There is an enormous difference between being rescued and being brought home.
If God had forgiven our sins and saved us from judgment, that alone would have been grace beyond anything we deserved.
But He did more.
He made us His children.
Romans 8 tells us that those who belong to Christ have received the Spirit of adoption. We aren’t standing outside God’s family hoping He might let us come a little closer. Through Christ, we’ve been welcomed all the way in.
We can call the God who created the universe:
“Abba! Father!”
And His own Spirit bears witness that we really are His.
Today’s Saving Grace of God
Romans 8:14–17 (ESV)
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Setting the Scene
Romans 8 comes after Paul has spent much of his letter explaining the problem of sin, our inability to make ourselves righteous, and the salvation God has provided through Jesus Christ.
Then he begins this chapter with one of the most freeing declarations in Scripture:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
And Paul keeps going.
Those who belong to Christ have been given the Holy Spirit. The Spirit dwells within them, leads them, and gives life. But now Paul tells us something else the Spirit does.
He confirms who we are.
We have not received a spirit that sends us crawling back into fear. We have received the Spirit of adoption.
And adoption changes our relationship with God completely.
We don’t approach Him merely as our Judge.
Through Jesus, we approach Him as our Father.
Reflection
I don’t ever want to become so familiar with the language of Christianity that I stop being amazed by what God has actually done.
He adopted us.
Think about that.
God knew exactly who He was bringing into His family.
He knew our past. He knew every sin we’d committed. He knew the mistakes we’d make after salvation too. He knew the stubbornness, the fears, the failures, the questions, and every single time we’d need His grace again.
And through Christ, He still said:
Mine.
That’s almost too much for me to comprehend.
Paul says we received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
We aren’t strangers standing outside God’s door.
We are His children calling for our Father.
And sometimes I need that reminder because fear has a sneaky way of making me forget who I am.
I can know I’m saved and still have moments when I feel like I’ve disappointed God one too many times. I can look at my failures and start wondering whether He’s tired of dealing with me.
Then Romans 8 reminds me:
I am His child.
My relationship with God isn’t held together by my flawless behavior. It was made possible by Jesus.
And God didn’t leave us guessing about whether we truly belong to Him.
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
The Holy Spirit dwelling within us isn’t merely helping us live the Christian life. His presence is also part of God’s assurance that we belong to Him.
But Paul doesn’t put rose-colored glasses on what being God’s child means.
He says that if we are children, then we are heirs with Christ, “provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
There it is.
Following Jesus does not mean suffering disappears.
Being God’s child doesn’t mean life suddenly becomes easy, everyone treats us well, our prayers are answered exactly as we hoped, or nothing terrible ever happens.
Jesus suffered.
His followers suffer too.
But suffering doesn’t mean God has stopped being our Father.
That’s an important distinction.
When life hurts, we can easily interpret pain as abandonment. Paul tells us almost the opposite. Even suffering cannot change the relationship God has established with His children.
We are still His.
And if we are His children, Paul says we are also heirs.
That means our story isn’t finished in whatever difficult chapter we’re living through today.
There is glory ahead.
The child of God who cries “Abba! Father!” in the middle of suffering is still the child who will share in Christ’s inheritance.
Our circumstances may change.
Our feelings certainly will.
But our Father hasn’t changed.
And neither has our place in His family.
Short Prayer
Father, sometimes I don’t think I fully understand what a gift it is that I get to call You that.
Father.
Thank You for not only saving me but bringing me into Your family. Thank You for knowing every ugly, messy, imperfect piece of me and still calling me Your child.
When fear makes me question whether I belong, remind me that Your Spirit dwells within me and bears witness that I am Yours. When suffering comes, help me not mistake hardship for Your absence. Remind me that being Your child doesn’t promise an easy life, but it does promise that I never walk through it without my Father.
Thank You for Jesus, who made my adoption possible. And thank You for the inheritance waiting for all who belong to You.
In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
Reflection Question
When fear, failure, or suffering makes you question where you stand with God, how would it change that moment to remember that through Christ, you are approaching Him as His child?
Closing Encouragement
God didn’t simply forgive you and send you on your way.
He brought you into His family.
Through Christ, you can cry, “Abba! Father!”
His Spirit bears witness that you belong to Him.
Hard days will still come. Suffering is part of following a Savior who Himself suffered.
But suffering doesn’t revoke your adoption.
You are His child.
And your Father isn’t letting you go.
Helpful Daily Resources
- Read the full chapter on Bible.com ~ Romans 8
- Enjoy Bible.com ~ Verse of the Day
- Try Bible.com ~ Bible Recap: Read the Bible in a Year Plan