Romans 9–11: The Place of Israel in Salvation History (Part 1): Paul’s Emotional Dilemma

After the first eight chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans, a new section begins covering chaps. 9–11. These chapters bring “to climactic vindication the thesis stated in 1:16, 17 and correlative doctrines unfolded later in chapters 1 to 8. If this section of the epistle were absent, there would be a hiatus leaving us with unanswered questions and corresponding perplexity …. we may be profoundly grateful that the supreme author of Scripture inspired the apostle to deal with questions so germane to the grand theme of this epistle and urgently pressing upon the minds of intelligent readers” (J. Murray, Romans 2:xii).

The preceding discourse ends with the positive affirmation that nothing external “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” But what about the people of Israel, loved by God for centuries but now facing divine judgment because of their rejection of Christ? Is God still faithful to his promises? Paul is not writing to or for unbelieving Jews. This is a Christian concern “for those who believe that salvation has been made available to Jews and Gentiles alike on the basis of faith and those who are faced with Israel’s rejection of the gospel…. it is an internal Christian discussion. As an internal discussion, it is to a certain degree designed to inculcate a way of thinking about the issues involved.”¹

Israel’s Rejection Despite Privileges

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Rom. 9:1-5, ESV).

Paul reinforces his genuineness and integrity with a positive affirmation of speaking “truth” (emphatically the first word of the sentence) and negative assurance of “not lying.” He goes out of his way to affirm the truthfulness of his words and elude suspicion of dishonesty or insincerity (cf. 1:9).² His trustworthiness is based on the testimony of a sincere “conscience,” governed “in Christ” and “in the Holy Spirit” as indivisible links to the heavenly throne (cf. 8:1-39). Seeing that Roman law required only two witnesses to prove a case³ and Jewish law two or three,⁴ the veracity of Paul’s words is here firmly established.⁵

The prologue’s excessive appeal is probably due to Paul’s reputation as an apostle to the Gentiles (1:1-5, 13; 11:13; 15:16-18),⁶ prompting misguided rumors (cf. 3:8) that he is anti-Jewish and has forsaken his ethnic heritage. He needs to preempt the false impression that his mission among Gentiles indicates a lack of concern for the salvation of his own countrymen. Nor would he want anyone to think he shares the untoward sentiments of prejudicial Gentiles against the Jewish people (cf. 11:13-24). He is expressing the profound intensity of his love, concern, and mental and emotional struggle (“in my heart”): “it is” (presently and constantly) with “great sorrow and unceasing anguish.” 

Love for Israel

“I could wish” prefaces a hypothetical and hyperbolic affirmation. To be “accursed and cut off from Christ” is not an impossibility (cf. 11:17-22; Gal. 1:8-9; 5:4), but such a grim state of affairs requires abandoning the Lord,⁷ hardly a viable option for someone as committed to the Lord as Paul (cf. 1:14-16; 15:15-19). Moreover, sacrificing one’s soul in exchange for the unconditional saving of others is just not possible (cf. 2:6; 14:12). The statement is intended to be shocking and impactful. Paul’s “heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved” (10:1), although he realizes not all will be (9:27). 

As a born-and-bred native Jew, Paul has not totally abandoned his cultural heritage (cf. 11:1)⁸ and is genuinely concerned for his ethnic “brothers … kinsmen according to the flesh.” In fact, his outreach efforts have never been restricted to Gentiles only but significant attempts have been made throughout his ministry to reach unbelieving Jews and proselytes (cf. 1:16; 2:10; 3:29; 9:24; 10:12).⁹ The current spiritual predicament of those engrossed in nationalistic Judaism is certainly not God’s fault, who has blessed the Israelites with many advantages, privileges, and opportunities. 

Israel’s Advantages

Paul had started a list of blessings at 3:2, “To begin with [πρῶτον], the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.” After a lengthy and necessary digression, the list continues here. Up to this point the ethnopolitical moniker “Jews” has been implemented (1:16; 2:9, 10, 17, 28; 3:1, 9, 29), but here Paul switches to the more theological term “Israelites” (9:4, 6, 31; 11:1), a special designation carrying a sense of dignity and pride.¹⁰ The name “Israel” (meaning “Prince of God”) was first given to Jacob (Gen. 32:28; 35:10), then later used to designate Jacob’s descendants (Josh. 3:17; Isa. 48:1). When the nation divided, the northern kingdom was called Israel in contrast to the southern kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 15:9), but after the Babylonian exile, the unified nation again carried the name Israel (Ezra 6:16). 

