Bringing Many Sons to Glory

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This is a sermon based on Romans 8:12-25. It includes verses regarding the Christian believer's adoption as "sons of God." It also includes verses in which Paul writes about the coming glory when all the creation will experience the final redemption God has in store.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

A story I think I may have shared before…

(Bill Cosby) “Poets have said the reason to have children is to give yourself immortality; and I must admit I did ask God to give me a son because I wanted someone to carry on the family name. Well, God did just that and I now confess that there have been times when I have told my son not to reveal who he is.”

Well, I don’t know, but I wonder sometimes if that is how God feels about His children? But that isn’t really the focus of the scripture we are studying. The focus is totally on the privileges we enjoy because we are a part of the family of God.

In the passage of Romans that we will be considering today, the analogy of being sons or children of God is employed to express our relationship with God and to explain the coming “inheritance” that God’s children will receive.

Before we get into that, let’s review a bit. Here’s a quick rundown of where we’ve been so far in our study of Romans:

The predominant theme of the entire book is – The righteousness of God revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We’ve looked at…

I. God’s righteousness is revealed through divine judgment. (1:18-3:20)

II. God’s righteousness is revealed through justification. (3:21-5:21)

III. God’s righteousness is revealed through sanctification. (6:1-8:39)

A. Sanctification means grace is victorious. (6)

B. Sanctification means the law has a purpose. (7)

C. Sanctification means the Spirit has control. (8)

Last week we worked our way through the first 11 verses of chapter eight. We talked about the first of three evidences that the Spirit is in control: (lower case Roman numerals on the outline) The Spirit produces true freedom. (1-25)

In discussing how the Spirit produces true freedom we covered about three of the four areas in which we experience freedom: (lower case letters “a” – “d” on the outline)…

a. freedom from condemnation

b. freedom from sin and death

c. freedom to live righteously

As we talked about the freedom to live righteously, we talked about four of the five ways that righteousness relates to freedom: (#’s 1-5 on the outline)…

1. Righteous demands were fulfilled in Christ.

2. Righteousness is imparted by the Spirit.

3. Righteousness requires a spiritual mind [or mindset].

4. Righteousness comes by spiritual power.

Today we are ready to talk about the fifth way that righteousness relates to freedom produced by the Spirit, and then we will move on to discuss the fourth area in which we experience the freedom through the Spirit.

Freedom to live righteously also includes the fact that…

5. Righteousness is based on relationship. (12-17)

¹²  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³  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.

“we are debtors” – under obligation; as “brethren” we are obligated, but not to the flesh to be presently and continually living according to the flesh. The unspoken inference is: we are obligated to the Spirit.

“if you live…” – continuous action according to the flesh will result in death, but if through the continuous aid of the Spirit you kill the deeds of the body, you will have life.

Paul is addressing “brethren” which includes all saved Jews and Gentiles and he warns them to no longer live “according to” or in the manner of the flesh, but use the full blessing of the Spirit afforded them as believers and crucify the deeds of the body.

The important thing to remember here is the fact that the Spirit does give us the ability to conquer the desires of the flesh or deeds of the body. It is not inevitable for us to be overcome by them.

If you are following the outline, you can see that I have included these two verses along with 14-17 under the heading of relationship. That is because I believe that Paul uses the verses about being the “sons of God” and being adopted by God to explain the rationale for his admonition in 12-13.

“For” (v.14) – a conjunction which makes the point related to the previous statement. “Brothers, we are under no obligation to live according to the desires of the flesh because we are now children of God and by virtue of that relationship we have the abiding presence of the Spirit to help us “mortify” the deeds of the body.

 ¹⁴  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷  and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

 “as many as are led…” – the proof of relationship is being actively led by the Spirit.

Contrast is offered between the “spirit of bondage” and the “spirit of adoption.”

