A. INTRODUCTION
1. We continue this morning in our study of the apostle Paul's exhaustive treatise on what has come
to be called the Doctrine of S __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, which is, we have learned, the life-long process whereby the Christian becomes more and more like Christ, moving consistently toward the center of God's will for his or her life as regards:
a. authentic personal h __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
b. his/her life's f __ __ __ __;
c. p __ __ __ __ __ __;
d. r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
e. c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ resolution;
f. g __ __ __ __;
g. s __ __ __ __ __ __ and m __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
2. Christians, Paul has shown, have been set free from the s __ __ __ __ __ __ to the s __ __ nature into which all people are born and under whose domination all those who have not been brought "into" Christ must labor, unable to break the fearsome progression of:
a. s __ __;
b. f __ __ __ __;
c. s __ __ __ __ __ __;
d. d __ __ __ __; and
e. h __ __ __.
3. Instead, Paul has explained, the believer has been placed into v __ __ __ __ u __ __ __ __ __ with Jesus Christ, baptized into his death, burial and resurrection, living life now as a "New Creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul in Romans 6-8 explores the dynamics of the sanctified life of this New Creature in Christ.
a. First, the Christian relates to sin differently. Having d __ __ __ (living now "in Christ"), the believer is free from sin's awful dominion although, since he or she retains the sinful f __ __ __ __, the believer remains ever susceptible to a sinful bent. The internal struggle to rectify what he knows with what he often does is perhaps the most revealing sign in a person's life that he does, indeed, possess the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul's agonized and honest portrayal of his own struggles with this Bondage of the Will is recorded in Romans 7:15-25.
b. The Christ has also entered into a new relationship with God's l __ __ as a result of God's gracious justification.
(1) The law, as we have seen, has at its center two profound declarations from the sovereign God of the universe:
- "I am the L __ __ __ your G __ __!"
- "You shall be h __ __ __, for I, the L __ __ __ your G __ __, am h __ __ __!"
(2) Understood correctly, the law of God constitutes the Worst Possible News for mankind.
- In it, God's h __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is clearly demonstrated.
- By it, man's abject and hopeless s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is proved.
- Through it, man's eternal d __ __ __ is sealed.
(3) Into this dismal circumstance came the g __ __ __ __ of God, who used the sacrificial death on the cross of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for those who would receive it, redeeming them from their slavery to sin, imputing Christ's own righteousness to them, and setting them free from the law's just condemnation. Obtaining this freedom by his or her identification with Christ (Matthew 5:17), the Christian, by the same token, is given the ability to pursue m __ __ __ __ obligation to the law (Matthew 5:18-20).
4. In last week's study we learned four related truths.
a. For the Christian there exists the p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of holiness (8:9-11).
b. For the Christian there also exists an o __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to holiness. (8:12-13), which can be broken down into three specific responsibilities:
(1) The believer must "m __ __ __" the things of the S __ __ __ __ __ rather than the things of the f __ __ __ __.
(2) The believer must choose to "w __ __ __" according to the S __ __ __ __ __ rather than according to the f __ __ __ __.
(3) The believer is required "through the Spirit" to "put to death" the sinful d __ __ __ __ of the body.
ref: Galatians 5:16-18
Colossians 3:5-11
Ephesians 4:17-24
c. For the Christian there exists the p __ __ __ __ required to pursue holiness -- in the person of the H __ __ __ S __ __ __ __ __.
(1) It is the same mighty power that r __ __ __ __ __ Christ from the dead! (8:11)
(2) The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit exists in e __ __ __ __ believer! (8:9)
5. As we continue today in Romans 8, we will explore three additional facets of the believer's Life in the Spirit.
a. s __ __ __ __ __ __ through adoption;
b. s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __; and
c. the promise of g __ __ __ __.
B. TEXT - Romans 8:14-27
1. The believer's Spiritual inheritance in Christ: "sonship" through a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (8:14-17)
a. ref: Galatians 3:27 - 4:7
b. As far as we know, adoption was not practiced as part of the Hebrew culture of Paul's day. The apostle here borrows his imagery from the Hellenistic adoption process retained by the Romans. An important feature of this adoption was the fact that an adopted son enjoyed the very same access to the father's inheritance as did any natural sons.
(1) There have been two cinematic portraits of this arrangement: The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur.
(2) "The term 'adoption' may have a somewhat artificial sound in our ears; but in the Roman world of the first century A.D. an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate; he was no whit inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature, and might well enjoy the father's affection more fully and reproduce the father's character more worthily." - F.F. Bruce: Romans (Vol. 6, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)
c. Perhaps the most startling aspect of this passage to Paul's original readers would have been his use of the term "Abba" in addressing God. Most Jews avoided even speaking the name "Jehovah" for fear of offending God; none would be so bold as to call him "Daddy" or "Papa," two common translations of the familiar and endearing Greek term "Abba." Not even the Ishmaelites -- who came to be known as Moslems -- address Allah on such paternal terms. There are literally hundreds of names for Allah in the Koran, but not one of them is "Father."
(1) The whole concept of God as the believer's "Heavenly Father" is contained in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
(2) "[There is no] clear evidence...that Jews customarily addressed God as 'my Father,' much less with the intimacy of Abba. Jews, to be sure, knew how to pray, and they prayed fervently, but they avoided pronouncing God's name when possible; and when not, they accompanied his name with a blessing, for fear of profaning it. But in a remarkable break with tradition, Jesus dared to address God simply and intimately as 'Father' in all his prayers -- indeed probably addressing God as Abba, since the Aramaic Abba appears to lie beneath the Greek pater, 'Father' -- and he invited his followers to do the same!" - James R. Edwards: Romans (Vol. 6, New International Biblical Commentary)
d. Note that in v.16 the H __ __ __ S __ __ __ __ __ Himself "bears witness with our spirit" that we are c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of God.
e. Note also in v.17 that the status of "sons" -- even through adoption -- makes believers "h __ __ __ __ of God and j __ __ __ __ - h __ __ __ __ with Christ."
f. But, finally, note the "string" attached to our sonship in v.17!