As somewhat of a type-antitype comparison of both “adoption” and “glory” (cf. 8:15-18), God has had a long-lasting father-son relationship with the people of Israel,¹¹ a prelude to the “spirit of adoption as sons” granted to followers of Christ. While defining the term “glory” [δόξα] is like “trying to pick up mercury between one’s fingers,”¹² in relation to the Israelites it would be applicable to their connection with God at Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, above the mercy seat, and in the temple,¹³  foreshadowing “the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Reference to “the covenants” (plural)¹⁴ would presumably include the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants,¹⁵ while “the giving of the law” or “the lawgiving” [ἡ νομοθεσία] most certainly refers to the Law of Moses and having been “entrusted with the oracles of God” (3:2). 

Next is “the worship” [ἡ λατρεία], which is probably better rendered “the service” (LSV, WEB, YLT), with alternative translations including “the service [of God]” (N/KJV), “the [temple] service” (NASB), and “the temple worship” (NIV). The noun λατρεία can be used in the sense of “service or worship” (BAGD 467), although the emphasis is mostly on the service that facilitates worship (cf. John 16:2; Heb. 12:28). The verb form λατρεύω means to “serve,” especially the carrying out of religious duties. This is not the same concept as what is communicated by the verb προσκυνέω, which means to “worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to …” (BAGD 716). Paul is not discussing or describing προσκυνέω (“worship”) here, a term that does not appear anywhere in Romans.¹⁶ To the Jews (with their Levitical priesthood) were committed the worship rituals of the tabernacle/ temple sanctuary (cf. Heb. 9:1-8), now embodied in the lives of Christians in everyday service (12:1).¹⁷

Israel’s Greatest Privilege

The “promises” that started with Abraham (4:13-21) have also included further messianic assurances (15:8).¹⁸ Hence, “the patriarchs” or “the fathers” [οἱ πατέρες] (cf. 11:28) references at least Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (4:1, 19; 9:7-13) but also many others in the lineage of “the Christ” through David (1:3; 4:6), “from their race [ἐξ ὧν – ‘from whom’], according to the flesh” or biological descent (cf. v. 3; 1:3; 4:1).¹⁹ The title “Christ” [Χριστός], derived from the verb χρίω (“anoint”), means “anointed one,” equivalent to the Hebrew mašíaḥ (“messiah”), appearing sixty-six times in Romans, half of which as a lone moniker.²⁰

The brief doxology with which v. 5 ends is an exegetical challenge that will be addressed in the next post.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ J. W. Aageson, “Scripture and Structure” 288-89.

     ² Note also 2 Cor. 1:18, 23; 11:10, 31; Gal. 1:20; Phil. 1:8; 1 Thess. 2:5, 10; 1 Tim. 2:7. 

     ³ “Where the number of witnesses is not specified by law, two are sufficient” (Code, 4.20.8; Digest, 22.5.1, 12).

     ⁴ Deut. 17:6; 19:15; John 8:17; Heb. 10:28. 

     ⁵ Cf. Matt. 18:16, 20; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19.

     ⁶ See also Acts 9:15; 22:21; 26:17; Gal. 1:15-16; 2:7-9; Eph. 3:1-8; 2 Tim. 4:17.

     ⁷ See K. L. Moore, “Perseverance of the Saints,” Moore Perspective (22 July 2015), <Web>.

     ⁸ Acts 16:1-3; 18:18; 21:20-26; 22:2-3; 24:18; 26:4-5; 1 Cor. 9:19-20; 2 Cor. 11:22; Phil. 3:4-5.

     ⁹ See also Acts 9:20; 13:14-42; 14:1; 16:1, 13; 17:2-4, 10, 17; 18:2-5; 19:8; 21:21, 40; 20:21; 28:17-31; 1 Cor. 9:19-20.

     ¹⁰ John 1:47; Acts 2:22; 3:12; 5:35; 13:16; 21:28; 2 Cor. 11:22. 

     ¹¹ Ex. 4:22-23; Deut. 14:1; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Hos. 11:1; Mal. 1:6; 2:10. 

     ¹² G. D. Fee, First Corinthians 515-16.

     ¹³ Ex. 24:16-17; 40:34-38; Lev. 16:2; 1 Kings 8:10, 11; 2 Chron. 7:1-2. 

     ¹⁴ The singular “covenant” is a variant reading with strong documentary support, but “there is no good reason why the singular, if original, should have been altered to the plural” (B. M. Metzger, Textual Commentary [2nd ed.] 459). 

