Sons and Daughters of God

Romans 8:12-14

¹² So then, brothers, 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. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

            In the last couple passages, Paul has been showing the relationship to humans being in the flesh and then their relationship to being in the Spirit. He has also shown where the origin of the flesh and the spirit are, the flesh being in the world and the Spirit being the very Spirit of God inside those who believe in Jesus Christ. Here, Paul is showing that we will be beholden to one or the other. He is showing that one will either be beholden to the flesh—which he mentioned earlier will eventually lead to death—or to the spirit which brings resurrection and life. This is why he mentions being debtors, this can also be worded as being slaves. Paul shows that someone who lives according to the flesh will die but Christians who live according to the spirit will live, and not only live but will also be sons and daughters of God. This last aspect of the passage he will go into more detail in the next verses, but it shows how those in the Spirit are also heirs to God. It is not just about living and dying but also about rewards God gives.

            What this means for the believer is something somber but also something really exciting. It is first important to note that we who are Christians are either slaves to the flesh and have to be beholden to the flesh which leads to death or be slaves to the spirit which brings life even when the body dies. It is important to not here that Paul is saying that those who he is speaking to he already believes that they are Christian, so the assumption here is that they will not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Paul shows us as Christians that we do not put to death the deeds of the flesh alone, but it is by the Spirit that we can do so. This shows how strong and powerful the pull of the flesh and enslavement to it really is. It takes the same Power that rose Jesus from the dead to help keep us on a path towards him. At the same time, we see in this struggle that we are not like normal slaves but welcomed into the family of God and the inheritance that this entails which will be expounded upon next week.

            For non-Christians, though, never fear because there is hope. Paul has been outlining the pull of the flesh and how it causes death. We have seen this is almost impossible to break away from and how those in the flesh do not want to break away because they do not want to really know God. The problem, Paul specifies again in this passage, in being slaves to the flesh is that it leads to death. Then, we ask, what is the point, how will I ever break free? You cannot break free, but God has made a way to break free and it is the same way that Christians can—through Jesus Christ—and it is enabled through the Spirit of God. When this happens, you too can become an heir of God where He will lavish His riches upon you.

            For both Christians and non-Christians, this reminds me of the story of the prodigal son. When the son came home and admitted he was wrong, the father did not scold him or turn him away. Instead, the father welcomed him with open arms and celebrated his return with a huge feast. This is the same way God responds to us when His Spirit comes upon us. We are now sons, and He celebrates and welcomes us in, so do not shrink away but embrace it and find new life today.