Trinity (3)
Notes
Transcript
Romans 8:14-17 (NIV)
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
St. Paul tells the Romans that they had received a spirit which does not make them a slave again. Although our country abolished slavery in the 1860’s, historians of our country are aware of what slavery in the United States was like.
South Carolina slave Louis Bishop said that to maximize productivity, punishment for infractions would be delayed until rainy days, when the slaves wouldn’t be working.
“My master was so cruel to his slaves that they were almost crazy at times,” said Bill Collins, an Alabama slave born in 1846. “He would buckle us across a log and whip us until we were unable to walk for three days. On Sunday, we would go to the barn and pray to God to fix some way for us to be freed from our mean masters.”
The slaves made clear they had virtually no control over the most basic decisions. They needed permission to marry, a permission that some owners declined to give. In some cases, owners decided which slaves could wed and to whom. It was common for families to be broken up as some members were sold to other owners.
“My mother was sold away from me,” said Collins. “I was so lonesome without her that I would often go about my work and cry and look for her return, as I was told by some of the slaves that she would be brought back to me, but she never came back.
Jourden Luper, born in Charleston, South Carolina, ended up in Texas with no memory of a mother or father, who were sold separately before he turned 2, his grandmother told him.
“The worst thing about slavery was selling the slaves on the auction block like they were cattle,” said William Haynes, a Virginia-born slave who was moved to Texas.
Common themes from the narratives are that most slaves lived in simple, dirt-floor cabins, wore homespun clothing and were forced to work hard — especially field slaves. They would rise well before dawn, eat, feed and milk cows, then report to the fields so they could begin work as soon as it was light enough to see.
Perhaps you remember watching the documentary called Roots in the 1970’s which dramatized the life of Kunta Kinte and his descendants.
Bible students should also be aware of the practice of slavery and how it impacted people for thousands of years before that.
One of the great narratives from the Old Testament was that the Children of Israel were enslaved by the Egyptians for a long time until the Lord delivered them at the time of Moses.
12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
We must also realize that some forms of slavery are still practiced in parts of the world today.
The Romans had once been slaves . . . slaves to fear. What does this mean?
In Ephesians St. Paul would address actual slaves and note that one reason they were to obey there masters was because they were afraid of them. He also addressed masters not to treat their slaves too harshly.
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Being a slave fear means that you are compelled by your inner self being afraid of something or someone that it controls what you do. A person who has agoraphobia will remain indoors even though it is a beautiful day because they are afraid of going out.
A person who is afraid of heights will not stand on the edge of a cliff to observe a beautiful view.
A person who is afraid of what others may say, will not express themselves.
St. Paul realizes that at one time the Romans were slaves to fear — lived their lives in fear. He does not identify what it was that they were afraid of but in the context we can assume that they were afraid of their view and beliefs of the gods and were controlled by a fear of punishment or hope for reward and they considered their relationship with a divine being in which they were forced to act because of fear. And because of this fear and no certain hope after death, they feared death and what terrors that might bring of future punishment.
The Roman pagans were not the only ones who considered a divine being that way. There is a certain amount of it within Christianity as well. What does this mean? We should fear and love God . . .
22 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it. 23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ 25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
But here St. Paul is encouraging a new attitude which we are to have in our relationship with God. This new attitude does not completely eliminate the old, but it gives a greater motivation to worship, honor, and obey our God.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 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.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
We have received the Holy Spirit when he brought us to faith in Jesus Christ. Included with faith in Jesus, we have been given a new status before God. No longer should we consider our lives as that of slaves who have to obey God or else, we are not to consider him as our dear Father in heaven who loves because he has made us his children. This is shown by how we address him — Abba, Father. Recall how Luther explains this in The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, Who art in heaven.
Our Father, Who art in heaven.
God would hereby tenderly invite us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him with all boldness and confidence, as children ask their dear father. (Related Bible verses: 1 John 3:1, Romans 8:15, Ephesians 4:6, Galatians 3:26)
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
This is a strong contrast between being a slave who is ordered about in a family and a child who is loved and who has the privilege of asking for things from his/her parents.
As a child of your heavenly Father, you can approach him in prayer trusting that He loves you and will answer according to his good and gracious will.
The other benefit Paul teaches us here is that as adopted children of God, we are heirs.
And we are adopted. We should never forget that we have done nothing to merit God’s favor or have any rights before him because of natural sinful condition and the sins we commit against him. The best we can hope for is what the Lost Son asked for from his father in the parable of the Lost Son. Luke 15:17–19 (NIV)
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’
In a complete reversal, God has given his Spirit to us so that we are not longer slaves but his sons by faith in Jesus.
As children of God, we are promised an inheritance. We recognize this as the joys of heaven.
But Paul tells us that there is a catch. He uses a conditional clause. Those who will share in his glory are also those who have shared in his . . . . sufferings!
What does this mean?
Romans The Holy Spirit Lives in You / 8:1-17
We are heirs of God only because of Christ’s suffering on our behalf. As believers, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. We will enjoy our future inheritance if our relationship with Christ is genuine enough so that we will face suffering for his sake. History has demonstrated that hatred for Christ has often resulted in terrible persecution of his co-heirs. The early Christians who died in the arena shared in Christ’s suffering because of their connection with Christ. There was no personally redemptive value in their suffering, except that on occasion, the suffering of one believer was the seed that bloomed with faith in another person. Jesus said, “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20 NIV). For more on this theme, see 2 Timothy 2:12; 3:12; 1 Peter 4:13.
THE PRICE
There is a price for being identified with Jesus. Along with the great treasures, Paul mentions the suffering that Christians must face. What kinds of suffering are we to endure? For firstcentury believers, there was economic, social, and physical persecution; some even faced death. We too must pay a price for following Jesus. In many parts of the world today, Christians face pressures just as severe as those faced by Christ’s first followers. Even in countries where Christianity is tolerated or encouraged, Christians must not become complacent. To live as Jesus did—serving others, giving up one’s own rights, resisting pressures to conform to the world—always exacts a price. Nothing we suffer, however, can compare to the great price that Jesus paid to save us.
It can be difficult to suffer for our beliefs and to be tempted to fear those who would resist us as Christians. St. Paul encourages those who suffer that God does promise wonderful blessings to those who endure. Therefore we need not fear them but trust in the gift of eternal life our Father in heaven promises to those who are identified with his Son Jesus and who share in suffering for his sake. Amen.