Romans 8:12-17.

SHAP – St. Michael’s Vaucluse.

Obligation

Living in Brussels last century meant that I was able to visit the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres, Belgium.

The names of almost 55,000 Commonwealth soldiers are carved into the stone walls and ceiling of that impressive structure.

Every which way you turn are columns and lists of people who perished in freezing, fetid, trenches.

And the tragedy is that the memorial couldn’t accommodate the names of all who died.

A further 35,000 are recorded in the war graves in nearby Passchendaele.

The Menin Gate and the war graves convey, among a range of emotions, a deep sense of ‘obligation’. 

These people -children, many of them, 15, 16 and 17 years old, gave their lives so that people like me could live in freedom and peace. 

That’s what they believed. 

A sense of ‘obligation’ or ‘indebtedness’ is exactly what the architect of that great structure, Sir Reginald Blomfield, wanted successive generations to experience. 

In my opinion he succeeded.

And the point of that story is this.

A deep sense of ‘indebtedness’ or ‘obligation’ is entirely appropriate for us, the people of God as we ponder the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice and the benefits his death secures for us.

Here’s a quick survey of Jesus’ work on our behalf:

• Through Christ, we are free from condemnation and death (Romans 8:1).

• Through Christ, the righteous requirements of the law are met fully in us (Romans 8:4).

• Through Christ, we can now live life on God’s terms; our spirits have been enlivened by his Spirit who indwells and renews us (Romans 8:10).

• Through Christ, our mortal bodies – though currently in a rapid state of decline and decay, will be given new life in and through the very same Spirit that raised Jesus from death (Romans 8:11).

Paul quite rightly concludes in Romans 8:12-13,

Therefore, sisters and brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live…

Our obligation – in response to God’s mercy and grace to us in Jesus, is to live life on God’s terms.

And when we don’t, when we fall short, we confess our sins, we seek and receive God’s forgiveness (I John 1:8,9) – and in the power of God’s Spirit, we continue in living as his precious children.

His precious adopted children.

Adoption.

Look with me at the text, please:

Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship [or adoption]. And by him we cry ‘Abba [Dad] Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:14-17.

The technical word, ‘sons’ refers not to gender as such but to privilege.

Those who are in ‘in Christ’ (8:1) are ‘sons’ or children of God.

Children of God have fellowship with God and experience intimacy with God; that’s the privilege.

We are his children – and that by ‘adoption’ (v.15).

We have been welcomed into his family.

When I was 30 years old, I met my 84-year-old paternal grandfather for the very first time.

He raced across the room, threw his arms around me – kissed me on my checks, and through tears he declared…’welcome home my son; all that is mine is yours’. 

Yes, I was welcomed into his family.

An ‘outsider’ become and ‘insider’.

When we entrust our lives to Jesus, he places his Spirit within us and enfolds us into his family.

We who were outsiders are now heirs – v. 17.

Do let that sink in.

Through Christ we are members of God’s family.

How remarkable.

We who were once at enmity with God can now rejoice and relax in his presence.

We now know God as ‘Abba’ – a word that rightly translates ‘daddy’ or ‘dear father’.

As God’s precious children – and with Jesus our older brother (the language of Hebrews 2:11) – we are heirs of God – provided we suffer with him [Jesus] in order that we might also be glorified with him – verse 17.

We are heirs of God.

The riches of forgiveness and acquittal and acceptance and new birth are all ours – right now – through Christ.

And a time is coming when we’ll see him face to face and all the things that drag us down and hold us back will be no more….

Because we share in Christ’s sonship, we will also share in his glory. Hallelujah!

And being in Christ means, as I noted a moment ago that we must also share in his suffering.

Suffering

What might sharing in Christ’s suffering entail?

• Suffering will involve making difficult choices. There is pain associated with saying ‘no’ to relationships and opportunities that do not honour Christ.

• Suffering comes in the form of persecution – sometimes subtle sometimes not so. You may be passed over in the career stakes because of your witness for Christ; others of us will be verbally and perhaps even physically assailed because we trust Jesus.

• Suffering might involve being misunderstood by those in our families (or within our circle of friends), who don’t know God in Christ. That you give generously to work of the gospel; attend prayer meetings and Bible study groups and allocate large slabs of your time in meeting with the community of faith creates enormous tension in some contexts.

• And the struggle associated with battling temptation is a very real form of suffering isn’t it? Jesus himself experienced the pain associated with temptation…and as such he is able and interested in comforting and sustaining us in the midst of strife and difficulty (Hebrews 2:18).

So, as those who are in Christ and indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, we have an obligation to live not according to the flesh but in accord with Spirit.

I’d like to close by asking our older brother, the Lord Jesus to help us in this.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you that through your death on our behalf, we can stand before our dear Father in heaven, free and forgiven.

Thank you for sending your Spirit; he renews us and enables us to live life on God’s terms.

Do please uphold us in our weakness. Give us courage to make decisions that will honor you.

Enable us in our suffering to be gracious and Christ-like.

Help us dear Lord, to live as the holy children that you by your Spirit have set us apart to be.

AMEN.