I
have a friend who has struggled for years with being sure that she is
saved. One reason is this verse:
Romans
8:16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God:
She believes that she should be hearing something or feeling
something that is proof that the Holy Spirit is testifying to her that she is
saved. Could you please explain what that verse means so that she won't
be waiting for something that is just not going to happen?
The reason your friend has struggled for years with being sure she is saved is because she doesn’t rightly divide the word of Truth. One of the verses I like to show people who have this issue is:
Romans 6:23
For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift [you
must focus on that free gift] of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
It is simple yet profound. I just ask them, “What is the gift of God?”
“What type of life?” “Eternal?” How long
is eternity? “Forever?” Then I show them:
Romans 11:29
For the
gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
When God gives a gift, he doesn’t
change his mind; he doesn’t take it back.
There are many verses to support that truth like…
Romans 5:1
Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Timothy 2:13
If we
believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
That eternal life, that salvation,
is a gift of God!
Colossians 2:13
And
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he
quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
But they have to be willing to
listen to our Apostle Paul thoroughly.
And speaking of that in regard to our verse Romans 8:16…
Romans
8:16
The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children
of God:
…you are right to say that she is
waiting for something that will not happen.
She will not hear or feel something that will prove that the Holy Spirit
is testifying to her spirit.
It says that the Spirit (capital S)
‘beareth witness with our spirit’
(not with our flesh), but it is not something that we will hear audibly, nor
feel. It is a spiritual thing.
1 Corinthians 2:9-11
But as
it is written, Eye hath not seen [you
can’t see it], nor ear heard [you can’t hear it], neither have entered into the heart of man [it
isn’t something that even the soul of a man would grasp from a human viewpoint], the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him. But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea,
the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things
of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God operates within
our spirit and it is a spiritual thing.
In other words, you won’t feel or hear it. But what is Paul talking about in Romans
8:16? Look at Romans 8:14 and 15. These verses work together and it is very
simple.
Romans 8:14-15
For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God [he is
talking about walking in the Spirit and not after the flesh]. For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Now in the context notice what Paul
is saying. In Chapter 7 he was speaking
to Jews in the body of Christ in Rome who know the Law.
Romans 7:1
Know ye
not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath
dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
The Law is what Paul calls the flesh.
Galatians 4:24
Which
things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount
Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
The law was bondage and
condemnation.
Romans 6:14
For sin
shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
But that is not the Spirit that God
has put us as grace believers under.
Romans 8:15
For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;…
That was the Law (the operating
principle that Jews were under in Time Past) that performance-based, fear-based,
acceptance system.
…but [contrast] ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
What is that? We are no longer children under tutors and
governors. Paul uses the title Abba,
Father which has to do with our sonship status before Almighty God. It is mentioned three times in the Bible:
Mark 14:36
And he
said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this
cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
This is Christ during his passion
in the garden. It is laboring with the Father; that close,
intimate relationship with “Daddy.” It
is more than just a relationship with him; it is also laboring with Him. The Lord Jesus says in this verse that he is
going to labor with the Father in Israel by going to the cross. We have that same privilege.
Galatians 4:1-7
1Now I say [talking about the
human economy], That the heir [see Romans 8:17], as long as he is a child [a minor], differeth nothing from a servant,
though he be lord of all;
A man would have a son, but as long
as his son was a minor he was no different than the servant although he was
lord of all. He was his father’s son; he
was going to gain the inheritance. The
status of being a child represents being under the Law.
2But
is under tutors and governors…
He is the father’s son, but he is
still under tutors and governors that have to teach him and tell him what to do
and not to do – that represents the Law.
…until the time appointed of the
father.
He is not going to be under tutors and governors (types of the Law) forever. The father will appoint a time when he will
become an adopted son.
3Even so we, when we were children
[Paul is dealing with Jews who understood this issue of the Law], were in bondage under the elements
of the world:
Notice that in time past these Jews
were under the bondage of the Law—the same thing that Paul says in Romans
8:15. These two passages go
together. Tutors and governors were to
put fear in the child. They were to put
them in bondage.
4But
when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law,…
Notice that when Christ came, the
purpose was to redeem them that were under the Law. We (Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ)
gain the benefits of the cross work of Christ.
