WEDNESDAY March 13th
Romans 8:12–17
‘So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.’
The flesh owes us absolutely nothing! Put simply the flesh, the desires of the flesh will only lead to one end, and that is of death. But Paul says, the Spirit leads to life. I know which I would prefer!
These verses again like the previous group of verses were difficult to break down so I will include them as a whole and consider them over a few devotions.
Paul has more good news, and it is this, that living by and being led by the Spirit not only leads to life, but also brings us into the wonderful position of becoming and being called the sons of God, we have become the children of God!
Sonship and being the children of God is a theme that Paul touches on elsewhere in his letters and was also a subject that John liked to speak about.
The first mention is by John in his gospel, where he reminds us that Jesus came into this world, but his own, that is the Jewish people who had been looking for the promised and long awaited for Messiah, rejected him, this led to Jesus going to Calvary and then John says ‘But to all who did receive him, he gave the right to become children of God’ John 1:12. But there was an essential requirement, they needed to be born of God, and this is a reference to being born again by the Spirit of God (v13), ‘. . .for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith’ Galatians 3:26.
He gave the right; as we have been born again, we not only have the right to become the children of God, but we also have the rights to everything that is linked to being a son or a daughter of God.
Listen again to what verse 17 says ‘and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ . . .’ tomorrow we will see what this rests upon, ‘provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.’