Life as an Heir of God: A Look Into Romans 8නියැදිය

Day 1: Once a Slave, Now a Child

All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14-15 NLT).

There’s a big difference between slaves and children. Slaves are captive, exploited, and minimally supported. Children are free, treasured, and abundantly cared for. It’s one of many contrasts in Romans 8—the power of sin vs. the power of the Spirit (8:2), the law of Moses vs. the sacrifice of the Son (8:3-4), two radically different mindsets (8:5), and the way of the flesh vs. the way of the Spirit. Perhaps the most dramatic contrast of all is between slaves and children. We were once enslaved to sin (6:16), and even when we present ourselves as slaves to God (6:18, 22), he receives us as children and heirs.

This isn’t just a transfer of loyalty or ownership. It’s an adoption.

It’s also an exodus from everything that once held us captive—a new exodus in the pattern of the old, a departure from sin’s slavery into the glorious promise, with the Holy Spirit as the manifestation of God’s presence. It’s clear throughout Romans what we have been set free from (that horrific condition of sin, futility, corruption, decay), and Paul has touched on what we’ve been set free for (a new life in the Spirit). But in Romans 8, the purpose of our freedom is further defined. We’re set free for a family relationship, a deeper level of intimacy than we’ve ever experienced, a welcoming into our heart’s true home. No longer is it about whether we’ve kept the law. It’s about being united with God in a familial bond.

That’s why the gift of righteousness Paul has discussed at such length is so important. It recasts us in the image of our Father. We carry his spiritual DNA and reflect his nature as his children.

Re-Envision Your Home

Many Christians come to God with the question, What do you want me to do? It’s not a bad question, but it’s far from the priority. The question we should be asking daily is, Lord, who am I? Or more specifically, Who am I in relation to who you are? Answer that one, and what you do becomes intuitive, natural, organic, and purposeful.

When it really sinks in that you’re a son or daughter of God—that this Abba is your Daddy—everything changes. When you’re visiting someone, you’re never yourself, even when the host tells you to “make yourself at home.” But sons and daughters don’t have to be told to make themselves at home; they have the run of the place. That’s your position in God’s Kingdom, and you can freely enjoy all the privileges as a member of the royal family, now and forever.