will receive the same love, blessings, inheritance, as any biological child (Eph 1:3-14). But if they function as if they are still an orphan, even though they cannot lose their standing and position in the family, they will feel alone and stress their need to earn their place. The foundation to walking in assurance and liberty is to operate out of the Spirit of Adoption.

Knowing our deepest selves, it can be hard for us to be convinced that God loves us. I struggle to believe that I, the wretched woman that I am, could be loved unconditionally by a perfect and holy God. I sometimes view God as some distant deity, only tolerant of me, always waiting for a misstep. These verses proclaim that through our union with Christ, we are sealed with His Spirit and brought into a familial and covenantal relationship with God. In turn, we receive the benefits of sonship to a loving Father. He is near, He cares for His children, and He delights in them just as he does Christ Jesus. 

When we forget God’s love towards us and feel unworthy to cry out “Abba, Father” (v.15), when we feel like we are drowning in our weakness and that with each crashing wave we deserve more and more to be abandoned by God, the Spirit of God himself intercedes. He “bears witness to our spirit” (v.16), reminding us of our sealed position as a son/daughter to our compassionate Father. 

Our adoption is the most precious manifestation of God’s grace towards the believer. In his book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer declares “to be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater”. The doctrine of adoption fulfills our deep need to be seen, known, and loved. Oh what joy overwhelms the heart like that of being found a child of God? May we rejoice in, adore, and delight in the triune God who is higher than we could ever imagine, yet has brought us nearer than we can fathom. 

Kaley is a covenant member at Redeemer she actively serves with within the Connections Ministry and Redeemer Students Ministry, where she leads 6th grade girls. Originally from Houston, she attended Texas A&M University before moving to Lubbock to attend TTUHSC where she is a second year student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.







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