Read Romans 8:12-17
Verse 12 states, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.”1 The use of the word “therefore” takes us back to verses 9-11. The believer owes nothing to the flesh, the sinful nature that we inherited from Adam. It has not done us any good. Its influences on us are harmful, not helpful. Verse 13 provides us with a test of genuineness: “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” (NKJV). This is a very difficult verse, and one can’t afford to be dogmatic as to its meaning. It is made more difficult by the fact that the first clause more literally translated reads, “For if ye live according to flesh, ye are about to die” (JND). We have already seen that those who “live according to the flesh” are not saved (vv5-9). I suggest that in this context Paul is referring to physical death – not that the person will die very shortly, but that death could happen at any moment in time, resulting ultimately, in this case, in the person experiencing “the second death” (Rev 20:14-15). On the other hand, those who are genuinely saved (i.e., those who “put to death the deeds of the body”) will eventually enter into the full enjoyment of eternal life. Notice the conclusion of Paul in verse 14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The evidence of relationship with God is being led by the Spirit of God.
This leads us to the subject of the believer’s hope. Notice that between verses 14 and 21 we read of “the sons of God” twice (vv14,19) and of “the children of God” twice (vv16,21). While these terms are definitions of all believers in the Lord Jesus, there is a difference of emphasis. We are sons of God by adoption. God has only one “only begotten Son,” that is, the Lord Jesus. It is not that there was a time when He was begotten – He is eternally the Son. On the other hand, we are children of God as a result of the new birth. When Christians are described as sons of God, what is being emphasized is character; we display the character of our Father. This is certainly the case in verse 14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” When we are described as children of God, the emphasis is upon relationship with God. We read in verse 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.” This follows on immediately from the definition of believers as “sons of God” in verse 14. I would suggest that “Abba,” an Aramaic word, emphasizes the intimacy of our relationship to God, and “Father” emphasizes the dignity of our relationship to God.
Now notice verse 16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” First of all, I must explain the use of “itself” in referring to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a divine person, not an “it.” The KJV is a direct translation of the original Greek New Testament. Greek is a gender-based language. That means that every noun in the Greek language is either masculine, feminine or neuter in gender. This requires that all adjectives and pronouns be in the same gender as the noun they relate to. The Greek word for “Spirit,” which is also the word for “wind,” is a neuter noun. The Greeks did not have a word for “spirit,” so when the Hebrews spoke of the spirit, including the human spirit, they used the term for wind. It would have been perfectly correct to have translated the words of verse 16, “The Spirit himself.”
Notice, then, that Paul now speaks of believers as “the children of God.” The Holy Spirit, in cooperation with our human spirit, convinces us that we are God’s children. The reason for Paul’s reference to us as children of God rather than sons of God is seen in what follows in verse 17 – “and if children, then heirs; heirs of God.” We are not heirs of God because we “are led by the Spirit of God” (v14), but because we are in the family of God.
But that is not all. Paul continues, “… and joint-heirs with Christ.” All that the Father will give the Son we likewise shall inherit. Yet the portion of Christ will not be depleted as a result. Verse 17 closes with these words, “… if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” The word “if” appears twice in this verse. It is not indicating doubt, either as to whether we are children of God or whether we shall suffer. Suffering is the expected lot of every child of God.
In verses 14-17, there are three evidences that we are in the family of God. We “are led by the Spirit of God” (v14), the Holy Spirit “beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (v16), and “we suffer with him” (v17). Suffering comes in a variety of forms. The Lord Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (Joh 15:18). We can also suffer health issues and personal tragedies. Whatever form your suffering takes, it is designed by God for your spiritual development. In the Greek text of verse 17, Paul adds the Greek prefix sun (which means “together”) to three of the words. He writes of “heirs together with Christ”; he says that “we suffer together with him,” and that we suffer in order that “we may be also glorified together.” The first of these statements relates to the past. The moment we trusted Christ we became “heirs together with Christ.” The second refers to the present. Suffering with Christ is part of our present journey. The third relates to the future. Here we learn that suffering leads to glory. How we respond to the trials of life will affect the degree of glory we will experience.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
