“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “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 joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:15–17).
When a book or any literary work evokes enduring interests from one generation to another because of the quality of its content, such a book is considered a classic. The book “Knowing God” by J. I. Packer qualifies for a classic. In Knowing God, Dr Parker made the following observation: “If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all… “Father” is the Christian name for God.” During the Last Supper, our Lord promised the disciples, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18 NKJV). “Orphan” as used in the Bible generally means “parentless,” or “comfortless.” More specifically, it means “fatherless.” Hence, we have in the Bible such statements as, “We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows” (Lamentation 5:3 KJV). When one does not see and connect with God as Father, such a person lives with a nagging sense of an orphan. Such a person lives in constant fear of the future not knowing what tomorrow holds for him or her. When a person is not secure under the Fatherhood of God, he becomes exposed to the spirit of bondage, which draws its strength from the law with all its endless rituals and ceremonies. The spirit of bondage binds you to your past, exacerbates your weakness and benumbs you with condemnation. This veil of bondage is done away with the moment you embrace Jesus as your Saviour.
You’re adopted as God’s child – no bondage, Abba Father! Heir with Christ, suffer with Him, glorified together. Live in glorious liberty!
The Bible contrasts the spirit of bondage with “the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Adoption is a legal transaction by which a person is taken out of one family and incorporated into another. An adopted child ceases to belong to his original family of birth, and becomes in every respect, a bona fide member of his new family with the full rights of a child of that family including the right to inheritance. Adoption describes a believer’s sonship in respect to God. In the Bible usage of the term, adoption means that God by grace made a deliberate and unsolicited choice to make believers in His Son Jesus Christ members of His family with all the rights and responsibilities that go with that status. Nobody is born into the family of God as we are born into our natural families. The only way any human being can become a member of God’s family is by adoption, which is an intentional act of God’s grace and mercy through Christ in the exercise of His sovereignty. Therefore the Bible affirms, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5 NLT). Adoption is the highest privilege God can bestow on any person. There is no honour more honourable than being a child of God. John exclaimed, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are…”(1 John 3:1 NASV).
The divine agency that accomplishes the supernatural transaction of adoption is the Holy Spirit. He has unhindered access to every information about us. There is nothing about our past, present and future that is not well known to the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist declared, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me, even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Psalm 139:7-12 NKJV). Knowing our case files so comprehensively as He does, the Holy Spirit makes a very informed decision about whom He is adopting. To those He adopts, He bears witness within them enabling them to cry out “Abba, Father.” The presence of the Holy Spirit in any person confirms that person as a member of God’s family and therefore “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” The believer confirms this new status by being willing to “suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Cast off the shackles of the spirit of bondage and step “into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Having received your credentials as a member of the family of God, give Him glory forever more in Jesus name.
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