Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Romans 8
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Commentary:
8:15 Christians are no longer slaves to sin but are adopted as sons into God’s family, as evidenced by the Spirit that cries out within them that God is their father. sons. See note on Gal. 3:26. Abba is the Aramaic word for Father. Paul’s use of the term likely stems from Jesus’ addressing God as Abba (Mark 14:36).
8:16 The witness of the Spirit gives the Christian’s spirit assurance that he or she is God’s child.
8:17 All who are God’s children are also heirs of his promises, but a willingness to follow Christ in suffering is another sign of being God’s children.
8:16 The witness of the Spirit gives the Christian’s spirit assurance that he or she is God’s child.
8:17 All who are God’s children are also heirs of his promises, but a willingness to follow Christ in suffering is another sign of being God’s children.
Questions:
- So, like Paul, we're saved and headed to heaven. But, at the same time, we struggle with sin. This is an already but not yet kind of situation. We already stand before God, legally speaking, perfect and blameless because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. BUT, we aren't yet fully holy in the sense that we will be when Jesus returns and makes all things right. How crazy is it to think that, even though you are FAR from perfect, you stand before God legally innocent? Even more, you stand before Him completely perfect and holy (according to Colossians 1). How amazing is that?
- So, right now we are fully JUSTIFIED (what God does FOR us), but we are not yet fully SANCTIFIED (what God does IN us). Justification is our position before God. When you put your faith in Jesus, you are immediately justified. But sanctification is a process. It is a lifetime of walking in the Spirit as God slowly shapes us more and more into the image of Jesus. So... the fact you still wrestle with sin doesn't mean you aren't saved. It just means you are in the process of being sanctified. Sanctification means your life and faith should be showing signs of progress. Are you further along spiritually now than you were a year ago? How can you tell you are growing in your faith? What are the markers?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would be grateful today (thankful... on Thanksgiving) that God has graciously made you clean.
- That you would be growing more and more like Jesus each day.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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