What Can I Learn From Romans 8:16

Memorize Romans 8:16-17 with Context and Commentary

Verse of the Day — Romans 8:sixteen-17

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then nosotros are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may besides share in his glory. ¹

Context
Commentary
Memorization
Application

Context

For context concerning the author, date, purpose, historical and social setting, etc. of the Letter of the alphabet to the Romans, please refer back to the context of Romans 8:1-2 from yesterday's verse of the 24-hour interval.

Literary Context:Ane can too refer back to yesterday'south post for more literary context, but it is of import to recall that these verses are situated in a section (Romans 8, especially Rom 8:one-17) of Paul'due south letter to the Romans concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit. ² — how the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in our lives, how we live in the Spirit ³ ⁴

More than specifically, these verses conclude the section (Rom eight:14-17) within this section of the letter in which Paul writes about the witness of the Spirit ⁵ — the Spirit of adoption. ⁶ ⁷ Through the Holy Spirit, believers become adopted daughters and sons of God (Rom 8:14-fifteen).

Adoption (Aside): As scholars affirm, though "adopted" may "take a somewhat artificial sound in our ears," ⁸ in showtime-century Rome, adopted children were granted all the legal rights as biological children. They would inherit both the proper noun and estate of their begetter. ⁹ Not to mention, the adopted son of Julius Caesar Augustus became the beginning Roman Emperor — Augustus (63 BC – fourteen AD). ^ten That beingness said, Paul may not accept been using adoption as a legal metaphor, merely as an allusion to the divine adoption formula found in the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Sam 7:14) ^xi In either example, the termadoptedis non accompanied by whatever connotations of inferiority.

The Spirit himself testifies *to/with* our spirit: It seems that many, if not well-nigh, mod English translations render the Greek give-and-take,symmartyreō as "testify/prove with"(Rom 8:16 cf. RSV, NRSV, ESV, NASB, etc.). The word certainly can mean "bear witness with or in support of some other" ¹² and I am certain many lexicons bear witness in support of such a rendering (e.yard., "to provide confirming evidence by ways of a testimony," ^xiii "corroborate by (concurrent) show"). ^fourteen If translated in such a fashion, this suggests that the Spirit of God testifies along with our own human spirit — our soul. The "inward witness of the Holy Spirit," ¹⁵ every bit J.B. Phillips writes, "endorses our inward conviction," ¹⁶ .

Still, given the fashion Paul otherwise uses the verbsymmartyreō,which just occurs two other times in the New Testament (cf. Rom ii:15, ix:one), information technology may be wise, in this case, to translate the word "more generally to mean simply 'to confirm' or 'testify." ¹⁷ Other lexicons testify in support of this plausible translation (e.thousand., "confirm," ¹⁸ "In the NT…[symmartyreō] means simply ostend / witness to"). ^nineteen

In the Greek, the discussion for "spirit" — referring to our human spirit — is dative. Dative nouns are simply nouns that serve as the indirect object — that which "refers to the person or matter to which something is given or for whom something is washed." ²⁰ If I throw a ball to Jane, the brawl is the direct object, that is, the noun that is beingverbed. Jane is the indirect object, that is, the person or thing to which the direct object isverb ed .So, if we are to opt for the second translation option, the Holy Spirit is not testifying forth withour human being spirit, simply testifying/begetting witness/confirmingto our human spirit.

According to Kruse, the view of whom resonates with me, "this is ameliorate than saying that the Spirit bears witness alongside [the witness of] our own spirits that we are children of God. It is 'by the Spirit' that we cry 'Abba, Father' [(Rom 8:fifteen)]—we are reliant upon the Spirit lone for confirmation that we are children of God." ²¹

That we are children of God:Through the Spirit, we are able to become children of God (Rom 8:fifteen cf. Jn 1:12, 1 Jn iii:one-two). ²² We are able to have a closer, more than intimate, familial relationship with God. So much and so, we tin can call HimAbba (8:15) — substantially an Aramaic equivalent of "daddy."

At present if we are children, so we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ:Because believers are children of God, we are also heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, the Son of God (Jn 3:16, i Jn v:5, 5:13, etc.). As Kruse explains, becoming an adopted heir allows one to accept a share in one's adoptive Male parent'south inheritance. This inheritance was promised to Abraham and his seed (offspring) (Gal 3:16, 18). Ultimately, the seed of Abraham is Christ (Gal 3:16 cf. Mat i:i-17; Lk three:23-38). And, all who belong to Christ are Abraham's seed are, therefore, heirs to the Abrahamic hope (Gen 12:ii-three; Gal 3:eight; Gal three:29) of inheritance. ²³ .