2. S __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ in the kingdom (8:17-27)
a. Suffering is a common theme in the New Testament. And it is not hard to trust our sources, is it? Paul, as well as Peter and John, knew all about suffering for their faith. It is, after all, yet another part of the believer's identification with Christ. Just as we "died" in Christ and will "rise" with Christ, believers, in their time on earth between the "Already" and the "Not Yet," are, in a sense, called to participate in the s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of Christ and in the t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of the kingdom. (By the way, this is not intended as a reference to the so-called "Great Tribulation." )
ref: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
b. The purpose of this suffering, it must be understood, is not to accrue merit with God! Sometimes, it must be said, we are not able to see exactly what God is accomplishing through our suffering. He never said we would always know why! Regarding suffering:
(1) Christians should e __ __ __ __ __ it -- it is, after all, part of the package.
(2) Trust God to keep His promises -- and don't be shy about claiming them in prayers and s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ , with t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
(Philippians 4:6-7)
(3) A __ __ __ __ __ God's sovereignty in your life.
(4) Proceed with v __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and manifest l __ __ __ __ __ h __ __ __ to be observed by others.
- We must not manifest a __ __ __ __ __ __ and f __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
- We must manifest e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ with p __ __ __ __ __ __ __. (Romans 8:23-25)
(5) Believe what Paul says in Romans 8:18 -- whatever we are going through will be seen as "worth it all when we see Jesus." Stay "f __ __ __ __ __ - oriented!"
c. Even though some degree of suffering on behalf of Christ is part of God's plan for the life of every believer; even though the Holy Spirit can empower us to submit to suffering with joy; even though God has promised grace sufficient for every need; suffering is never very pleasant. In v.19-22 Paul notes that all creation g __ __ __ __ __ in expectation of the deliverance promised by God. Creation, too, labors under the c __ __ __ __.
ref: Genesis 3:17-19
d. In v.26-27 Paul explains how the Holy Spirit a __ __ __ and c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ us in the midst of our suffering.
(1) He h __ __ __ __ us in our times of w __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
(2) He actually p __ __ __ __ for us! Hurrah!
(3) ref: John 14:16-18, the Holy Spirit as parakletos, translated here as "C __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __" and in 1 John 2:1 as "a __ __ __ __ __ __ __."
C. APPLICATION
1. We are excited about our adoption by God as joint-heirs with Christ. We are not quite as worked up about our call to participate in the sufferings of Christ, but we are called upon to accept them as part of God's will for our lives and to approach them with full faith and trust in His promise to effect His will for us through them.
2. Both kinds of "kingdom life" experiences -- adoption and suffering -- should cause believers to live lives pitched unmistakeably toward the future.
a. "What has been done for us on the cross permits us to say we were saved, but what remains to be done in us requires that we wait for it patiently. Hope does not belong in the empirical world. It is unseen and its goal is as yet unpossessed, and hence hope is inseparable from patience (v.25; Hebrews 6:15). The Greek word for patience, hypomone, suggests perseverance and endurance, especially in the face of toil and suffering (cf.5:3-5). Patience renounces the ego and its claims and submits to God's will, way, and timing. Like patience, hope is purified through submission. Only where one has forsaken personal aspirations and agendas can one stake one's hopes on the promises of God. Hope belongs to the One who holds the future, not in the things which occupy the present." - James R. Edwards: Op. cit.
b. ref: James 1:2-8
Luke 8:4-15
2 Peter 1:2-9
D I S CU S S I O N G U I D E
1. In Romans 8:5-8 Paul seems to suggest that whether or not a person "lives according to the flesh" is a matter of the mind. After reading this passage, read the following:
Romans 12:1-2
Isaiah 26:3
Romans 14:5
Matthew 22:37-40
1 Corinthians 2:6-15
Compose a brief synopsis of the teachings of these passages as a way of helping you to understand how to "live according to the Spirit."
2. Read Colossians 3:1-10. How can a Christian "mortify" the things on this list?
3. Some Christians believe that a real problem in many churches today is a lack of the sense of "awe" before God that seemed to be a routine element of churches in the past. Yet Paul in today's text passage and Jesus himself (see Mark 14:36) addressed God in terms that seemed shockingly intimate to their contemporaries, and on a level which seems diametrically opposed to that of Isaiah 6:1-7 and Revelation 4:1-11.
a. Has the contemporary church "trivialized" God? List some ways this may be true.
b. How does "contemporary" worship stack up against the "Bach and pipe organ" classical hymnology of the church of several hundred years ago? What would you like to see added or removed from our C.O.S. worship services which, in your opinion, might more properly set us before the throne of God?
4. Read Romans 8:26-27.
a. Some use v.26 as a "proof" text for "praying in tongues." How do you see it? (Add more references to support your position.)
b. The original Greek language in v.26 is quite pointed: "For we do not know how we ought to pray." Has this ever been true in your life? Describe the circumstances, or, if you have never experienced such powerlessness to pray, suggest what sort of conditions in a person's life could lead to such a situation.
c. Here is a quote from theologian James Edwards: "God wills that believers adapt their prayers to His saving purpose in history." Do you agree or disagree? Why, or why not?
