Adopted into the Family of God

Open: Most families have expectations, stated or unstated, for members. Some are stated positively: this family attends church, this family forgives mistakes, this family works, or members serve in law enforcement.

Other expectations may be stated negatively: this family doesn’t drink, children don’t date until this age, children don’t get a cell phone until they drive, children don’t spend the night at friend’s whose parent or parent’s are cohabiting, members of this family don’t support Duke (or the Tar Heels or Bama)

Transition: It is good for families to have standards. Having standards help define us. Being a member of God’s family is similar in that He also has expectations and standards for His children. Some of His expectations are stated negatively and some are stated positively, but ALL of His standards are vastly important and are not arbitrary (like supporting a sport’s team)

READ the Text: Romans 8:12-17

Members of God’s family are Expected to not live after the flesh (Rom 8:12-13a)

Explanation: Paul begins this next section of the letter with a therefore, which looks back on what he has just declared regarding how believers are to live according to the Spirit and not the Flesh. He does this by giving the first expectation for members of God’s family, and he presents it in the negative.

Paul reminds the Roman Christians that they have been set free from the bondage of slavery and that they have been placed in God’s family so that they no longer are under condemnation (cf. Rom 8:1). As a result of that marvelous transformation they are now expected to no longer live after the flesh. He warns his readers that those who do live after the pattern and mindset of worldly matters will face eternal death. He is very clear in the first part of v. 13 - those who embrace the world’s system as their overall pattern of living will indeed experience Eternal Death and separation from God.

Illustrate: some families have “black sheep.” This is a term used to describe members of a family that violate the standards of the family in serious ways (becoming serial killers or blowing up buildings with people inside). In some cases, the family disowns the black sheep and declares him or her no longer part of the family

Argument: God doesn’t have black sheep in His family. Those who pattern their lives after the flesh actually reveal that they are in fact, not members of God’s family. God will never disown one of His own:

John 6:37–39 KJV 1900

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

That was the negative expectation - to avoid living after the flesh. Now for the positive expectation:

Members of God’s family are Expected to grow in Holiness (Rom 8:13b-14)

Explanation: The contrast is seen by the conjunction BUT - those who live after the flesh will die BUT those who are led by the Holy Spirit will in fact experience victory over the flesh. The life of a genuine believer will be patterned after the Spirit, not the world system of materialism.

Notice that this process (and it is a process!) is a cooperative effort whereby the Christian mortifies (puts to death) the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit. This is Sanctification - this is growing in the likeness of Jesus - this is developing a personal holiness. It is accomplished by relying (trusting, depending, yielding) to the Holy Spirit while actively seeking to stamp out sin in our lives.

Illustrate: Consider the expectations we have for our children in the area of reading. We want our children to be able to read so we provide instruction in reading. We can provide the best tutor in the world, but if the child does not cooperate in the learning process, he or she will not be able to read.

Argument: Every illustration breaks down at some level, and this one does in that not everyone likes to read. In fact, some very successful people don’t read well. The point is this: if something is important to us we put time and effort into that thing. If the pursuit of Holiness is important to us, then we will yield our lives to the Spirit in an effort to grow in Holiness.

Example: Tiffany didn’t like to read. I saw her reading intensely at the ball field and wondered what was going on. I went over and discovered that Tiffany was engrossed in the Driver’s Manual. She was 15 at the time and wanted to pass her Driver’s test.

Application: Members of God’s family, indwelt by the Holy Spirit will have the desire to grow in Holiness. That desire is placed within them by the Holy Spirit and He is the Divine Resource. While Christians grow at different rates (do not compare with one another) each should be growing. The good news is that you can accelerate your growth by understanding that this is indeed an Expectation for believers. Too many believers have not been challenged to grow - the message they have heard has been shortened to “just get saved and then wait for God to come get you.” Realize that is NOT the full Gospel. God saves us that we may glorify Him by our lives. We are to be displays of His glory for the world to witness!

A result of being in God’s family is receiving Assurance of salvation (Rom 8:15-16)

Explanation: Paul continues by giving some results of being a member of God’s family and the first one is that God’s children are given confidence in their salvation. Remember, the grand theme of Chapter 8 is that of the Security of the believer. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is that of assurance.

Paul gives this assurance by the language of Adoption. He relates that believers are adopted into God’s family. Adoption is the language of CHOICE - the amazing reality is that God chooses to bring rebellious sinners like us into His family. None of us are worthy candidates, but God chooses to adopt us anyway. We certainly don’t do Him any favors by joining His family! He doesn’t need us, but He chooses to bring us into His family and grants us the privilege of calling Him Abba, Father! What a glorious reality that we can call God our Daddy! What a great picture of the intimate relationship we have with the Transcendent Creator God of the Universe!

Illustrate: Dave & Susan adopting Anna. She didn’t bring anything to the table - it actually cost them thousands of dollars to bring her into their family. They chose to Adopt her! Because of their choice to adopt her, She is only one of 2 people who can call them her mom and dad.

Argument: The Holy Spirit is described as the Spirit if Adoption and He is the One who also gives us assurance of the family ties. The Holy Spirit (He, not It!) is the One who bears witness to our internal spirit that we are indeed members of the family. One of God’s gifts to His children is peace in the present. We do not have to hope that we are His - we can know we are His (cf 1 John 5:13).

The relationship is based on objective truth - the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus was applied to us as individuals through repentance and faith in His finished work, but He also gives us subjective truth - we can internally sense we are His through the peace the Holy Spirit gives.

Application: Do you have inner peace as a result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

Another result of being in God’s family is receiving a Divine Inheritance (Rom 8:17)

Explanation: Paul gives a second benefit for being a member of God’s family - the Inheritance package is literally out of this world! Paul declares that not only do we have the privilege of being on intimate terms with the Creator, we also share in His Inheritance. As a result of Adoption we are immediately receive the title of Heirs of God. All of God’s children are heirs (no black sheep to be cut out of the will!) and we will one day be glorified.

Paul reveals another startling truth - believers are joint heirs with Jesus Himself. This does not mean that we will ever receive the preeminence of Christ or that we will be made equal to Him in His nature. It does mean that God elevates us to the status of glorification. Jesus was Glorified after the Crucifixion, and we are told that in like manner we will receive glorified bodies (1 Cor 15:5-53)

Argument: We receive our glorification through the same path as Jesus. The suffering came first, and then the glory and honor. This is our path also. We who are believers live in the tension of the already - not yet. We are in Christ; we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit - we have this as a present and abiding reality. We experience the not yet in that we are living in a fallen world and we still have to contend with the influence of the old nature. We can be assured, however, that we who are In Christ are being kept by the Power of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:5)