"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God…”
- Rom 8:16
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
- Mark 1:9-11
One of the least appreciated blessings of the Gospel is our adoption as sons in Christ. Paul, in Romans 8:16, tells his readers that the Spirit of God is testifying to them (and to him as well) that they are children of God.
The Spirit’s work is to communicate this profound reality to us. He witnesses to us that we are children of God, truly adopted, and accepted into His glorious and eternal family through the finished work of His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ.
And, fascinatingly, the Spirit is constantly doing this for us. It is His constant work in our spirits to convince us of this most glorious reality (for a similar statement, see Gal 4:1-7).
This position in the family of God comes with many blessings, but perhaps the most encouraging is that God sees us in Christ Himself. The stunning reality is that, when God looks at us, He sees Christ and His perfect life. In that sense, He is pleased with us because He is pleased with Jesus.
Now - of course, we may find ourselves struggling with sin. We may wonder how it is possible that the perfectly holy God of the universe could be pleased with us when we struggle or stumble. But the answer is clear - it is not us that He is pleased with at all! In fact, nothing in our flesh (our ‘natural man’ that remains in our unredeemed bodies) pleases Him.
No…He is pleased with Christ, and we are in Him, once and for all, and therefore God is pleased when He looks at us.
This ought to produce the most joyful sense of rest in us - a grateful sigh of relief! There is no condemnation for me, in spite of my countless failings. I can boldly come to my heavenly Father. He has chosen, adopted, and loved me with unconditional grace.
But, based on that love FROM Him, my heart must spring up in love TO Him. His kindness and mercy fill my soul with the glory of His love in such a way that I cannot help but love Him in return.
That love to Him empowers me to work for Him—to fight sin, to love others, to live for His glory. Long story short, I will be progressively sanctified by His love for me as a son!
No wonder, then, that God has sent His Spirit into our hearts crying out with a loud voice, “Abba Father!” He longs for us to be holy, as He is holy, and He empowers us to do it by His love. In every way, He receives the glory.
