So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
(Romans 8.12–18, ESV)
Early in 2020 ITV showed a new period drama: Belgravia. The central character of the story was a young man called Charles Pope. Originally given up by his grandparents to be adopted, through shame that he was (so it was thought) born out of wedlock, it turns out that Charles was in fact the legitimate heir to a noble title. Overnight, his fortunes changed. He woke up one day as an obscure middle class merchant: he went to bed that night as a peer of the realm.
On one level, it’s an enjoyable fairy tale. But in Romans 8 our journey to faith is described in the same terms. Through Christ, we become heirs to something even more wonderful: we are adopted as God’s children. We might have the same body, the same genes – but our destiny has changed. We come to know our divine parent: ‘By the Spirit's power we cry out to God, “Father! My Father!”’ (verse 15, GNB). And this is not just something external – somehow at a deep level our spirits join together with God’s Spirit, assuring us that we are indeed God’s children (verse 16).
And although this is a lovely picture of intimacy with God, the apostle Paul is at pains to stress that it is more than that, too. Children inherit the riches of their parents (or lack of, as may be the case for many of us). And God’s inheritance for each of us is boundless. It may involve challenges in this life (verse 17) – but these will pale in comparison with the glory God has planned for us (verse 18).
This destiny brings with it both rights and responsibilities. The beautiful right to be free from fear (verse 15) – fear of death, fear of punishment, fear of exclusion: in Christ, we have life and forgiveness and are welcomed into his divine, global family.
But we also have a responsibility to lead the new life we are called to (verse 13). As we saw in earlier reflections, we are born again, new creations. To lead this kind of life we need to be led by the Spirit (verse 14), carrying the rights and responsibilities of God’s children, as his true heirs.
Charles Pope is a fictional character. But your destiny is real. You are a child of God. And because you are his child, God has made you an heir – and a new life awaits. We may battle with fear, but it no longer needs to define us. May God grant us grace to be led by the Spirit and live as his courageous, confident children today.
Heavenly Father, thank you that you have adopted me as your child and made me a co-heir with Christ. Help me to cling to my identity as your child when life is difficult and to remain faithful, fixing my eyes on what is to come. Fill me with courage and confidence as your Spirit leads me today.
These Pentecost reflections were written by Revd Matt Trendall, a minister working in Milton Keynes. Check out his blog at www.dailyinspiration.org.uk.
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