The Devotional - R028

The Devotional

Comment:

When a person goes shopping for an item that is of a large sum of money it is common to seek a line of credit so that the item can be legally acquired. Yes we can immediately enjoy the benefits of purchases that would seldom happen were it not for credit. However to enjoy the full benefits of any purchase involving credit we are obligated (debtors) to the contractual agreement to purchase that item over a period of time. Now this is not difficult for any of us to comprehend, we live in an epidemic of credit in this country. It is not “Hi-hoe, hi-hoe, it is off to work I go; is it? No, it would be more appropriate to sing; “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go”. However the apostle Paul speaks of a different obligation that we will be looking at this morning.

Challenge: Romans 8:-12-17

In Romans 8 the apostle Paul speaks of our position in Christ Jesus our LORD by sonship, which is; that we have be added to the Kingdom of God by adoption through the Spirit of God. So when we see Romans 8:12-17 which reads “Therefore, brethren (children of God), we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh…” we think, okay just what is the apostle talking about? Do I owe a debt to God? No, not at all, but we are debtors to be obedient children to live according to the Righteousness of our Father!

As an adopted child (purchased by the Lamb of God) we owe allegiance, or obedience to God the Father. If we continue to live in the flesh of our past then we are living in deadness to God because the flesh is in control and we are dead to the blessings that we might enjoy as God’s children. As we have seen here in this chapter, we have been set free from indwelling sin, these are the sins that we have committed in our flesh before we were purchased by the blood of the Lamb. Now as adopted children we have power to live with God in Spirit and apart from those fleshly sins.

Therefore we are no longer obligated to carry out the deeds of the flesh, we have been set free from this bondage. Instead of this awful past life of bondage we have been set free to be led by the Spirit of God and those of us who rest in this truth are the sons of God, we are practicing God’s Righteous standards of life. When we accept Christ and are adopted into God’s family we receive gifts, roughly 36 gifts, many are listed in Ephesians 1 and the first 15 verses. We become obligated to Spirit of God to use all that God has provided. Have you ever given someone a gift, only to see it in the future still sitting on a shelf unwrapped and gathering dust? 

There are many so called believers today who say that they have been saved but live no differently than when they were unsaved. We do not need to judge these people, God has done that ALREADY. Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. And Romans 8:15-16 – For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out “Abba! Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

Romans 8:17 – and if children, then heirs (debtors) heirs of God (responsible to God) and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. (Can we not see how much we have been given by God through CHRIST the Messiah)? We have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness in Him, see 2 Peter 1:1-4.