(Reasoner) Wesley commented that the Holy Spirit was “not properly a spirit of bondage,” but [Wesley et. al. believed] … “the spirit of bondage here seems directly to mean those operations of the Holy Spirit, by which the soul, on its first conviction, feels itself in bondage to sin, to the world, to Satan, and [liable] to the wrath of God. This therefore and the Spirit of adoption are one and the same Spirit, only manifesting itself in various operations.” The distinction made by Wesley is that while the Holy Spirit does not create bondage, his convicting work makes us aware of our bondage.

What a blessed privilege!

Prior to coming to Christ, we were “aliens and foreigners” as Paul describes in Ephesians 2. We were outsiders! But now we are children of God!

“adoption” – a compound word literally meaning, “in position of a son.”

“abba, father” – an Aramaic word and a Greek word that both mean father. Jews and Gentiles have the privilege of being children of God. (Reasoner) Jews did not approve of speaking about God as “father,” and Muslims also cannot speak of God as father. So, this is a distinctly Christian understanding of privilege.

“Spirit bears witness” – The Holy Spirit is actively at work in us to confirm and assure us that we do belong to God.

(The IVP Bible Background Commentary) – As a legal act, Roman adoption had to be attested by witnesses; the Spirit is here the attesting witness that God adopts believers in Jesus as his own children.

“if children, then heirs… joint heirs…” – the normal consequence of being a child of God is that we are heirs.

Hebrews 1:2  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

1 Peter 1:4 (NKJV) ⁴  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Apparently his reference to being “heirs” has inspired him to elaborate on what it involves, so he continues more in-depth in the following verses.

b. We shall have freedom from the curse of sin. (18-25)

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

“consider” (KJV “reckon”) – a bookkeeping term indicating that he is comparing the ledger between present and future.

(Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,)

For some funerals, I have used this passage in Romans to emphasize that Paul knew by experience what he was talking about, viz. all the beatings, being left for dead, and then “I know a man who was caught up to the third heaven…”

¹⁹  For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹  because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

“earnest expectation” – (Reasoner) a compound word that includes means “watching with outstretched head.” This, plus the words “eagerly waits” give the picture as J. B. Phillips translated it, “the whole creation is on tiptoe.”

Paul goes into great detail to speak about the fact that the redemption (salvation) we have experienced is merely partial, but we shall experience full salvation when the whole scheme of redemption is completed.

He seems to distinguish between the redemption of the creation and the redemption of the children of God (believers).

The redemption of creation implies the current condition of the curse of sin upon all the world (cf. Gen 3) and that the entire order of things created will one day be totally and completely restored to God’s original design and purpose.

²²  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. ²⁴  For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? ²⁵  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

 “The creation groans…we also groan” – this seems to be a reference to the fact that everything is enduring the present pains of the effects of sin and can hardly wait for the curse to be lifted and redemption to be completed.

 “eagerly waiting for the adoption…” – we have already experienced spiritual adoption by virtue of the justification and regeneration we have experienced through faith in Christ, as well as the daily presence of the Holy Spirit, but this is speaking of the “final adoption” i.e., physical “redemption of our body.”

Because of what we know God has promised and what we believe is coming for the children of God, we persevere through the most difficult situations and circumstances in this life.

Conclusion:

The title I chose for the sermon today is a phrase that appears in the book of Hebrews, chapter 2:10.

¹⁰  For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

In the context the author of Hebrews is speaking about the Messiah as a servant of God who would suffer and provide the means for “bringing many sons to glory.” That is, bringing the followers of Christ to the point of full development to share the glory with the Son (see the previous verse, v. 9 - But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.)

If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, filled with the  life of the Holy Spirit within you, then you are one of the “sons” that God is bringing to glory through everything that Jesus already suffered, in order that we can share the inheritance with Christ, Who was already made an “heir of all things” by His Father (Heb. 1:2)

Songwriter has penned these words:

Life’s day will soon be o’er

All storms forever past.

We’ll cross the great divide

To glory, safe at last.

We’ll share the joys of heav’n

A harp, a home, a crown.

The tempter will be banished;

We’ll lay our burdens down.

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus….

For our closing song today I have chosen hymn # 780, Until Then.