Romans 8:15-17
“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 Spirit of God living inside of you” is one of those things that we say and hear a lot but can oftentimes be difficult to nail down what that looks like exactly. Sometimes I think we’re guilty of equating the “Spirit” in us to an emotion or feeling. We say things like, “I was feeling the Spirit this morning,” or “I can sense the Spirit moving.” We hear the Spirit referred to in these ways but they don’t do justice to what the Spirit truly is and the relationship with the Father He affords us. These verses include what to me is one of the heaviest truths in the Bible, that we are co-heirs with Christ. Jesus lived the life we couldn’t, died the death we wouldn’t want to, and defeated death with his resurrection, but through our faith alone we get to be considered his children. How can God see us as co-anything with Christ?!
Through our salvation, the Father adopts us and makes us His own. He gives us the same access that Jesus has. We don’t have to go thru a priest to get access to God. We don’t have to make sacrificial offerings to get his attention. The Spirit is in us at all times and with us in all situations.
- As you reflect on these verses and the truths they contain, consider if you’re guilty of making the “Spirit” an emotional feeling at times.
- What does life look like when we truly live it as “co-heirs” and live in that authority?
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
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Today's reading - Romans 8:15-17. "These verses include what to me is one of the heaviest truths in the Bible, that we are co-heirs with Christ. Jesus lived the life we couldn’t, died the death we wouldn’t want to, and defeated death with his resurrection, but through our faith alone we get to be considered his children."