What is this inheritance? This inheritance entails eternal life in the inbreaking, but not still fully consummated, Kingdom or Reign of God ²⁴ — "The sovereign rule of God, initiated by Christ'south earthly ministry and to exist consummated when 'the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ' (Rv 11:fifteen)." ²⁵

If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may as well share in his glory: Ofttimes, when a family is having a hard time, all the members in the family, though probably in varying degrees, have a hard time. When a family unit is doing well, the converse is often true. Families cry and rejoice together. So, if nosotros are to be adopted into God'due south family unit — i in which we are children and Jesus is our brother (Mat 12:50; Heb 2:eleven-12, etc.) — then "as members of the same family we share in the trials of life equally well every bit the benefits." ²⁶

I day, the Kingdom/Reign of God volition be consummated, and Jesus will gloriously return like lightning. Prior to this, yet, Jesus had to endure many things and exist rejected (Lk 17:24-25). While talking to the two on the route to Emmaus following His crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus explains, "Did not the Messiah have to endure these things and then enter his glory?" (Lk 24:26). ²⁷ ²⁸ If Jesus had to suffer in order to eventually exist glorified, if Jesus had to become obedient to death before being exalted to the highest identify (Php two:8-9), it makes sense that, in some sense, nosotros must also suffer in order to somewhen share in His glory.

In what sense volition believers suffer? For Paul, sufferings usually "denote[south] the afflictions or persecutions that he and the Roman believers encounter from…a hostile world." ²⁹ . Thus, hither, everything that can maybe exist construed every bit "suffering" (e.k., sudden disease, physical injury, etc.) is not necessarily in view. Perhaps what is in view is what Jesus had in mind when He said, "blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because bang-up is your reward in heaven…" (Mat v:eleven-12). ³⁰

As Paul writes earlier in Romans, such sufferings produce perseverance, perseverance character, and graphic symbol hope (Rom 5:3). Furthermore, these "calorie-free and momentary troubles are achieving for u.s.a. an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor 4:17). ³¹

Summary:The Holy Spirit confirms to our own human spirit that we take been, in fact, adopted into God's family. As such, we have a new, familial relationship with our Abba equally children of God. Since nosotros are children of God, we are likewise heirs of shares of the inheritance entailing eternal life in God'due south eternal kingdom — the inheritance promised to Abraham and his Seed, our co-heir Jesus Christ. As co-heirs with Christ and members of God'south family, believers will experience various Christ-like sufferings in and by the hand of the earth that is hostile to God — in guild to ultimately experience Christ-like glorification.

Memorization

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Application

How might we apply Romans eight:xvi-17 today? For me, it is bang-up cause for thanksgiving to be able to exist called a child of God, to be able to — equally Jesus did — cry out "Abba, Father"in prayer (Mk fourteen:36), and to exist a co-heir with Christ.

Also, it is comforting to know that persecutions we face for following Christ hither on earth will event in glory in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes the biggest stumbling block regarding making disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19-20) is our fearfulness of unpopularity. Fear of backlash. Fear of ridicule. But such sufferings stake in comparison to the glory that volition ultimately exist revealed in us (Rom 8:18)

Therefore, we should strive to proclaim and defend the Good News of our familial kin, Christ, boldly. And, consequently, we should wait, simply not fright, suffering — suffering that volition pb to glorious, heavenly rewards.

What do you retrieve of this passage? Please, feel free to leave a comment beneath or contact C4C on social media. Thanks for visiting CatchForChrist.cyberspace, God Anoint!

Sources

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ro eight:16–17.
John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans: God's Adept News for the World, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Printing, 2001), 217-37.
F. F. Bruce, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale New Attestation Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 159-69
Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 172-93
Stott, 230
Kruse, 336
Douglas J. Moo, "Romans," in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., quaternary ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 1140.
Bruce, 167
Ibid
D. S. Potter, "Augustus (Emperor)," ed. David Noel Freedman, The Ballast Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 524-528
Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, eds., Lexicon of Paul and His Letters (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), fourteen-18.
Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 1677.
1000. D. Taylor, "Testimony," ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Serial (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Printing, 2014).
James Potent, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 68.
Bruce, 168
Mounce, 183
Kruse, 339
James Swanson, Lexicon of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider, Exegetical Lexicon of the New Attestation (M Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990–), 287.
Michael Southward. Heiser and Vincent G. Setterholm, Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database Terminology (Lexham Press, 2013; 2013).
Kruse, 339.
Bruce, 168
Kruse, 340
Ibid
George Due east. Ladd, "Kingdom of God (Heaven)," Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Thou Rapids, MI: Baker Volume House, 1988), 1269.
Mounce, 183
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Lk 24:26.
Stott, 235
Kruse, 229
The New International Version (Thousand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 5:eleven–12.
The New International Version (Yard Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 2 Co four:17.