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Alive Day 7 Adopted: Digging Deeper

September 21, 2021 by Shannon Vicker Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Adopted!

The Questions

1) What is the spirit of slavery? (verse 15)

2) What is the Spirit of adoption? (verse 15)

3) What does it mean to suffer with Christ? (verse 17)

Romans 8:14-17

14 For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Original Intent

1) What is the spirit of slavery? (verse 15)
Slavery is a concept Paul’s readers would have known and understood as it was commonplace in their everyday lives from household slaves to business slaves. In Acts 16, Luke records the story of Paul’s interaction with a slave girl, setting her free from demons. (Acts 16:16-24) Paul’s Roman audience, a mix of both Jews and Gentiles, knew the history of Jews enslaved in Egypt for 400 years as told in the Torah, which is a Jewish holy text, comprising the first 5 books of what we know as the “Old Testament” in our Bibles. You can read of Jewish slavery in the book of Exodus. Slavery also existed in the Old Testament when a poor person would sell themselves to another person in order to pay a debt they owed. (Leviticus 25:39) However, God included clear commands in Leviticus instructing slave owners not to force these slaves into labor, but instead to view them as hired workers who would be released in the Year of Jubilee. (Leviticus 25:40-41) Paul is using this base knowledge with his audience to explain their condition as sinners. They were slaves of the debt they owed God because of their sin against Him.

2) What is the Spirit of adoption? (verse 15)
In Roman culture, an adopted person lost all rights in his old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate child in his new family. He became a full heir to his new father’s estate, while forfeiting all ties to his past. Paul uses this imagery to convey what happens spiritually when an individual accepts Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, which paid the debt of all sin. (1 John 2:2) This person has lost all ties, ownership, rights, and connection to the previous “family”, ruled by Sin and Death, they become adopted by God as members of His family. Through Jesus, God as Father, gives the person who fully surrenders themself to Him, the “right to become a child of God”. (John 1:12) This is the only way to be accepted by God and be given an inheritance of eternal life instead of the rightfully earned condemnation of eternal separation from Him. (John 14:6, Ephesians 1:3-12) Children of God no longer belong to the world and its slavery to sin, instead they are welcomed in to God’s family as co-heirs with Christ, the Son. (verse 17)

3) What does it mean to suffer with Christ? (verse 17)
Roman crucifixion was one of the worst forms of death, if not the worst form of punitive punishment, ever invented. It was grotesquely brutal and Paul’s audience knew it full well. Likely, some in his audience had even witnessed it firsthand or had heard the horrendous cries of anguish accompanying such a torturous death. The prophet Isaiah conveys the suffering of Jesus’ horrible death in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, hundreds of years before crucifixion was even invented by the Romans. The recipients of Paul’s letter also knew there was a price for choosing to follow Christ, meaning many of these early believers would face persecution or death for their faith. Paul knew the persecution was growing more intense for the Church and he wrote to remind the believers that the price of following Jesus was known, expected, and shared among all true followers of Christ, but that reward was coming! (Luke 14:26-27, verse 18) They must be willing to suffer with Christ as part of their adoption. “…if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (verse 17)
However, there is the comfort in knowing nothing they would endure would compare to the suffering of Jesus as He bore the punishment for our sin. (1 Peter 2:24) Praise God, no believer will ever be alone after trusting Christ for salvation for God will always be present through the Holy Spirit!

Everyday Application

1) What is the spirit of slavery? (verse 15)
The type of slavery Paul referenced in this passage was not slavery we think of in western culture today. It was selling yourself as a hired hand to pay a debt, knowing you would one day be released, free of your debt, in the Year of Jubilee, which God had instituted. God outlined specifically how slaves were to be treated in Leviticus 25. Paul uses the term “spirit of slavery” to convey our position before the God of Justice without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. We are sinners bound to the debt we owe as sinners, which is death. (Romans 6:23) Each one of us rightfully deserves death and punishment for our sin and it’s fundamentally imperative we do not forget what we deserve.

2) What is the Spirit of adoption? (verse 15)
The day we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin we become co-heirs with Christ (verse 17). We are no longer bound by our sin but instead welcomed into God’s family. The ownership chains of sin and slavery have been removed, we are officially declared “dead to sin”. (Romans 6:11) He becomes our Abba, meaning Father, and, just as an ancient Roman son would become an heir to their father’s estate, so we become an heir to our Father’s inheritance. We are fully adopted into the family of God, our penalty of death is paid through Jesus’ death for us and we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to live within us, promising us our final inheritance is yet to come in eternity with our Father. (Ephesians 1:13-14) We are given the gift of a restored relationship with our Father, that was once broken because of our own sinfulness!

3) What does it mean to suffer with Christ? (verse 17)
In modern western culture, the concept of suffering and persecution as a believer for their faith is foreign. However, believers around the world are currently persecuted for their faith in Jesus, many in torturous ways or through death. If the Lord has currently blessed your life, keeping you from facing the same type of persecution other brothers and sisters in the faith face, I urge you to please use the freedom you’ve been given to share Christ! Regardless of where we live, or what the cost of following Jesus looks like for us specifically, we must not forget we are all called to a higher standard as a child of God. We are to be set apart from the world, which will inevitably make us “stick out”, often bringing on forms of suffering. Paul calls his readers not to be conformed to the world’s pattern of sin, but instead to be transformed by His Spirit (Romans 12:2); this leads to suffering. (John 15:18-21) We are called to love and serve like Jesus and this will come at a cost. The world hated Jesus, and it will hate all who follow Him as well. Jesus Himself calls believers to pick up their cross (Matthew 16:24-28), deny self, and follow Him. Each of us will pay a different price for our faith in Jesus, but we can be sure following Him won’t be suffering free. However, we can cling to the truths Paul wrote of to encourage the early believers. Jesus experienced worse than we can ever imagine, we are never alone, and the final battle for our souls has already been won. We can say with strength as the psalmist did, “The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?” (Psalm 118:6) We are able to endure whatever lies before us because of the One who has gone before us!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Adopted!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Alive Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Posted in: Adoption, Christ, Cross, Digging Deeper, God, Sacrifice, Sin, Suffering Tagged: Abba, adopted, alive, Child of God, command, debt, father, Heir, Jubilee, right, slave, slavery, spirit, surrender

