Alexander McClaren- The sin of the world is a false confidence, a careless, complacent taking for granted that a man is a Christian when he is not. (Conversely), the fault, and sorrow, and weakness of the church is a false diffidence (lack of confidence), an anxious fear whether a man be a Christian when he is…there may sometimes be, and there often is, the combination of a real confidence and a false diffidence, the presence of (true) faith, and the doubt whether it be present.
Many Christians go through life with this as the prevailing temper of their minds- a doubt sometimes arising almost to agony, and sometimes dying down into a passive, patient acceptance of the condition as inevitable- a doubt whether (they are) “deceiving themselves”; and in the perverse ingenuity with which that state of mind is constantly marked, they manage to distil for themselves a bitter vinegar of self-accusation out of grand words in the Bible, that were meant to afford them but the wine of gladness and of consolation.
I. Child Of God Is Led By Holy Spirit V. 14
A. Led In The Way Of Truth- Read John 16:13-15
1. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to guide the Christian into truth
2. Theological truth, practical truth, situational truth, ethical truth, etc.
3. This is done through the teachings of Bible, and through personal impressions from the Spirit, those two things never contradicting.
4. The child of God is one who has a genuine concern for truth from God, and who is led in the truths of God by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Evidence of sonship.
B. Led In The Glorifying Of Jesus
1. The child of God is not only led by the Holy Spirit, but is hopeful that the result of their life will bring glory to Jesus.
2. There is a conscious awareness that they do right not only for the sake of doing right, but that their right living will also, by God’s grace, bring glory to Jesus.
3. Titus 2:10b …that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
4. The unconverted man may have a desire to do right for moral purposes, but the thought of doing right for the glory of God never honestly enters his mind.
5. The evidence of Sonship isn’t that the Christian always think about glorifying God, it’s that he ever thinks about glorifying God. Evidence of sonship.
II. Child Of God has The Spirit Of Adoption Vs. 15, 16
A. Not A Spirit Of Bondage & Fear- Read John 8:30-36
1. A slave had no assurance of permanent residency. Considered property, not family.
2. A slave could be sold any time. Slaves never called out “Abba, Father”.
3. Residency was based on performance. No security of mind or heart.
4. The Child of God is adopted into the family, and shouldn’t fear.
5. If you are a Christian, then you are a son, and not a slave. Don’t think like a slave.
6. Adoption- Romans 8:15, 23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5.
B. Internal Witness Of Sonship
1. V. 15- Abba- term of endearment. Used three times in New Testament.
a. It is a term expressing warm affection and filial confidence.
b. It has no perfect equivalent in English. The word “daddy” falls short in meaning.
c. The word conveys a close intimacy that is reserved for parents and children.
d. Mark 14:36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
2. The point is this: When a person cries out to God as Abba, it is a confirming truth that that person is indeed a child of God.
a. An unbeliever may cry out to God, but may view God only as some distant deity that may or may not care about the needs of His creation.
b. The Christian cries out to God with the expectation of a child to a father, with the assurance of love and connection, with a confidence that God is there.
c. Though the Christian may at times falter in his degree of confidence, he has a confidence that the unbeliever never has.
d. Sonship is not proven by having confidence 100% of the time, but by ever having confidence.
e. A human son may not always cry out to his own father, but he knows that he can, and he will never cry out to anyone else as father. There is only one Abba.
f. The Christian with the diffident (self-disqualifying) personality may convince himself that he is not a Christian, because at times, he has doubts.
g. Instead, we ought to recognize the moments of confidence, when we have cried out, “Abba, Father”, as being a Biblical truth that we are children of God.
h. The evidence of sonship is not some ecstatic experience, but that of crying out.
i. McClaren- “…a deeper voice than yours, a ‘still small voice’- no whirlwind, no fire, no earthquake- but the voice of God speaking in secret, taking the voice and tones of your own heart and your own consciousness and saying to you, ‘Thou art my child’”.
3. What does this experience say to us of God as Abba, Father?
a. How does a child come to the place of crying out “daddy” to his human father?
b. It was first the investment of the father’s love to the child, rather than the child’s commitment to the father.
c. The cry of “daddy” is simply an appropriate response to the father, who loved first, who displayed love first, who showed interest first, who suffered first, etc.
d. The cry “Abba” says more about God’s commitment to us than about us to him.
e. NOTE- Paul says that we first have the inclination to “cry” Abba, Father. The logical conclusion is that we are children. The chronology is important.
f. The Spirit doesn’t first tell you that you are a child, so then “you better cry out Abba”. By God’s Spirit you become a child of God, experience the fatherhood of God, and then cry out as a child of God. The chronology is important & logical.
4. V. 16- The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit-
a. It doesn’t say that the Spirit bears witness to our Spirit, but rather, with our spirit
b. It doesn’t say that the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit, telling it what to say.
c. It does say that the Holy Spirits speaks with our spirit, both voices agreeing together about our condition as children of God.
5. The frailty of our spirit– God the Spirit chooses to condescend and indwell frail man
a. Our spirit is understood by our mind as we interpret the experiences of life
b. We seek to discern the presence of God’s Spirit, to see the evidence of His presence within in, to conform to our heart our Sonship.
c. Yet our ability to discern is weakened by our human frame, our health, our imperfect minds, our ever changing emotions.
d. Embrace the evidences that you have, as believe them evidence of your Sonship.