Christian assurance
Christian assurance
Christian assurance
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. (Romans 8:12-17)
It is the duty of every Christian to pursue greater levels of assurance in their lives. It helps the Christian to be happy, holy, and handy to God. It also pleases God, because as our Father, He wants us to know that we are His children.
Paul gives us three ways to grow in assurance.
1. By being led by the Spirit (vs 14).
What does this mean? Paul defines it earlier in chapter 8 of Romans, and especially with regard to the immediately preceding verse (vs 13). We are led by the Spirit when we are led to put to death the deeds of the body.
2. By the impulse of the Spirit to cry out “Abba, Father.” (vs 15)
When we’re in trouble, God wants us to cry out like sons rather than slaves. Slaves will cower in fear, while sons will cry out for help, expecting their Father to hear them.
3. By the inner witness of the Spirit as He bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God. The Spirit does this, not by direct revelation or by a subjective experience. The spirit does this by first writing in His word what are the markings of a child of God, and then creating those markings in our own lives. The Spirit then illuminates the truth of the word and the truth of our lives and as we see them matching, we are convinced, on hard evidence, that we are children of God. This then produces great feelings of excitement, but those feelings are not the evidence we are children of God, they are the result of the evidence that we are children of God.
It’s so worth pursuing greater and greater assurance that we are God’s children, because “if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ!" To know that with ever increasing levels of assurance is worth all the effort and strength the Spirit gives us.
Bible Text: Romans 8:12-17 | Preacher: Ian Goodman | Series: Romans—The Greatest Letter Ever Written | 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. (Romans 8:12-17)
It is the duty of every Christian to pursue greater levels of assurance in their lives. It helps the Christian to be happy, holy, and handy to God. It also pleases God, because as our Father, He wants us to know that we are His children.
Paul gives us three ways to grow in assurance.
1. By being led by the Spirit (vs 14).
What does this mean? Paul defines it earlier in chapter 8 of Romans, and especially with regard to the immediately preceding verse (vs 13). We are led by the Spirit when we are led to put to death the deeds of the body.
2. By the impulse of the Spirit to cry out “Abba, Father.” (vs 15)
When we’re in trouble, God wants us to cry out like sons rather than slaves. Slaves will cower in fear, while sons will cry out for help, expecting their Father to hear them.
3. By the inner witness of the Spirit as He bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God. The Spirit does this, not by direct revelation or by a subjective experience. The spirit does this by first writing in His word what are the markings of a child of God, and then creating those markings in our own lives. The Spirit then illuminates the truth of the word and the truth of our lives and as we see them matching, we are convinced, on hard evidence, that we are children of God. This then produces great feelings of excitement, but those feelings are not the evidence we are children of God, they are the result of the evidence that we are children of God.
It’s so worth pursuing greater and greater assurance that we are God’s children, because “if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ!” To know that with ever increasing levels of assurance is worth all the effort and strength the Spirit gives us.