Whether it is ever actually designed and discussed there is often just a little bit of baby comparing. Friday, I made a jokingly comment about Sahalie, and Judy said, “Yes, but you should have seen the baby that was at the river yesterday.” I guess that it’s natural for mothers, and grandmothers, to want to make sure that their children are growing and developing just as well as some of the other kids their age. “Is she crawling yet? My kid started crawling at six months.” “Perhaps not, but mine is using the potty, calling my name, and reading Tolstoy.”
In our scripture, this morning, we have two mothers meeting in the park: Mrs. Bondage and Mrs. Adoption. Paul just happens to be there, and he observes their meeting. And even he is caught up in comparing the children of the two.
When our fleshly, earthly mothers brought us into this world, we were born of the flesh. If you would like to think of that as flesh and bone, skin, hair and blue eyes, that would be fine. But if you’d also like to think of the “flesh” theologically as the nature of Adam – the sinner – that would just as fine. The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, “that which is born of flesh is flesh.” Paul said, “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.” And those that are in nothing but the flesh certainly cannot please God (Romans 8:8). We are all born, locked into a path of physical and fleshly death. We are born on a run-away train with the tracks pointed towards Hell. If you live after the flesh ye shall die – verse 13. But again, as Jesus said, “if the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Before we get to that point, note Mrs. Bondage’s baby – his name is “Fear.” “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear.” Should a Christian ever be afraid? Simplistically speaking, “No, he shouldn’t be afraid,” but that is with some qualification. It’s certainly no sin to be afraid of a rattlesnake poised to strike. But it might be sin to be afraid of death if we be children of the God of Life. Death might be exactly how the Lord chooses for us to glorify His name. And if that is the case then death is nothing to fear. It is certainly not sin to be afraid of sin, rather, just opposite, it may be sin not to consider sin a threat. Fear of offending the Lord is not a sin, it’s sanity. Yet the fear of the Lord, another kind of fear, is the beginning of wisdom.
Obviously, it is important how we define fear, and in what context we place that fear. God has “not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The point to be taken is that we are not in bondage to fear. The Christian who sins should be afraid, just as Annanias and Saphira should have feared when they lied to the Holy Spirit. But “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and our fears and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We may from time to time enter the dark alley of sin, but for the saint there is always a light at the end of that alley. The Christian doesn’t have to follow the flesh, with its sin and offenses against God. He does not have to be a slave to sin or to fear.
Fear is an ugly baby, just like his mother “Bondage.” James Earl Jones has one of the most distinctive and wonderful voices in Hollywood. It’s a shame that he uses it so disgustingly at times. It surprised me to read that from age of 9 until mid-teens he was afraid to even say “hello” to people. James Earl Jones suffered terribly with stuttering, until a high school teacher helped him get through it. When he overcame his stutter, he overcame his fear of speaking. Prior to that he was in bondage – He was a slave to his fear.
No Christian has been given the spirit of bondage again to fear.
The man who travails over sin, who labors in repentance, and gasps out his first breath of faith…. The sinner who is born again, is spiritually born into the family of God…. He becomes a spiritual infant in the arms of the Saviour, nursed by the Spirit of God.
But the Bible also uses another term to describe our entry into God’s family – “adoption.” As I have said before, I am told that in Roman society, in a day with far more infant mortality than today. Many children were born, but not nearly so many reached maturity. Then too, those were days of disgusting immorality when there were lots of illegitimate children born. Many children were born into Roman families, but not all were received as legitimate heirs or sons. When a man-child was nursed through infancy, educated and then trained in his dad’s profession, On the day when he fulfilled all his father’s requirements, he was taken to court and publically declared to be his father’s son. He was not only legitimately born, but he was also legally adopted into his father’s family. Both these terms are used of the sinner who is accepted in the Beloved. He is born-again and adopted into the family of God. Praise the Lord – adopted – it is no accident that he is a member of the Lord’s family. There was a little boy at school who was being mercilessly teased by some of the other boys. They shouted at him: “You aren’t the real son of your father. You don’t know who your mother is. You were adopted.” Actually they used some pretty awful language about who his mother might have been. The poor little boy withstood it as long as he could, but at last flashed back at them, “All I can say is that my father CHOSE me, and your folks were STUCK with you.” We have received the Spirit of Adoption, the Father has specifically chosen us to be a part of His family.
And, mixing our metaphors, what are the children or results of that adoption relationship? Among other things there are the rights which belong to the legal child – whereby we cry, “Abba, Father.” A servant in a Roman home might bring forth a son, That baby might have been dotted upon by the master of the house. He might have been given a good education and all the comforts of the house. But he could never call his master “Father.” He could never say, “Abba” to the man who owned his body. “Abba” means “father” coming from the Aramaic language. “Father” is the translation of the Greek word “pater.” We are not slaves, or merely servants, in the house of the Lord – we are sons and heirs of God.
Christian, here is one of our great, but neglected privileges. We have a natural approach to the God of all grace and bounty. We may ask anything that we wish within the confines of our filial relationship. We can come to the Lord in real earnestness, crying, “Abba, Father.” The word “cry” is translated in secular Greek as the croaking of a raven. We may cry out in joy at the sight of our Heaven Father; or we might croak out our relationship when we have no strength or opportunity to do anything else. We can come to the Lord in liberty, speaking of Him as Father and not as master. This is one of the children, one of the offspring, of the Spirit of Adoption.
We also have the confidence of our relationship – another child of this great mother. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” The Spirit of Adoption agrees with our human spirits that we are the children of God. The Old Testament lays down a law that where there are 2 or 3 credible witnesses, truth is established. If my heart was called to the witness-stand to testify to my Christianity, the opposing lawyer might have a field day with my testimony. He could point to my past and tell the jury that I have been a known sinner and criminal. He could say, The heart of this man “is deceitful and desperately wicked.” He could say that I’m not credible witness for my own defense. But I could reply, “What he says is true, but I know that I am a child of God, by faith in Christ Jesus.” That other lawyer might grind my testimony to grist, but I could do no less than declare what I believe to be the case. But then the Lord Jesus could call a second Witness, the Spirit Adoption. Praise God that the Spirit of Adoption speaks of my redemption. He not only comforts my heart and makes sure that there is no room for the spirit of fear, but He also testifies to the Father and to the enemy, that David Oldfield is under the blood of the Crucified One. What can the adversary say against the testimony of the Third Person of the Trinity? What is more, the Spirit speaks on behalf of the Word of God as well. He can say, “He that hath the son hath life.” “He that heareth (Christ’s) word and believeth on him that sent (him) hath everlasting life.” Christian, ye have not received the spirit of bondage, but the witness of the Spirit that you really are a child of the King. Isn’t this liberty?
And there is yet another child of this beautiful mother – verse 17. “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” What do most people think when they hear the word “inheritance?” Don’t most think of money, property and personal or family heirlooms? There is no doubt that the Christian will be richly blessed for all eternity. But isn’t the greatest blessing of being a part of this family, the GLORY that we shall share from our simple relationship to the glorious Son of God? It doesn’t matter what problems we shall face, what suffering we endure in our short earthly existence. Nothing will outweigh the blessings of the Spirit of Adoption.
Are you a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus?