Romans 8.17a-The Christian Is An Heir Of God The Father
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday November 20, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:17a-The Christian Is An Heir Of God The Father
Lesson # 262
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This evening we will note Romans 8:17a, which teaches that the Christian is an heir of God the Father.
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Romans 8:3-4, “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.”
Romans 8:10, “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 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!’”
Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God 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.”
In Romans 8:17 “and” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which indicates that “in addition to” the Christian being a child of God the Father, the Christian is also an heir of God the Father.
“If” is the conditional particle ei (ei)) (i), which introduces a protasis of a first class condition that indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
Here the protasis is “if and let assume that it is true for the sake argument that we are children of God the Father.”
The apodasis is “(then) we are also heirs of God the Father.”
In Romans 8:17, the basic relation that the protasis has to the apodasis is “evidence-inference.”
The “evidence” is that the Christian is a child of God the Father.
The “inference” is that the Christian is an heir of His as well.
The response to Paul’s protasis by his Christian readership would be obvious.
Of course they believe that they were children of God!
They would agree emphatically with his protasis.
He is not attempting to prove that his protasis is true rather he is saying with the first class condition that we agree that this doctrine is true that we are legally children of God by adoption Roman style.
The first class condition would then persuade them to respond to the conclusion found in the apodasis that the Christian therefore is logically an heir of the Father as well.
Therefore, Paul’s audience would have to come to his conclusion if they submit to this line of argumentation.
He wants them to come to his line of argumentation because he is attempting to give them assurance of their salvation, i.e. eternal security and to motivate them to appropriate by faith their position in Christ and identification with Him in His death and resurrection in order that they might experience sanctification.
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.”
“Children” is the noun teknon (tevknon) (tek-non), which is used in a figurative sense of those sinners who have been declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and through the Spirit have been regenerated and placed in union with Christ and identified with Him in His death and resurrection.
Next, we will note the apodasis, which is introduced implicitly meaning without a structural marker.
“Also” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which introduces a spiritual benefit or privilege that the Christian received the moment he was declared justified through faith in Christ that is “in addition to” the spiritual benefit and privilege of being a child of God.
Therefore, being an heir of God is an “additional” benefit and privilege to that of being a child of God.
This benefit and privilege of being an heir of God is directly related to being a child of God since the former is a benefit of the latter.
“Heirs” is the noun kleronomos (klhronovmo$) (klay-ron-om-os), which appears twice and in both instances, it is used of Christians as the recipients and possessors of what God has promised to Abraham who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.
“Of God” is the genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to the Father since the word is used in relation to the teknon, “children” that denotes a father and child relationship.
The noun kleronomos denotes that the Christian is an “heir” of God the Father.
It also denotes that the Christian possesses a place of position and privilege as a result of his place in the family of God through adoption.
It is logical for Paul to use this word on the heels of his use of the adoption metaphor in Romans 8:15-16 since in the ancient world the child or adult who has been adopted receives the benefits of that adoption at a later date.
The concept of the inheritance was not only used among the Greeks and Romans but also is an Old Testament concept.
Being an heir of God is tied to the promises given to Abraham, which appear in Genesis 12:1-3, 6-9; 13:14-18; 15:1-6, 18-21; 17:1-8; 22:15-18 and were reconfirmed to his son Isaac and expanded upon with him (Genesis 26:4) as well as with his grandson Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15; 35:9-13).
Genesis 12:1-3, 6-9; 13:14-18; 15:1-6, 18-21; 17:1-8; 22:15-18; 26:4; 28:13-15; 35:9-13 reveal that Abraham received the following promises: (1) The promise of an heir from Abraham’s own body (Genesis 15:4, 13-14; 18:10, 14), (2) Innumerable (biological and spiritual) descendants (Genesis 13:16; 15:5; 17:2; 22:17; 28:14; 35:11), (3) The land of Canaan plus an extensive portion of land on the earth whose boundaries are on the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea, the Euphrates River and the Nile River, which would include what is now known today as Turkey, most of East Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and Red Sea, Syria, Iraq and Jordan (Genesis 12:7; 13:14-18; 15:7, 18-21; 17:8; 28:13; 35:12), (4) The nation of Israel (Genesis 12:2; 28:14; 35:11; 46:3), (5) Arab nations (Genesis 17:3-5; 35:11; ), (6) Nations composed of Gentile believers (Genesis 17:3-5; 35:11), (7) Arab and Israelite kings (Genesis 17:6, 16; 35:11), (8) Regenerate Gentile kings (Genesis 17:6, 16; 35:11), (9) Dominion (Genesis 22:17; 28:14), (10) Abraham would be the medium of blessing to all the nations through the Messiah who would descend from him (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 28:14).
Since these promises contained in the Abrahamic covenant make clear that God purposed through Abraham and his offspring, the Lord Jesus Christ to work out the destiny of the entire world, it was implicit in the promises to Abraham that he and his spiritual descendants and the Lord Jesus Christ would inherit the earth.
The full realization of this awaits the consummation of the millennial kingdom at Christ’s Second Advent.
If you recall, in Romans 4:13-14, Paul uses kleronomos where he teaches that God awards the inheritance promised to Abraham to those have faith in Christ.
Romans 4:13-14, “For the promise to Abraham or to his Descendant that he himself, as an eternal spiritual truth, would inherit the earth was, as an eternal spiritual truth, never by means of obedience to the (Mosaic) Law but rather by means of the righteousness produced by faith. For, if-and let us assume that it’s true for the sake of argument, those who by means of obedience to the (Mosaic) Law are, as an eternal spiritual truth, heirs, then faith is useless and in addition, the promise is meaningless.”
Heirship for the believer is through being in union with Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13; 3:5-6).