[Morning by Morning] Romans 8:17]

Romans 8:17

Dear friends,

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Good morning! It's good to be back. We're at table in the most amazing of spiritual restaurants, and today Paul serves us this verse, truly the bread of angels:

17and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Feel bold today? Me too. Come on then and let's believe this huge promise. We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. There's more to the verse, which we will deal with tomorrow, but for today let's dare to believe the dazzling, hopeful part. If we can grasp this, our days as wet-noodle Christians will be over.

The average congregation before hearing this verse.

Much of our Christian life is a struggle just to understand that we have been forgiven, and that the various ways we use self-talk to beat ourselves up aren't necessary any longer. It's not as though there are a few real Christians who glow at night and then there's the lousy little me who's ever-so-barely inching along in my shell down here on the floor with the other slugs. I'm actually forgiven and entitled to live in the Kingdom. The phrase that we're adopted -- a phrase Paul has used so wonderfully in this chapter already -- shows that something far beyond forgiveness has been offered us. We actually belong in the family of God. Our Father has chosen to adopt me. To adopt you. That means I am here in the community of faith, and so are you, based not on a vote by the good people, still less on the qualifications I've managed to put together, but sheerly on the decision of the Father to adopt me. Hallelujah.

But it's even more than that! We are heirs of God. Really. The Bible says so. Heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ. This is nuts, it's so extravagant. What in the world does it mean? Obviously God isn't going to die, so we get this inheritance a little differently than the world does this inheriting business.

Most of the commentators make a point I'm happy to make here. Paul was writing to a congregation that was a mix of Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus, but since they were in Rome, the secular law that the group would have been familiar with was Roman law, which differed from the Old Testament on the issue of family inheritance. In Israel the rule was that the oldest son inherited the largest share. In Rome, absent a will, the family assets were divided equally among all the children. Paul is saying that in Christ, this is the rule that prevails -- everyone is an heir. You too. Being adopted in is full entitlement to the family's richness.

But see that this is way beyond a financial thing. It's being a participant in the actual nature of the family itself, the atmosphere, the relational energy, the love, that is in God's most intimate family. A great verse to catch this is 2 Peter 1:4

. . . He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

"Partaker of the divine nature." That's the state you are in. On every baptized believer in Jesus, the license heaven sees has your state on it: "partaker of the divine nature." Head high, now. All day.

--  Jan Dadák  phone #: +420 530 334 630 Cell # : +420 731 576 030 U:Fon #: +420 910 040 375  www.honzadadak.ic.cz