Sunday Spice #2: Abba Father

Romans 8:15-16 says “Those 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.”

In this episode of Sunday Spice, we will take a look at the concept of adoption mentioned in this verse. No one is unfamiliar with the idea of adoption but in the little time we have, we are going to celebrate the idea that we once did not belong but now we are His.  At one point, we identified as orphans, as individuals who did not belong to the kind of family that only God could be the Father of. Instead, our identity found its meaning and its place in anything but God. But the Spirit of adoption made all the difference.

Paul spent time earlier in this chapter talking about carnality and contending against a lifestyle that embraces what he called “living according to the flesh.”  As he put it, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Living carnally is someone who chooses to let the desires of their flesh rule their behavior and their worldview. Such a mentality ends in slavery-like existence and is characterized by fear. 

Of course, this mentality is unacceptable to the idea of belonging to God through spiritual adoption. True spirituality, and carnality, are mutually exclusive. Let me say it another way. They do not live well together. Living with a mind on the flesh and living with a mind for the Spirit serve as each other’s enemies.  I have often said that we can’t hold hands with God and hold hands with the world as well … We can’t walk the fence holding hands with God on the right side while trying to hold hands with the world on our left.  It just won’t work.

We belong to God because we have been purchased by the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. We are then set free not to do as we please and fulfill the base desires of the flesh, but we are free to respond to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. He makes us what we cannot make of ourselves. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

We have received, according to these verses, the Spirit of adoption. Adoption. We now belong to God. We who have recognized the utter and eternal danger that exists without a Savior; we who have called on the name of Jesus; declared His lordship over our lives, and have put our trust in His saving power … we are adopted. He places us into His family. He is now Abba Father.

We were estranged from God by our sin, that is when we belonged to a totally different kind of family. But He created a life-saving and life-changing intervention through the work of Jesus at the cross and followed it up with Jesus’ resurrection. Hallelujah! We are officially adopted now.  We belong to Him.

And by the same “Spirit of adoption,” we cry out: “Abba! Father!” The word Abba means father but when small children use the word to address their father it is better understood as “Daddy!” We have a Daddy and our spirit, from deep within us, begins to realize that we are His; that we belong to Him; that He is our Daddy. This Spirit of adoption declares not just the Lordship of Jesus in our lives, but the Fatherhood of God as well, meaning He is Father specifically and exclusively to those He has called out as His own. I have begun to start each prayer with the words Abba Father.

Enabled by the sheer power of a new identity in Christ Jesus (which this adoption has established for us), we then take our place in this new family, the family of God. 

And then finally Romans 8 goes on to say, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Spirit of God Himself is faithful to make it clear to you and to me that we are His. 

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

One of the strongest messages of adoption is that a loving parent looks at an orphan and says, “I want you.” God’s love is no different. He not only wants you, He wants to be your Father, and He wants you to know that you are His. 

It is in this context that we can gain an eternity with Him, which will mean we have gained everything.

I’m Tammy Reneé, and this is Sunday Spice. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed are the people who take refuge in Him!