In Christ - Pt 4

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 ESV). The Apostles’ Creed, which appears as early as 390 AD, is a compilation of truths adopted and expressed by the early church. It was not written by the apostles, though it certainly contains the primary doctrines expressed by those who’s writings we possess. It is as follows: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Within this creed is one of the great confessions of the Christian faith. It is that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. When God established his covenant with the people of Israel he named them as his children, “You are the sons of the Lord your God” (cf. Deuteronomy 14:1). The doors of that covenant have swung wide open in Jesus Christ, so that now non-Jews may also be included in the covenant and be named as children of God. Jesus is God’s Son by nature. Our incorporation in the family is by way of adoption. Paul says, “You did not receive a spirit of slavery, but you have received the Spirit of adoption” (v. 15). As God’s children we are given the same benefits that belong to God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Those benefits include the privilege of calling on the Father, like children calling for a parent in the darkness of night during a thunderstorm. When we call, he hears. When we cry, he listens. He is our Father; he hears and listens because we belong to him and he cares for us. Our very crying out to him is evidence that we belong to him; our calling on him is the reminder that we are his children. Perhaps the greatest tragedy in our modern era is the independence we cherish so much. It prompts us to call on our Father only after we have exhausted all of our meager resources and failed. Call on Him early and often. We are his children!