For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit itself 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 only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
God sent his Son as an expiation for mankind and sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts so that we might receive adoption. Through adoption, Christians have an intimate relationship with Christ and God. All who are led by the Spirit are God’s children. Christians should no longer have the attitude of a slave because they have been freed by the Spirit to call God Father (Gal. 4:4-7). Through Baptism, Christians are animated by the Spirit to live as children of God and to love God, not live as slaves in fear of God (Heb. 2:14-15).
The Spirit grants Christians the grace to recognize the new and profound relationship they have with God which allows them to cry out to him Abba, Father (Mk. 14:36). The Spirit also allows them to understand that, just as Christ suffered his Passion and Resurrection, Christians too must be willing to suffer so that they may receive glory. Christians are heirs, full members of God’s family and although they have no right to it, they become joint heirs with Christ to the kingdom. Christ has already received a share of the Father’s glory, and the Christian will one day also share in that glory (Jn. 17:5). Being joint heirs with Christ will inevitably lead to trials and opposition which the Christian will have to endure as Jesus did (Phil. 2:8).
Abba, Father, source of everlasting light, your Spirit placed in our hearts the desire to turn to you so that we may understand the way of salvation. In gratitude we purify ourselves with good deeds and discipline of the flesh so that we, like Jesus, may one day through faith share in your glory. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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