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Romans 8:16–17
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs (Rom. 8:16–17a).
Reflect for a moment on the amazing truth Paul spelled out in yesterday’s passage from Romans: God has taken us from slavery to sin and has made us not just His slaves (which we are in one sense, cf. Rom. 6:22) but His beloved sons and daughters. We who deserved His condemnation have been spared from His wrath and brought into His very family. It’s almost too wonderful to believe. Thankfully, our loving Father knows all things. He knew we would find this truth hard to grasp, especially as we face the accusations of Satan and the jeers of the world. Therefore, He made it one of the Holy Spirit’s tasks to speak to our hearts that we are indeed God’s children. Paul tells us here that the Spirit works to produce in us the assurance that we actually have been adopted by the Father. He helps us come to see ourselves as children of God and the Father as our loving Parent.
It is good that the Spirit drives this truth home to us because the implications of it are so important. Just as any child is in some sense an heir of his or her father, as children of God we are His heirs, which makes us joint heirs with Christ. The incredible riches of our heavenly Father are to be ours! What are these treasures, and when will we receive them? First of all, while becoming a child of God does indeed confer blessings in the here and now, the fullness of our inheritance awaits the day when we reach heaven. Dr. James M. Boice points out just a few of the joys awaiting us there: a home (John 14:1–3), a great banquet (Matt. 22:1–14), authority to rule with Jesus (2 Tim. 2:12), and transformation into His likeness (1 John 3:1–2). Best of all, of course, we will be able to enjoy the inheritance the Father has for us along with the Father. On earth, in most instances, inheritance occurs upon the father’s death. But our heavenly Father, of course, will never die. Indeed, there is a sense in which Paul’s reference to believers as “heirs of God” is to be taken literally—that God Himself is the supreme inheritance of His people (Josh. 13:33; Ps. 73:25–26).
We must note, however, that Paul adds an important qualification to this whole scenario. We will be co-heirs with Christ, he writes, “if indeed we suffer with Him.” Just as He suffered the wrath of sinful men and women, so the ire of unbelievers over our walk with Him will verify the truth of our sonship and daughterhood.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The Christian life is, in a sense, a process of reassigning value. As we grow more Christlike, the things of the world mean less to us and we focus more on the blessings of heaven. Gradually, we focus in more and more on the supreme blessing of heaven—God Himself. Ask the Father to help you desire Him above all other treasures.
For Further Study
- Matthew 5:11–12
- Luke 22:30
- John 15:18–20
- John 16:33
- Revelation 3:21