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Not Slaves in the Spirit

Image of a Bible open over top of some palm leaves with the words "not slaves in the spirit, September 25, 2022, Romans 8:15"

September 25, 2022

Romans 8:15 – ”The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to Sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”


In the book of Romans, Paul has been building up in the previous chapters to get to Chapter 8 in his letter to the Christians in Rome.  He spoke extensively about the redemptive work of Christ and now he’s drawing a conclusion. Whoever believes in Christ may glory in His victory. They are no longer under the power of sin, the law and death, but now they live under the Spirit which is governed by Christ. Paul is now excited to share that that slaves of sin are going to walk as children of God!

Paul calls the Holy Spirit the Sonship. He doesn’t mean that we become children of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. The Lord already adopted us as His children in Christ.  The “status” of our Sonship is anchored in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Paul didn’t say, “Those that go to church, these are the sons of God.”  Or “those that read their Bibles, or take communion.”  The test for Sonship is whether or not the person is led by the Spirit of God.

An incredible love exists towards you from the Lord. It is a perfect love. It is a love that casts out all fear. So many times we think we must clean ourselves up and be good enough before we come to the Lord. We look at the state we are in and think that God cannot love us, forgive us or accept us on that basis. But this is not the case. God loved you from the beginning. He sent Jesus into the world to die for you. God has chosen you to be his beloved child. He does not want you to exist in fear but wants you to understand who you are in Christ Jesus and how much you are loved.

The last part of the scripture says, “We cry out, “Abba, Father.” It’s easy to think of Jesus relating to the Father with this joyful confidence, but there are times when we don’t think we are good enough to call out to Him that way. But, we need to remember that we are in Christ, and we have the privilege of relating to the Father, just like Jesus did. So cry out, Abba, Father, and celebrate your adoption into the Sonship.

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