“The Now and the Not Yet of Adoption”
By Rich Paradis
Romans 8:14-25
As
we concluded the previous paragraph of Romans 8:1-12, we were left with a
contrasted life of fleshly living versus Spirit-led living. The reality of
Christ in us gives us direction moving forward. We are not under obligation to
the flesh and all of its short-lived enticements. We are living in the Spirit,
continually putting more and more of the deeds of the body to death so that our
lives might be lived to the fullest. Now we move forward to an incredible
description of the one who is “in Christ”. He is not a slave, he is a son!
Words that are
often used in the passage:
Sons, Children, Heirs, Childbirth, Adoption = 13
Slavery, Set free, Freedom = 4
Suffer, Sufferings, Groan
= 5
I.
The
“Now” Of Being Adopted Sons of God Romans 8:14-18
a.
As
this section opens, we are introduced to an incredible truth. Verse 14 tells us that those that are
being led by the Spirit of God are “sons of God”. What a powerful word picture!
b.
First
of all, who are these that are being led by the Spirit? These are those people
who have placed their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross.
They are believers, they are those that have been justified by faith, they are
Christians.
c.
If
someone bought you, what would you expect to be to them? The first thought that
comes to mind is noted in Verse 15.
Our logic would say that if someone bought you, you would be their slave. And
you would be their slave in all of the worst ways. But this verse says that
those who are being led by the Spirit do not live by a “spirit of slavery”,
with all of its fears and concerns, but in a spirit of adoption.
d.
Adoption
was common in the world of the Bible. It was well understood and a picture that
would have been easy to understand. The adopted child of the ancient world
would be granted all of the privileges of the natural-born children. Note the
end of Verse 15, where we are given some insight into the closeness of this
relationship. The relationship is not just father, it is “daddy”. This term
(Abba!) of endearment and love is very expressive of what is going on.
i.
How
does it feel to be a “child of God”?
ii.
What
emotions come to mind as you consider this relationship?
iii.
How
does sin in our lives affect our relationship with our Father?
1.
Does
it break the relationship or does it cause distance between us and our Father?
e.
Verse 16 tells us that
this relationship is not just a mind-set or something that we conjure up in our
own minds. This relationship is testified to by the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy
Spirit is testifying to us of the reality of this relationship and it benefits.
f.
What
are some of those benefits? Verse 17
says that if we are children by adoption, than we are also heirs. There are 2
phrases here that are worth taking a little longer look at:
i.
Heirs
of God – Who are we “sons” of? God the Father. With that designation comes
incredible blessing and benefit. Can you imagine being the son of the One who
has all power and all riches? There is both inheritance now and inheritance to
come. What are the blessings of being a “son of God” now? And what will be the
blessing of being His son in the future?
ii.
Heirs
with Christ – As sons of God, we are now the inheritors of both blessing and suffering.
We have access to the blessings of the Father, the same as Jesus Christ does.
We also have the blessings to come because of our adoption. But we also will be
inheritors of suffering, the same as our Savior, Jesus Christ. What are some of
the sufferings that the adopted sons of God go through because of this “family”
connection? (persecution, misunderstanding, isolation at times, etc.)
g.
Verse 18 reminds us that
even though there are sufferings that the “child of God” will go through
because of his or her family connection, they are nothing in comparison to the
glory that is to be revealed to these same sons and daughters in the future. In
other words, the glory of heaven will be so indescribable as to pale the
difficulties of this life by comparison. As you struggle at times in this life,
do you think about the promise of this verse? What will heaven be like that it
makes the troubles of this life seem small?
II.
The
“Not Yet” Of Being Adopted Sons Of God
Romans 8:19-25
a.
In
Verse 19, we are immediately taken
to a look into the reality of the Fall. The impact of the Fall was so profound
that it affected not only the human life, but the very earth itself! And this
creation awaits the “revealing” of the sons of God. This does not mean that it
is waiting until the end to see the final score on each of us as to whether we
are “in or out”. It means that in addition to the “now” of our adoption, there
is a “not yet” to it. While there is unquestionably inheritance and blessing
that has been distributed already, there is an inheritance to come as well that
we do not have at this point in time.
b.
Verse 20 reminds us of
the reality of the Fall. Genesis 3:17-19 and 5:29 tell us of the impact of the
Fall on not only mankind, but also the creation as well. The curse is
articulated in this passage and it is discussed further in Ecclesiastes 1:2
where life on the horizontal is vanity, or “hevel”
in the original Hebrew language (a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow,
meaningless). And was this “futility” just the result of Fall? Was it chosen
willingly by those affected? No, the Father exacted this curse upon mankind and
upon the earth.
c.
Why?
Verse 21 tells us that this
inability to be satisfied by the earth or its contents will hopefully cause
mankind to embrace the glory of the sons of God and be released from the
slavery to corruption through Jesus Christ. Just like the earth will be renewed
in the future and is not destined for destruction, the hope is that the same
will be embraced by mankind.
d.
Verses 22-23 continue by
telling us that creation is awaiting glorification like an expectant mother
awaits painfully the birth of her child. And the earth is not all that is
waiting. We who have the Holy Spirit, the first fruits of the Spirit, while
understanding that this Spirit is an undeniable evidence of our salvation await
the ultimate glorification of the body and the inheritance to come.
e.
Verse 24-25 we see the “hope”
of salvation. It is not just a hope that is demonstrated in our salvation, but
it is also a hope of things to come. A hope that is already seen is not hope
anymore. So there is again the “now” and the “not yet” of this adoption that we
await with perseverance and an eagerness of spirit.
III.
An
Application For All Of Us
a.
Being
adopted sons of God assures us of both an inheritance now and an inheritance in
the future!!
