“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to 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 8:12-17
It is only by His Spirit that we can cry out to God, “Abba! Father!” In Christ’s time, no Jewish person would have referred to God as “Abba.” It would have been considered too informal—too disrespectful. Yet, Jesus constantly addressed His Father this way, and He certainly had the right to do so as the literal Son of the Father.
The absolutely astonishing thing about Romans 8 is that we also have the right to call out to God in this way because of the Holy Spirit in us. We are the adopted sons and daughters of God with the same privileges as Jesus. Only those who are being led by the Spirit—putting to death the things of their flesh—can come humbly and simply to the Father.
This is an incredible privilege that also comes with suffering. This suffering is the result of having turned against this present world’s ruler—Satan—and having chosen to be led by the Spirit of Jesus. This suffering is why we need to be able to cry out to our Father. If we are led by the Spirit, we will suffer for it. But we also have a Heavenly Father who has adopted us, loves us, and will never leave us nor forsake us. So let us cry out to Him, “Abba! Father!”
Father, thank You for adopting us and giving us the ability to cry out to You at any time. Amen.
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