Romans 8.15b-Through The Spirit, The Christian In Prayer Addresses God As 'Abba! Father!'
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday November 18, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:15b-Through The Spirit The Christian In Prayer Addresses God As “Abba! Father!”
Lesson # 260
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This evening we will study Romans 8:15b, and in this passage, Paul teaches that through the Spirit the Christian can address God as “Abba! Father!” as a result of being adopted Roman style into the royal family of God.
Romans 8:1-4, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:5, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
Romans 8:6-8, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
Romans 8:10, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”
Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:12-13, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh -- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”
“By which” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “by” and the dative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (o^$) (hos), “which.”
The relative pronoun hos agrees in gender and number with its antecedent, the masculine singular form of the noun pneuma, “the Spirit.”
The preposition en is employed with the verb lambano, “all of you have received” as a marker of means indicating that the Spirit is the means by which the Christian approaches God in prayer and cries out to Him, addressing Him as “Abba, Father.”
The relative pronoun hos functions as a “dative instrumental of means” indicating that the Spirit is the means by which the Christian approaches God in prayer and cries out to Him, addressing Him as “Abba, Father.”
The Christian is the agency who performs the action of approaching God in prayer and crying out to Him and addressing Him as “Abba, Father.”
However, the Christian employs the Spirit as the instrument by which he or she approaches God in prayer and addresses Him.
There is a protocol to prayer.
All prayer made by the believer-priest in the church age must be addressed to God the Father (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 2:18; 3:14; 5:20; Col. 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 1:6).
Prayer must be made in the name or Person of or through intermediate agency of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14; 16:23-24; Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17).
Prayer must be made in the power of the Spirit or by means of the power of the Filling of the Spirit (Eph. 2:18; 6:18; Jude 20).
Here in Romans 8:15, Paul is emphasizing the Spirit’s role in the believer’s prayer life.
Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”
“We cry out” is the verb krazo (kravzw) (krad-zo), which means, “to cry out aloud with emotion” to God the Father in prayer as a result of consciously understanding that one is a child of God (Compare Romans 8:16).
Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Paul uses this word that involves emotion because in context he is encouraging his readers as they battle with the sin nature through the power of the Spirit, and which battle involves suffering.
In fact, in Romans 8:17-25, Paul speaks of the Christian suffering in his battle with the sin nature and the creation’s suffering that is the result of the curse of Adam’s in the Garden (Genesis 3:18-19).
Romans 8:17, “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Romans 8:19, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”
Romans 8:20-21, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
Romans 8:23, “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
Romans 8:24-25, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
Let’s go back to verse 15.
Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”
“Abba Father” is composed of the noun abba (a)bba) (ab-bah), “Abba” and the noun pater (pathVr), “Father.”
The noun abba is a transliteration of the Aramaic word abba into Greek.
The word is an intimate expression and emphasizes that God is immanent meaning that He is intimately concerned and occupied with the Christian’s life.
This word when used by the Christian to address the Father would remind the Christian that he is freed from the sin nature and real spiritual death and no longer under condemnation and a child of God.
Some have supposed that the concept of God as Father was a totally new idea presented first in the New Testament.
Jesus gave a new understanding of what the fatherhood of God means.
But the Old Testament proclaims God as the Father of believers in no uncertain terms.
Psalm 89:26, “He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’”
Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”
Jesus made a difference when He said “My Father,” because He never included anyone else when He was addressing God as Father.
Neither did He include Himself when He told His disciples to address God as “our Father.”
The Jewish leaders recognized this distinction Jesus made and were shocked and infuriated that He would call God patera idion, “His own Father” (John 5:17-18).
The noun pater appears primarily in the Greek New Testament in reference to the first Person of the Trinity.
God the Father is the recipient of prayer from believers (Eph. 3:14) and God the Son (Lk. 22:42; 23:34, 46).
The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father (Lk. 11:2).
Paul adopted pater as a title of God, “our Father” (Rm. 1:7; 1 C. 1:3; 2 C. 1:2; Eph. 1:2; Phlp. 1:2).
God is the Father of all believers who are sons of God through regeneration (Jn. 1:12-13; Rm. 8:15; Gal. 3:26-28; 4:6; Eph. 2:18).
Regeneration takes place at the moment of salvation when a person expresses faith alone in Christ alone (Jn. 3:16-17, 36; Acts 16:31; Gal. 3:26-28).
Those who are sons of God through regeneration are considered by God to be His children as a result of honoring His Son by accepting the Son as Savior.
The Father deals with believers as a father in the natural realm would deal with his children (1 Th. 2:11; Heb. 12:4-13).
Unlike the Greek philosophers of the ancient world and of modern 21st century society, the New Testament considers only those who have accepted Christ as Savior as children of God.
Unbelievers are considered children of the devil and are designated “sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Col. 3:6; cf. Jn. 8:44).
It is true that as Creator, God is Father of all but in terms of relationship and fellowship, He is the Father of only believers who have been born into the royal family of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Hb. 12:7, 9).
One cannot claim to have or know experientially the Father without the Son (1 Jn. 2:22-23; 2 Jn. 9; cf. Jn. 8).
God the Father is head over all creation and His Royal Family (1 Cor. 8:6).
The title “Father” emphasizes the absolute authority that the First Person of the Trinity has over all creation.
The First Person of the Trinity is the author of the divine plan for humanity (Eph. 1).
Ephesians 4:6, “One God and Father of all (believers) who is over all (sovereign) and through all (omnipresent) and in all (indwelling of the Father).”
The Father indwells each and every believer as a guarantee that He will provide for us (John 14:23; Eph. 4:6).
The Scriptures teach that God the Father is responsible for electing and predestinating the believer (Eph. 1:3-14; Rm. 8:28-39).
The purpose of electing and predestinating the believer is to conform the believer into the image of God the Son (Rm. 8:28).
He justifies the one who expresses faith alone in Christ alone and sanctifies and glorifies the believer (Rm. 8:28-39).
In Romans 8:15, the noun pater is a reference to the Christian addressing God as Father in prayer.
All prayer made by the believer-priest in the church age must be addressed to God the Father (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 2:18; 3:14; 5:20; Col. 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 1:6).
Prayer must be made in the name or Person of or through intermediate agency of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14; 16:23-24; Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17).
Prayer must be made in the power of the Spirit or by means of the power of the Filling of the Spirit (Eph. 2:18; 6:18; Jude 20).
God the Father receives prayer from three different sources in the church age: (1) God the Son (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25): He intercedes for the believer at the right hand of God the Father. (2) God the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:15, 26-27; Gal. 4:6): He makes intercessory prayer to God the Father for us when we don’t know what to pray for. (3) Believer-Priest (Heb. 4:16): He makes intercessory prayer for others and personal petitions for himself.