Rom 8:12-18 New You

three brothers had gone off to different colleges and paths of education, lived a fair portion of their lives enjoying the pleasures of financial success. (a democratic politician, a doctor, and a lawyer)

As time passed, they agreed to each purchase a very expensive gift for their now aging mother.

One brother had a very expensive house built for her

another purchased a top of the line mercedes sedan

the third bought a parrot …

he explained : 

“mom loved to read her bible but cannot see it anymore, she hates using electronics, so I found this…

this parrot can recite the entire bible.

it took a team of 5 pastors, 10 years to train this parrot to memorize and recite the entire scripture in three different translations.

it cost me three years salary but it will be worth it for mom.”

a few weeks later, their mother got around to writing thank you letters.

Thank you for the house but I sleep in one small room, eat in the other and while I don’t use most of the house,
I do have to clean all of it anyways.  it was a nice gesture, thank you

Thank you for the car. very nice.  It looks wonderful in the driveway and many of my new neighbors have asked why I never use it.  I am nearly blind now and can’t drive since they took away my license, so I use the bus.
it was a nice gesture, thank you.

You are the only one of my sons to put any actual thought and care into your gift.

Thank you for noticing a need and helping to fill it.

the chicken was delicious.

How we intend to use something establishes it’s value in our lives (regardless of what another may have spent for it)

We can also take something meant for one purpose and waste it by going in another direction with it

what would we do with a “whole new you” ?

The christian doctrine of being born again of the Spirit tells us just this, a “whole new you”

sometimes the gift of the parrot is treated as a chicken

the christian life is sometimes misunderstood in a similar way.

• imagine building a new house with 2×4’s in the walls (just dry wall, windows and shingles)

• how about a nice car (but it has no gas tank)

• how about these, do you see a difference between these two bullets
  (neither have any powder in them and can’t go off)

one has a primer, one does not.

“but I don’t understand” one might say.

“the casing is there, the bullet is there, even powder inside to make it go boom”

“it is ready”, you say

no, I say, it’s missing a little part, that is usually unknown to those to don’t know about shooting

(but to those who know how it works, the primer is the most crucial part of the entire cartridge)

it starts the entire shooting process, it makes it all work

the christian likes to focus on the big stuff that is visible to the outside

the bullet and the shiny casing, maybe the extra weight of the powder 

but often overlooked is the little primer, the one that makes the ignition that starts the entire firing process

prime means:

noun: first, best

mathematics: indivisible, irreducible

verb: to fill or load (in preparing something for working order), to instruct 

in the christian walk, where we are the casing, the Holy Spirit is the primer.

The Holy Spirit makes possible everything we are going to be reading about, the New You

lets get a running start from verse 9

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh —

13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

“led by the Spirit”

ἄγω, 

active tense means to bring or lead, as a command

passive tense to be brought somewhere, to be led as commanded

same word used in John 10:16 for “bring”

John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

same word used throughout the narrative in Luke 4 of Jesus being led into the wilderness, taken by Satan to be tempted and later when the people took him to a cliff to throw him off

Luke 4:1 ¶ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness

Luke 4:5 ¶ And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Luke 4:9 ¶ And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

Luke 4:29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

led means to be taken, moved, have location changed by the power of another 

all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God

meaning sons of God are those who are led by His Spirit

note the relational terms being used:

vs 14 sons of God

vs 15 abba father, spirit of adoption

vs 16 children of God

vs 17 heirs, heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ

this relationship is the first thing he mentions as result of being led by the Spirit of God

we are His adopted children

aren’t all humans children of God ?

the very idea of adoption is making someone your child who was not previously your child

(meaning we were children of someone else before being adopted)

children of wrath Eph 2:2-3

Jesus told the pharisees and scribes that their father was the devil John 8:44-59

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

any human can be the offspring of another human in a creative sense, but to be a son, is to have relationship with the father

15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Jews never addressed God as daddy.  even Yahweh was never spoken

“the name”  Ha shem

remember back in Rom 8:1 “there is therefore NOW…”  

it used to be this, but now it’s like this

it used to be God looking down at humans, condemned in their own sin, separated from Him

now it is those humans, adopted as God’s children in restored relationship

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Roman adoption made the adopted person equal authority and heir with any natural son of the same father

in addition, the adopted son, abandoned all previous legal names, status, etc, in order to assume the name, legal status, inheritance, authority etc

Spurgeon: on the topic of adoption

“I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards…”

currently are renewed on the inside according to  while the outside decays, but one day , the outside will be glorified as well

2Cor. 4:16 ¶ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

2Cor. 4:7 ¶ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;

2Cor. 4:8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;

2Cor. 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2Cor. 4:10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

2Cor. 4:11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

1 Pet 4. Do not be surprised when we suffer 

We have been given new nature but that nature is not designed for this fallen world (it’s designed to be in His presence)

We are aliens in the world 

1 Pet 2:11

1Pet. 4:12 ¶ Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

1Pet. 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

1Pet. 4:14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1Pet. 4:15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;

1Pet. 4:16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

we suffer with Christ, struggle against our old man, against the world system, and against the enemy himself because we value our relationship with Abba, Father above these things.

We have a “New You” that our Father loves and the world hates

Whose value of this “New You” do you chose to value more ?