Rom 8:15-16 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. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
We are all familiar with this verse and the validation of our being adopted into the family of God. But there is much more here that speaks to not just the “what” but the “why.” Let’s look a the word usage here and then see if we can put it in perspective.
Let’s start at the end and work backward. In verse 16 the word children comes from the word teknon, which means son or daughter; as in by birth. The Holy Spirit bears witnesses to our spirit that we are His sons and daughters; born into His family. This is the same meaning as it is in the natural… we are the sons and daughters of our natural fathers. Now, go back up to verse 15.
The word adoption reflects the concept of “sonship.” In the Greek it is huiothesia; huios meaning adult son and thesia meaning placement or installation; setting an adult person in place. In other words, the one being put in place becomes the heir of the one who adopts him. The one being adopted acquires all of the elements of his inheritance, including his name. So, we are not just adopted, we are put in place as a son or daughter. Now, one more thing before we tie it together. Huios means the “fully mature son.”
Ok, lets add two more words to the equation; Justification and Sanctification. Justification is God’s act of grace toward us in “adopting” us as His “fully mature” sons and daughters… huios. Sanctification is God’s act of grace within us. And therein lies the answer to why the “start line” and the “finish line” is a very thin one.
When we became His “children” we became His fully mature children. We already have everything within us that makes us fully mature in His eyes; Jesus’ righteousness. The moment we stepped across the start line we crossed the finish line. The race is over and we’ve already won because Jesus won. But if we have already won, then what’s this life all about? If I’ve crossed the finish line, how come I still feel like I’m running the race? Paul gives us the answer.
Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Working out our own salvation is the process of working toward spiritual maturity. But remember, it is not working to “obtain” salvation. It’s working “out” the salvation we already have; we are Justified. This is all about the bride sewing her wedding dress during her betrothal. This is all about becoming all that she was created to be… before the beginning of time (think about that for a moment). We are already fully mature, we possess all of Jesus righteousness. What we are to be doing during our time here on earth (our betrothal to the King of the Universe) is to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to bring that which is already on the inside to the outside. This is preparing our wedding dress without spot or wrinkle, this is preparing us for the day when Jesus returns for His spotless bride. This is becoming the “fully mature” son or daughter that we already are. This is becoming the person that is already standing at the finish line. This is working out our betrothal, our sanctification. And as we do so, we bring glory to God in the eyes of the world around us.
Now, as I have said so many times. This is all about becoming who and what we were created to be. Once again the words of Paul:
Rom 8:29 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [ordain] to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We already have the image of His Son inside us; we are already huios. It is already a completed fact, we just need to walk (work) it out. We have been Justified and Sanctified… both are in the past tense. The start/finish line is just that… one line. From God’s perspective we Started and we immediately Finished. But how we get there in the natural is determined by our hope and our faith in that hope (that’s another blessing you can read about in my next series being released this month… The Way of Enoch).
As the bride of Christ, we haven’t been adopted as a child into another family. We have been welcomed as mature adults (huios), the child (teknon) that has long since been born again. We have not received the spirit of bondage to fear, but we have received the spirit of a son or daughter that has fully come of age (spiritually mature) as acknowledged by our Father. And the public ceremony honoring the fact that we have “grown up” will be held when Jesus comes back for us, His bride. And while we don’t know just what that “grown up” is going to look like, we know that we are assured that is already been achieved.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God [teknon], and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him [huios]; for we shall see him as he is.
And why did God ordain that the those who believe in Him should be conformed into the image of His Son. Because the Father loves the Son so much that He wants to populate heaven with everyone that is just like Jesus. That’s why Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren. And we are now in the process of “working” that out, because we are already His brethren. Now that’s something to get hold of and hang onto!
We may see this as a long process, but in God’s eyes the distance between the Start and the Finish is but a twinkling of the eye!