For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!
—Romans 8:15
The apostle Paul teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of adoption. The word adoption means that we are brought into the family of God, even though we were previously outsiders, unrelated to God in any way. We were sinners and separated from God, but God in His great mercy redeemed us, purchased us, and brought us close to Him once again through the blood of His own Son.
We understand adoption in the natural sense. We know that some children without parents are adopted by people who purposely choose them and take them as their own. What an honor to be chosen on purpose by those who want to pour out their love on them.
This is exactly what God did for us as believers in Christ. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are now eternally part of His family, and His Spirit dwells in our spirit and cries out to the Father. God the Father decided before the foundation of the world was laid that anyone who loved Christ would be loved and accepted by Him as His child. He decided He would adopt all those who accepted Jesus as their Savior. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ.
It is the knowledge of our family relationship to God that gives us boldness to go before His throne and let our requests be made known.
A Time to Run
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1 Corinthians 6:18–20
I read about a military instructor who was teaching a group of new recruits a class on unarmed combat and self defense. He reviewed a number of potential attacks they might face and the responses that would allow them to protect themselves. Then he decided to test their knowledge. He asked the new soldiers, “What steps would you take if someone came at you with a machete?” One eager young private replied, “BIG steps…in the opposite direction!”
There is a time to stand and fight, but there is also a time when the only safe thing to do is to run. Joseph recognized this moment when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife. He left his coat in her hand in his haste to get out of the house. One of the things that leads Christians to fall into sin is lingering in the neighborhood of temptation.
We see this striking truth illustrated in Solomon’s description of the path that leads a simple young man to moral ruin. “Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night” (Proverbs 7:8–9). He was in a place he should not have been, and he stayed there while the sun went down. Instead of prolonging our stay in the growing darkness and getting as close to sin as we can, we should take every opportunity to avoid the places of temptation.
1 Corinthians 6:18–20
I read about a military instructor who was teaching a group of new recruits a class on unarmed combat and self defense. He reviewed a number of potential attacks they might face and the responses that would allow them to protect themselves. Then he decided to test their knowledge. He asked the new soldiers, “What steps would you take if someone came at you with a machete?” One eager young private replied, “BIG steps…in the opposite direction!”
There is a time to stand and fight, but there is also a time when the only safe thing to do is to run. Joseph recognized this moment when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife. He left his coat in her hand in his haste to get out of the house. One of the things that leads Christians to fall into sin is lingering in the neighborhood of temptation.
We see this striking truth illustrated in Solomon’s description of the path that leads a simple young man to moral ruin. “Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night” (Proverbs 7:8–9). He was in a place he should not have been, and he stayed there while the sun went down. Instead of prolonging our stay in the growing darkness and getting as close to sin as we can, we should take every opportunity to avoid the places of temptation.
Today’s Growth Principle:
If we flee from the places of temptation, we will find it much easier to resist sin.
The Spirit of Adoption
by Joyce Meyer - posted July 09, 2017For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!
—Romans 8:15
The apostle Paul teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of adoption. The word adoption means that we are brought into the family of God, even though we were previously outsiders, unrelated to God in any way. We were sinners and separated from God, but God in His great mercy redeemed us, purchased us, and brought us close to Him once again through the blood of His own Son.
We understand adoption in the natural sense. We know that some children without parents are adopted by people who purposely choose them and take them as their own. What an honor to be chosen on purpose by those who want to pour out their love on them.
This is exactly what God did for us as believers in Christ. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are now eternally part of His family, and His Spirit dwells in our spirit and cries out to the Father. God the Father decided before the foundation of the world was laid that anyone who loved Christ would be loved and accepted by Him as His child. He decided He would adopt all those who accepted Jesus as their Savior. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ.
It is the knowledge of our family relationship to God that gives us boldness to go before His throne and let our requests be made known.
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