Shielded Day 2 Shielded By The Unstoppable: Digging Deeper

January 28, 2020 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Shielded By The Unstoppable!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to wage war “according to the flesh?” (verse 3)

2) What are our weapons of warfare? (verse 4)

3) What arguments and “proud things” is Paul referencing that we should destroy? (verse 5)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to wage war “according to the flesh?” (verse 3)
Paul’s reason for writing his letter to the church in Corinth was multi-faceted, but every specific issue he addressed centered around one general theme, they had walked away from living by God’s Spirit. The Corinthian church was full of people who had genuinely asked Jesus to rescue them from their sin, but gradually, with one decision at a time, they had faded away from living by the Spirit of God who had been deposited in their hearts at the time of their salvation, and had chosen instead to live according to the flesh. (verse 2) Backing up a few verses to the beginning of chapter 10, Paul loved the Corinthian church and had been gentle with them, but now, on hearing how they had walked away from living by their source of power, refusing to access the Spirit living within them, He was ready to come in person and strongly set right what was going wrong. Paul wrote to confront them ahead of time of his visit, drawing their attention sharply back to their heart issue.

2) What are our weapons of warfare? (verse 4)
Paul draws a distinct line when he says, “although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.” (verse 3) We live our everyday lives here on earth wrapped in flesh and bone and surrounded by sin; we are frequently tempted to fulfill our fleshly desires because we live in the flesh. For the believer, however, we do not wage war with mere fleshly weaponry, which would be ineffective. Rather, we have direct access to “weapons of warfare” that have nothing to do with the flesh. These weapons carry with them the very power of God, the same power in fact that raised Jesus from death to life! These weapons are available to the Christ follower to fight against fleshly desires, sin, and our sinful attempt to live God’s way without God’s power. Examples of this powerful weaponry are listed as armor in Ephesians 6:13-18, truthful speech, genuine love, and patience and kindness from the Holy Spirit are given in 2 Corinthians 6:6-7, and 1 Thessalonians 5:8 speaks of faith, love, and salvation as battle weapons with which to wage war.

3) What arguments and “proud things” is Paul referencing that we should destroy? (verse 5)
Paul is specifically addressing the Corinthian church and the habits they are displaying as they have “faded away” from living in God’s power. The reality is that when we stop relying on God’s power to live for Him, we fall back into relying on ourselves. This would be like going from using a power steering mower to cut your grass to using dull safety scissors to mow your lawn. It’s incredible ineffective to use our fleshly power to accomplish the work of God! A byproduct of relying on our own strength, and slowly fading away from God’s truth as our anchor, is that we begin puffing ourselves up. Look what I did! See how I handled that situation! When we are only using our hands to fight, humility is gone, dependence on Christ is absent, and we end up with an inflated view of ourselves, which completely distorts the truths presented in Scripture. God says we are weak because sin ravages us.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to wage war “according to the flesh?” (verse 3)
When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are given an entirely new heart, a new love, a new passion for following Jesus, and a new source of power to actually follow Jesus in obedience. We are entirely made new!! The battle comes when we struggle against our old way of living. Before Jesus’ redemption over our lives, we live according to the flesh, we think about ourselves and how to gratify ourselves. We may appear loving, but we aren’t able to sacrificially love like Jesus day in and day out, growing in intensity. To live according to the flesh means either to live sinfully, or to try hard to live as God has called us, but without His power. Take some time to identify areas you struggle in living “according to the flesh”. 

2) What are our weapons of warfare? (verse 4)
Take a few slow breaths, close your eyes, and assess the weak spots in your life right now. Where are you feeling defeated and worn in your everyday life? Perhaps the battle is heavy against you as you are working intently to further God’s Kingdom in ministry, in loving the unlovable, or in serving within your church. Maybe the battle is showing up in your relationships where conflict seems constantly present. Sometimes the battle surges in full force as we become aware of our sin in specific areas and then, wanting to be like Christ, fight against that sin. Whatever your battle today, my friend, in the words of Paul, “Stand firm….”, intentionally put on His own armor He fitted for you, and know that your greatest weapon is the Spirit of the Living God who works powerfully within you. He holds the victory! 

3) What arguments and “proud things” is Paul referencing that we should destroy? (verse 5)
We are weak because we will always, over time, choose to love ourselves and our sin over the Savior. God’s antidote is Christ and His power working in us to accomplish His purposes! (2 Corinthians 12:9) He gives us His weaponry to tear down and destroy every stronghold where we are bowing to other gods and living for ourselves rather than surrendering to God’s wisdom, and living His way, by the power of His Spirit. (verses 4-5) Take these few minutes to prayerfully ask the Lord where you are trusting in your own strength. Where is sin slowly creeping in, tempting you with lies and justifications? Fight those battles with the Spirit of God inside you, Christian! Refuse to allow the ground in your heart that Christ died to rescue, be turned over again as enemy territory!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Shielded By The Unstoppable!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Shielded Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Posted in: Christ, Digging Deeper, Follow, God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Obedience, Power, Shielded Tagged: celebrate, command, everyone, good Samaritan, neighbor, rejoice, simplicity, Unstoppable

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14