For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:15-17 (NIV)
Those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord are children of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, the great Apostle writes, and we have the precious Holy Spirit indwelling and empowering us to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel. Purely amazing. Further, we are also called to share in His sufferings – however that may look or flesh out in our lives. We so often find ourselves kicking against His best for us by bucking the latter. What He allows in the lives of His heirs of mercy is always for our good. Always. That is the great promise of Scripture. Oh, we all want the inheritance but, more often than not, we find ourselves whining and fighting against the process, Amen? Yet the most amazingly wonderful place to be – by far - is to be standing firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured, as Epaphras diligently prayed for the church at Colosse. And, I might add, a prayer we should pray for our families as well.
Through Christ we have been brought back into relationship with God whereby we can call Him “Daddy” and even rest our heads between His all powerful shoulders as Moses penned in Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV): “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” We have open access to the throne of God – not because of what we have done but for what Jesus has done for us. And even (and perhaps especially) when we get dirty and messy with sin, we can run to Him for cleansing and forgiveness. “What can wash away our sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus” the great Hymn goes. It is He Who makes us whole again. Indeed, when God looks down upon a life in Christ Jesus, He sees a perfect life because the believer is now robed in Christ’s righteousness and not in their filthy rags. No one can bring any charge against God’s elect – every sin being laid upon the “Champion of our salvation” as Spurgeon writes.
What a precious relationship God has given us through Jesus our Lord! We are never to take that lightly. Christ had to die to make it so. We are cleansed and empowered – fully accepted and fully loved.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.** Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)**