…[why?] that
we might receive the adoption of sons.
We are full-grown sons; we are no
longer children.
6And
because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Paul is dealing with the issue that
we are no longer under the Law, but now we are under Grace. Now let’s go back to Romans 15.
Romans 8:15-16
For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God:
That is what Paul was just saying
in Galatians 4. How does the Spirit bear
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God? It is through the Word of God. It is through the word of God! “Hearing” is not an audible voice; it is
hearing the word of God’s grace.
Romans 10:17
So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
That is how the Spirit beareth
witness – through the Word of God. ‘eth’
on the end of a word means ‘continual.’
The Spirit continually bears
witness that we are the children of God.
How do we know that? By reading (receiving/believing)
Paul’s epistles. We just read that in
Galatians 4. God’s Spirit wrote that
information through the Apostle Paul.
Galatians 4:4-7
But
when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And
because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore
thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God
through Christ.
How does the Spirit bear witness to
that? Through the words that were
written.
1 Corinthians 2:9-13
9But
as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Left on our own, humanity cannot
know these things. Why? Because of sin. The unregenerated human hearts of lost men,
and even saved men who are in the flesh and do not know the Word of God, do not
know these things. Watch what Paul says:
10But
God hath revealed [past tense] them
unto us by his Spirit:…
This is the same thing as ‘the
Spirit bearth witness with our spirit.’
…for [further explanation and amplification] the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
What are the deep things of God?
11For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?...
The reason I can communicate with
you from another state is because you can listen to the words that I say - words
are spiritual. Remember what the Lord
Jesus said:
John 6:63
It is
the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
The word of God is a spiritual
thing.
…even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
No man can know the things of God,
but the Spirit of God does and He communicates them to us.
12Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world [Romans 8, Galatians 4], but the
Spirit which is of God;…
He gives us His Spirit and the Word
that the Spirit wrote. That is how He
beareth witness. Why did God give us His
Spirit?
… that
we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
That includes eternal life and all
the things that come along with the Mystery, the Grace of God. How do we know ‘beareth witness’ is words?
13Which
things also we speak,…
Your friend is right. She should be hearing something. If her feelings follow the words of grace
that she hears, praise the Lord! But
feelings aren’t the issue here. ‘Feeling
something’ needs to go; but hearing (not an audible voice out of nowhere) preaching
of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery is the issue.
…not
in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth; [how does the Holy Ghost
teach?] comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Again, if these are things that are
spoken, what would the Apostle Paul want to be spoken?
Romans 16:25-26
Now to him [God] that is of power to stablish you [God is going to stablish you from the inside
out; He is going to build you up.] according to my gospel [how that Christ died, was buried and rose again
– Paul’s Gospel], and the preaching
of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which
was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the
scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
So she has to hear a constant
preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery – the
things of God’s grace; the doctrine of Paul.
As she needs to take in that doctrine and allow God to build that up in
her through the preaching of Grace preachers.
Preaching is an important part of our job as Grace preachers, but also
as Paul says:
1 Timothy 4:16
Take
heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this
thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Those who listen to good,
expository Grace preaching (the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the
revelation of the mystery; what God says through Paul in Romans through
Philemon and the rest of the Bible when rightly divided) will be built up. That is
how the Spirit beareth witness.
The way the Spirit beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God is by what He has written down
through Paul. And He tells us the
blessings that come with being the children of God through Paul’s epistles.
Acts 20:32
And
now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace,…
This is what we speak – the word of
His grace.
…which is able to build you up,…
This is the establishing.
…and to
give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
That comes after salvation and is
based upon your work. God’s will is that
all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Sanctification also comes from a constant
intake of sound, Pauline doctrine. We
talk about the word of his grace, the mystery of Christ…
Ephesians 3:8
Unto me [Paul], who am less than the least of all
saints, is this grace given, that I should preach [Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery] among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
…the Spirit of God whom we have
living in us as believers the moment we trust Christ…
Romans 5:5
…the
Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
…beareth witness with our spirit through
words…
John 6:63
It is
the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
…the words that the Holy Spirit wrote
through Paul in Romans through Philemon.
It is the word of God.
Hopefully this
helps!
†††
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Do you have a question
for Pastor Ron?
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