Romans 8
This chapter in Romans is one that I always come back to when I need a refresh of who I am in Christ. I even have a 3×5 index card on my desk to always remind myself that I am a son. It is easy, at least for me, to lose sight of this truth. For me, the time when I need a refresher on my identity in Christ, is when I wind up feeling like just a servant or a tool that God is using. It is important to have that word “just” in the previous sentence. Why? Because I am a servant of the King and I am a tool that He uses, but I’m not “just” those things. Satan will use mostly true statements to tell blatant lies against my identity.
The first 11 verses of Romans chapter 8 talk about being free from the power of sin and no longer walking in the flesh but in the Spirit. Paul mentions that if the Spirit is not in you, you are not Christ’s. That is the bad news. The good news is that if the Spirit is within you, and you know He is by seeing the effects of Him (righteousness and the death of your flesh), then you are His. Notice that the effects are not what save you, but what show you are saved.
Let’s keep going. If I know I am saved by the presence of the Holy Spirit, what does the Holy Spirit show? Let’s look at verse 14. Paul states, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” So, let’s keep tracking. I can have confidence of my salvation because I’m filled with the Holy Spirit. I can have confidence I am filled with the Holy Spirit by seeing the effects of Him in my life. I can have confidence I am a son because I am led by the Holy Spirit.
Let’s go a step further. Verses 16 and 17 show us some more Truth that we ought to cling to. Paul claims, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Lastly, I can have confidence of my inheritance in heaven because I am His son. I hope you see the importance of your identity in Christ. We used some simple reasoning to track some very important Truths about our position in Christ.