Series: Romans
Title: Not Bondage but Adoption
Text: Romans 8: 12-15
Date: January 6, 2019
Place: SGBC, NJ
Romans 8: 12: Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
“Therefore.”
We are not debtors to our flesh because it was God the Holy Spirit, not our
flesh, that conceived us through the gospel and freed us (v2) It was not of us, but Christ that condemned
our condemnation and made us righteous (vv3-4).
Our flesh could never please God and still cannot (vv7-8). We are not debtors to our flesh because it is
not our flesh, but the Spirit of Christ within the believer, that continues to quicken
us and mortify our flesh (vv10-11).
Romans 8: 12: Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13:
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. 15: For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Title: Not Bondage but Adoption
Proposition: “Ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
NOT THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE
Romans 8: 15: Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear…
Believer let us get this comforting word of
truth down in our hearts. When we were
born again of the Holy Spirit, God gave us a new spirit that was not there before. But we have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear.
Most preach contrary to this. Most preach that the believer is now in
greater bondage to the law than he was before given the Holy Spirit. As soon as sinners confess Christ they send
them straight from Mt Zion back down to Mt Sinai, from liberty back to bondage,
from life and peace of minding things of the Spirit straight back to minding
the flesh and death.
We are familiar
with the verse that declares why Christ came
Hebrews 2: 14: Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is,
the devil; 15: And deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage
That is why Christ took flesh and blood. Through death he took away all the sins of
his people. That was the devil’s power. The devil is the accuser of the brethren. Through fear of death the devil kept us subject
to bondage using our sin. Christ brought
in everlasting righteousness delivering all his people from the fear of death
Romans 8: 10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but
the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
The Spirit is life inside every regenerated
child of God because of Christ our Righteousness. Life and Righteousness are one like death and
sin are one. The Spirit of Christ which
is in believers is our Life and our Righteousness. We would not be born of his Spirit if we yet
owed anything to the law of God. We
would not have life if we were not righteous before the law of God, before God
himself.
Isaiah 54: 13: And all thy children shall be
taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14:
In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for
thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 15:
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever
shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. 16:
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that
bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to
destroy. 17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This
is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is
of me, saith the LORD.
If we truly believe this word of the LORD—that
our righteousness is of him and he is all our righteousness—then the law has
nothing else to say against us. That is
why Christ said,
John 6: 54: Whoso
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him
up at the last day.
John 11:25: Jesus said…I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: 26: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Believest thou this?
Colossians 3:3: For
ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4: When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Scripture says Christ died for his people and
rose again so that we might live unto him!
Then why would God give us “the
spirit of bondage AGAIN to fear?” We
were already bound and full of fear? Does
it make any sense that God would send his Son to suffer the justice of God in
our place, to fulfill all righteousness for us, to redeem us from bondage, only
to give us the Spirit of bondage again to fear? Of course not!
THE SPIRIT OF
ADOPTION
Romans 8: 14: For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
If we believe on Christ, trusting him to be all our righteousness, it is
because we have received the Spirit of adoption. God gave us the Spirit of adoption, not to
fear, but to cry unto God.
If we are led of the Spirit of God, why would we need to be led of Moses
and the law? God did not allow Moses to
lead the children of Israel into Canaan; he raised up Joshua to lead them into
Canaan. It pictured the truth that the
law cannot lead us into heaven’s glory, only Christ can!
Consider what it took to give us the spirit of adoption.
Galatians 4: 1: Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a
child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2: But is under tutors and governors until
the time appointed of the father. 3:
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the
world: [Paul always calls the law elements of the world] 4: But when the fulness of the time
was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5: To redeem them that were under the
law,…
This religious world has no clue what it is to
be redeemed from under the law. What an
insult against Christ to say he redeemed his people from the curse of the law,
yet, insist believers are under the law and bring them into bondage and fear!
Galatians 3: 13:
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Think of what Christ suffered! Think of the shame of the cross that he endured! Think of how well-pleased the Father is with
Christ’s Righteousness—“he hath honored the law!”, God said. Christ declared “It is finished!” He declared that he accomplished the
redemption of his people from the curse of the law! No condemnation means no
bondage and no fear! It means all his
people have fulfilled the law in precept and in penalty so that we are free
from the law forever! Why did he do it?
Galatians 4: 5:…that we might receive the adoption
of sons. 6: And because ye are
sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father. 7: Wherefore thou art no
more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Do you see why the
apostle Paul was fearful for the Galatian believers who were being told they
must go back to the law for sanctification? Let’s read on.
Galatians 4: 8: Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did
service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9:
But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye
again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in
bondage? 10: Ye observe days,
and months, and times, and years. 11: I am afraid of you, lest I have
bestowed upon you labour in vain. 12: Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am;
for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. 13:
Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at
the first. 14: And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor
rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15:
Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been
possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. 16:
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
Paul said, “My message has not changed from
then till now! Back then you spake of
being blessed by the messages! Why not
now?” Do you see how lies will affect a
believer in a negative way?
Galatians 4: 17: They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they
would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
Galatians 5: 12: I
would they were even cut off which trouble you.
When those men came down telling baptized Gentile believers that they
must be circumcised or they could not be saved, Peter said that God,
Acts 15: 9: put no
difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10: Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a
yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able
to bear? 11: But we believe that through
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews] shall be saved, even as [these
Gentiles]
Romans 9: 30: What shall
we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have
attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31: But Israel, which followed after the law
of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32: Wherefore? Because they sought it not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that
stumblingstone;
Believer, “Ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption
whereby we cry Abba, Father.”
We have a couple in our congregation expecting their first child. When that little fellow is born they will not
have to teach him to cry out for them.
When he needs them then he will cry! And cry! And cry!
And cry! A child of God is the
same way! We are always wanting
evidences. Do you cry, “O Father, please save me from myself!”
The word “Abba” means “my father.”
Abba is “Aramaic” and “Father” is Greek—his elect are Gentile and Jew. Abba is spelled the same forward and
backward—God is our Father in adversity and prosperity. They say the servants could not call the
master of the house father, only sons and daughters. Hence Paul’s illustration in Galatians, you
are no longer servants but sons crying, Abba, Father.
1 John 3: 1: Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2: Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Believer, do not listen to anyone telling you
that you have to go back to the bondage of the law. We are not motivated by law. We are not ruled by law. We do not learn love and mercy and longsuffering
from the law because it deals in none of those things, only guilt and
innocence.
Believers are “under grace.” We cry unto our Father to be our guide! We are under the dominion of Christ our Head
who fills all in all! We are led of the
Spirit. Christ said the Spirit shall
guide you into all truth!
Galatians 5: 1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2: Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be
circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3: For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4: Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5: For we through the Spirit wait for the hope
of righteousness by faith. 6: For in
Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but
faith which worketh by love….13:
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14:
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. 15: But if ye bite and devour one
another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of
the flesh. 17: For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that [your sinful flesh] cannot do the things
that ye would. 18: But if ye be led
of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
AMEN!