How can you or others tell if you belong to any certain group? For some groups members are issued a membership card which they might have to show when entering the building. Others might have a password or a PIN to get in. Members of some gangs have a specific tattoo that is done. How can we or others know for certain that we are a Christian and belong to the Lord Jesus? This is something that Paul wrote about in his Epistle to the Romans, which we will read about today.
In our Scripture for today which Paul wrote to the Church in Rome, he touches on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the assurance of salvation, and the believer’s identity as a child of God. We read here that there is a clear distinction between the saved and the unsaved, and the defining mark of a true Christian is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
So how does one know a true Christian? Is it because they attend church services and have their name registered as a member of a certain church? That is not a good indicator, as just because one attends church does not make one a Christian. A garage is meant to hold a car, but you can find many other things in a garage besides a car. Is the fact that one’s parents and grandparents are Christians a good indicator? No, that is not a sign. God does not have grandchildren. Paul teaches here that every true believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle draws a sharp line in verse 9, that if any person does not have the Spirit of Christ, then he does not belong to Him. This is not optional. It is the dividing line between the saved and the lost. The Spirit’s presence proves salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14), and His absence proves lostness, no matter one’s profession. This is a supernatural work in which God places His Spirit within the believer at the moment when they place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul then contrasts the believer’s dead body, which is still subject to mortality, with the living spirit which is made alive by Christ’s righteousness (vs. 10-11). A Christian’s body is still fallen, still aging, and is still tempted. However our inner man is alive, regenerated, and is responsive to God. And the blessing is, our future resurrection is guaranteed. The same Spirit who raised Jesus will raise us.
The Apostle continues by teaching that believers owe the flesh nothing (vs. 12-13). We are told that we need to put to death the deeds of the body. We cannot do this by willpower, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit, His ongoing work of sanctification in us. Paul warns us that if we live after the flesh we will die. This is not a loss of salvation, but evidence of never having been saved. True believers will show evidence of sanctification. They will show spiritual fruit in their life. We will not be perfect, but we will be walking in the right direction. The Holy Spirit produces real change in one’s life.
When we are saved, not only do we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, but we also become a child of God (vs. 14-17). We are no longer a slave to sin, but a child of God, belonging to Him and adopted into His family. As a child of God we have the privilege to call God “Abba”, which is an intimate term meaning “Daddy”. He isn’t a far-off, distant parent to us. Instead, He is like a loving daddy who greets His children with open arms and a warm embrace. The name “Abba” for God assures us of His loving attentiveness to our prayers. It conveys both the tenderness and security of our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. God is the sovereign Lord of the Universe, however, through His Son, He became as approachable as any doting human father.
We have a very clear assurance of salvation in verse 16. The Holy Spirit testifies through Scripture, conviction, comfort, and transformation that we are saved, and our own spirit, the renewed inner man, responds in faith, as well. Together they affirm that we are a child of God. This assurance is not based on our feelings, which can change from day to day, even moment to moment. Instead it is based on the Word of God, on the Holy Spirit’s witness, and the evidence of sanctification.
Because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus upon the cross, we are now one with Him, and co-heirs of His glorious inheritance (vs. 17). We inherit a relationship with God, as we are His heirs. We also inherit Christ’s glory, as we are joint-heirs with Him. We inherit His coming kingdom, and resurrection life. As a Christian, our future is literal, physical, and glorious, knowing that we will reign with Jesus in His coming kingdom.
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