How
do you see yourself?
The
answer to that question affects our attitudes, actions, responses and reactions
to life’s circumstances. If we see ourselves as the helpless victim of Satan
and his schemes, we will likely live like his victims and be in bondage to
Satan’s lies. If we see ourselves as children of God, we will likely live like
children of God. In order to live like a child of God, we need a firm grip on
God’s Word. We need to understand who we are as a result of who God is and what
he has done. The only way we can gain this understanding is to consider the
work of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, also known as the
Trinity.
There
are many mysteries in the Christian faith, one of which has to do with the
nature of God. How can we understand God who is described in the Bible as both
the one true God and the God we know as Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Today,
Trinity Sunday, is the one Sunday when we consider this important part of the
church’s doctrine, instead of considering a teaching or message from Jesus.
Believers
are debtors who have to share the Gospel with the world and live righteous
lives. They are responsible to live according to the Spirit instead of the
flesh. No one can destroy the flesh in this life, but they can destroy the
deeds of the flesh. The indwelling of the Spirit gives people the ability to
kill the corrupt deeds that once defined them, thereby enabling them to taste a
life that won’t perish.
Following
the Holy Spirit’s leadership is proof that we are children of God. For believers,
conviction of sin and a pattern of repentance are assurance of our salvation.
Two effects confirm that someone has been released from fear into sonship:
adoption and an ability to call God “Father.” The Spirit of adoption provides
release from the spirit of bondage. Slavery to sin leads to fear. The Spirit
delivers us from fear and does not take us back to it again.
God
does not punish us for our fears. Instead, he redirects our attention to him.
He wants us to turn from fear to faith. He wants us to turn away from anything
that feeds our fears and focus on him. Paul invites us to imagine a life of
courage, the courage of those who have been adopted by God and invited into the
full measure of God’s blessing and riches.
Christ
and fellow believers sanctify us, but we have to take an active role in
battling sinful habits. We are freed from sin’s slavery and are adopted as
children of Christ’s family. We do not have to fight this battle alone. The
Holy Spirit will show us the way and give us the tools that we will need.
The
Christian walk won’t be easy. Following Jesus won’t mean a life that is free
from trouble. In fact, it will often lead to more problems and struggles. Some
of the most committed Christians have lived some of the most difficult lives.
Some of them paid a heavy price. Some of them even died because of their faith.
The Bible even tells us to expect problems and to be joyful when we face them.
With Christ, we can do that. Without Christ, we will fail.
We
can learn from suffering. We must not be angry or bitter. We should look at our
suffering as a way to become more intimate with Christ. We should use that time
to sense his love and compassion. We should use the time to grow to trust him
and grow closer to him.
Every
time people pray and call God “Father,” the Holy Spirit does the same thing.
That is dual evidence of sonship. Sonship does not rest alone on one’s changing
spirit for affirmation. The affirmation of sonship rests on the unchanging
testimony of the Holy Spirit. The rewards
of sonship are being children and heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. An
heir has not yet received his inheritance, but expects to receive it in the
future. The biblical idea of an heir implies possession and enjoyment in the
future.
We
are heirs of God’s kingdom, but that does not mean we will inherit it like we
would inherit something when a loved one dies. Our heavenly inheritance means
that we are in a privileged position as a result of our place in God’s family.
Our hope for growth, meaning and fulfillment as a member of God’s family is
based on our understanding of who we are as a member of God’s family. That
understanding will greatly determine how we live our lives.
We
have certain obligations as a member of God’s family, just like we have
obligations in our earthly families. One of the obligations we have as a member
of God’s family is to use his gifts to fulfill the Great Commission. One day we will be judged for what we’ve done
with what we’ve been given. If we use God’s gifts for God’s purposes, we will
be rewarded for this choice.
The
Holy Spirit is a gift from God for all of us. It can’t be bought or sold.
Because the Spirit is in us and because we have access to the mind of God, we
have an obligation to allow the Spirit to do good deeds on our behalf. We will
become more like Jesus and share the blessings that are due him. We also gain
practical benefits:
1.
Everyday leading
from God.
2.
Fearless intimacy
with God.
3.
Assurance of
belonging to God.
4.
A continual
reminder of our value before God.
All
we have to do is let the Spirit be spiritual within us. When we do, we will
start to understand God’s grace.
God
is not a distant ruler. He is up close and personal; therefore, our
unconditional faith in God the Father is taken seriously. That Spirit bears
witness to our faith, and that faith is created when we accept Jesus (also
known as God the Son) as our Lord and Saviour. God spared no expense to save us
from a life of slavery to sin. God will stop at nothing to make us his own. He
pursues us relentlessly until we are completely adopted into his family.
When
we die with Christ, we are one with him in his death, but our sufferings are
not meaningless. We suffer so that we can share his glory. The path to
suffering is the path to glory. We must “mind” the things of the Spirit rather
than those of the flesh. We must choose to walk with the Spirit instead of
walking with the flesh. This can be hard
for us to do when we are not faced with difficulties that challenge us. We can
become so comfortable with our lives that we don’t see the need to deepen our
spiritual lives. Christ’s grace allows us to rely on the power of the Holy
Spirit to put to death our earthly, sin-filled lives.
Paul
did not outline what the things of the flesh and the Spirit are, but it appears
that he was thinking of the presence of the Spirit within the believer. When
the believer constantly thinks of the Spirit, it impacts a believer’s thinking.
If we think of the Spirit of truth constantly, it will take us exactly where we
need to go and help us to reach our maximum potential in life. In Paul’s mind,
Jesus’ radical message was that Christ’s love offered belonging and
forgiveness, and goodness would flow from our new relationship with God because
love creates love, not fear of disobedience. The doing of righteousness is a
work of the Holy Spirit. God’s law is realized in the life of a believer
through the direct and personal intervention of Christ.
We
are proof of Christianity. We are proof that God saves lives and that the
Spirit changes them completely. The Spirit lives in us and gives us faith when
we don’t have any. We have a choice. We can accept the Spirit and live a new
life in Christ, or we can continue living our sin-filled, earthly lives.
The
power of sin dwelling within us prevents us from doing what is good and right
in spite of our best intentions. The solution to this problem is the indwelling
power of the Holy Spirit. A mind that is set on our earthly lives separates us
from God and his Spirit. If we reject
Christ, we condemn ourselves to an eternity in hell. If we accept Christ, we
will be with him in heaven for eternity. Where would you prefer to live?
Bibliography
1.
Jeremiah, Dr.
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
2.
Swindoll,
Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament
Insights on Rome (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 2010)
3.
ESV Study
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4.
Morris, L.: The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids,
MI: W.B. Erdmans; Inter-Varsity Press; 1988)
5.
Briscoe, D.S.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;
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6.
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10. Rick Renner, “Is the Holy Spirit ‘Tugging’ at Your
Heart Today?” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
13. Steve Arterburn, “Learning Through Suffering.”
Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
14. Pastor Rick Warren, “The Power of Eternal Thinking.”
Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
19. Audrey West, “Commentary on Romans 8:12-17”. Retrieved
from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1343
20. Elisabeth Johnson, “Commentary on Romans 8:12-17”.
Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=321
21. William Loader, “First Thoughts on Year B Epistle
Passages from the Lectionary: Trinity.” Retrieved from http://www.staff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/BEpTrinity.htm
