Adoption: Not Slave, But Son.

Last week we looked at service to God in terms of slavery in conveying the absoluteness of our relationship and the change that will be effected in us by our submission. But there is more to our relationship then a robotic performance of duty and Paul illustrates our relationship to God from slavery to that of a son.

MY BRETHREN, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. Rom. 8. 12-

Paul conveys our debt is absolute and brings obligation because we are not our own- bought by His precious blood and delivered from the bondage of flesh. Jesus' love constrains sin, and it dies with him, our souls become enlivened in him through the Spirit of God. We need not fear death as we become more than slave, we become sons and live through Him. Through this divine action we have been given new life and now we need to live into it.

Receiving Revelation.

A son isn't a just a servant or hireling and doesn't expect to be paid to do what a son should in love for his father. We learned last week we are not to serve sin more than we serve God and a son rightly does more than a slave because of his birthright. We have been made heirs, receiving bounteously, and we should in turn give freely our all to our Father, Abba, who loves us- the love Jesus made known in addressing God as the Jews could not under the yoke of the Law. Our Father's longing should be ours and we should take the initiative and not be ordered to act. It is a shameful thing for a hireling do more than a son.

"The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit" quickens our confidence and conviction towards the desires of the Father and as we grow in faith so our confidence grows in God and will bear fruit. The witness of the Spirit is proof of our Sonship, not in fear but adoption, not as slaves but friends.  God isn't the hypocrite in (Matt 18:28) and our dept was paid in full.  We should expect more in being a son than a slave and our inheritance being spiritual and not merely earthly is just that.

 Let us examine the Gospel.

JESUS said unto his disciples, Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ~ S. Matth. 7. 15

Our Saviour warns of false prophets and here the rubber meets the road... we are given the universal test by which all things in nature and in grace are judged — "Ye shall know them by their fruits.” We need to understand who would keep us slaves to this world and test for it and Jesus gives us a means to discern both conduct and character. If conduct be the fruit then the tree is one's character.

We cannot see the heart of another but we can know it by it's manifest actions and feelings. Living in fear and ungodly situations with ungodly people reveals a heart in bondage to the flesh. The visible reveals the invisible and the veil of flesh is pulled back and the state of the soul is discerned. The tree that produces no fruit will be cut down. Yet we do not cut down a tree to test the fruit. We first test the fruit and then we know whether the tree is good or bad.

False teachers are everywhere and their fruit is obvious to those who spend time reading the scripture and testing both interpretations and themselves against the collective wisdom of the saints. Those in bondage love to quote Scripture out of context and do so selectively avoiding large swathes of texts that reveal the impurities of the heart. Those with itching ears are all too eager in having their bondage justified with such Scripture twisting, for the blind love being led by the blind. We must test all things and the Spirit will bear witness to us and lead us towards sanctification.

Our test is singular for others in that we only judge the fruit- for ourselves we judge both the root and the fruit. Remember our new standard of obligation? We are called to do more than the hired hand or the slave, we must seek to emulate the Son to be heirs and in that pursuit we must be obedient. 

Christ came to make us the sons of God, and to reveal the pattern of sonship in His own life, so He will judge us as faithful or faithless sons to His Father. Christianity does not dispense us from doing the will of God, but rather enables us to do it. The atonement and other doctrines of Christianity are not to be regarded as an escape from obedience, nor prayer as a means of changing the will of God, for we are to pray, “Thy will be done.”  ~ P. M. Scott

Our inheritance is contingent and so we obey but not as slaves or for the sake of an imperious God. Obedience is our preparation to enter the Kingdom of God- Heaven- which is a place of order, reverence, and obedience; but most of all the Kingdom is a place of joy. Joy comes through both our adoption and spiritual feeding as Jesus taught us in the lessons of the 5000 and 4000 preparing us spiritually for perfect obedience to the Lamb of God.

So-

As sons of adoption we are heirs to that Kingdom and we can ask and be answered.  We can knock and the door will be opened!  All things will be added unto us if we first seek the Kingdom of Heaven! It takes discipline and Paul is telling us so.  The privilege of service and sonship gains much for us. So let's do our best to serve Him freely and without question.

Let's pray these scriptures:

O GOD, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and earth: We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God has ordered all things so that we may gain the hope that is within us through discipline and sobriety, avoiding what is harmful and partaking that which is good according to His assurances.

We hope you enjoyed this lesson* and will consider joining us for Christian Education at St. Athanasius next Sunday as we continue our study of service to Christ next week as stewards.

Peace of Christ,

John Dixon

Warden, St. Athanasius Anglican Church
www.glenallenanglicans.org

For further reading:
Psalm 119:33-48; 12; 84; Ecclesiasticus 1:18-27; Genesis 24:1-27; St. John 7:14-24; Galatians 3:24 - 4:7; Ephesians 5:22

Sources: The Holy Bible; *The Harmony of the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels by P. M. Scott D.D.; Ancient Christian Commentary; Book of Common Prayer.