     ¹⁵ Gen. 15:18; 17:2-13, 21; Ex. 2:24; 19:5; 24:7-8; 34:27; Deut. 5:2; 2 Sam. 23:2-5; 2 Kings 13:23; 2 Chron. 21:7; Psa. 89:3-4, 20-36; Luke 1:72-73; Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:16-19; Eph. 2:12.

     ¹⁶ The only biblical record of Paul’s use of the word προσκυνέω (“worship”) is Acts 24:11 and 1 Cor. 14:25.

     ¹⁷ The priesthood has changed (Heb. 7:12). Under the authority of Jesus as “high priest” (Heb. 4:14; 7:23-28), who grants free access to God without any other human mediation (Mark 15:38; Heb. 4:16; 9:12; 10:19-22; cf. 1 Tim. 2:5-6), we are a “holy” (in service to God) and “royal” (in service to the world) “priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:1-10; cf. Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10).

     ¹⁸ Gen. 12:1-3; Acts 2:39; 13:32; 2 Cor. 1:20; Gal. 3:16; Heb. 7:6; 11:13, 33.

     ¹⁹ Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38. See K. L. Moore, “The Lineage of Jesus According to Matthew,” Moore Perspective (3 Feb. 2013), <Link>.

     ²⁰ Note, for example, the “body of Christ” (7:4), the “spirit of Christ” (8:9), the “love of Christ” (8:35), the “word of Christ” (10:17), the “gospel of Christ” (15:19), the “churches of Christ” (16:16).

Related Posts: Secure Life of the Redeemed (Rom 8:28-39), Exegetical challenge of Rom 9:5b, Rom 9:6-18

 

The Spirit Helps in Our Weakness (Romans 8:26-27)

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27, ESV). 

Divine-Human Collaboration

“Likewise” or “in the same manner”—pertaining to “what we do not see” and our “hope” that sustains us with patient endurance in cooperation with God (vv. 24-25)—“the Spirit” (as per vv. 9a, 11, 14, 16) “helps with”¹ “our weakness.” This is yet another divine-human cooperative effort (cf. v. 16),² wherein the Spirit is not doing the praying for us, nor are we praying without the Spirit’s intercession.³

Intercession in Prayer

In contrast to what “we know” (vv. 22, 28), when “we do not know what to pray for as we ought,” whether struggling to identify our deepest needs or to find the right words to express them, or to apprehend the will of God in particular areas of our lives and the lives of others, divine help is available. While we may preface our feeble requests with the qualifier, “your will be done” (cf. 1:10; 15:32),⁴ double-intercession is at work as the Spirit intercedes from within praying hearts and as Christ intercedes at the heavenly throne (v. 34).⁵ This occurs in conjunction with God’s providential care (v. 28). 

The “groanings too deep for words” are different from the “groanings” of creation and of God’s suffering children (vv. 22-23).⁶ The adj. ἀλάλητος, “unexpressed, wordless” (BAGD 34), does not convey the sense of “unintelligible” as much as “unspoken.” “While far from being devoid of content, meaning, and intent, they nevertheless transcend articulated formulation.”⁷ Assurance, then, is given “which the unready of speech may well lay to heart, that all prayer need not be formulated but that the most inarticulate desires (springing from a right motive) may have a shape and a value given to them beyond anything that is present and definable to the consciousness.”⁸

The Divine Will

God “searches hearts”⁹ and “knows what is the mind [φρόνημα] of the Spirit [πνεῦμα],” or perhaps “the mind of the [human] spirit,” synonymous with the human “heart” [καρδία] (cf. vv. 5-8).¹⁰ If “the Spirit” is intended, we are reminded of the perfect unity within the Godhead, inclusive of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (cf. vv. 8-10, 14-17, 32-34; also 1 Cor. 2:10-11, 16). Rather than an explanatory “because,” the conjunction ὅτι here seems more descriptive, “that” the Spirit “intercedes for the saints according to [the will of] God” in that the Spirit’s intercession is in fact God’s will (v. 26), and God always answers prayers in accordance with what he wills (v. 28), and he wills to hear and answer the prayers of those sanctified (1:7; 15:30-32), and the intercession of the Spirit is for those who live and pray in accordance with God’s revealed will (1:10; 12:2). Precision of meaning is not necessary here when all of the above are biblically affirmed.¹¹ 

The “inability to petition God specifically and assuredly is met by God’s Spirit, who himself expresses to God those intercessory petitions that perfectly match the will of God…. our failure to understand God’s purposes and plans, to see ‘the beginning from the end,’ does not mean that effective, powerful prayer for our specific needs is absent.”¹² See 1:10; 10:1; 12:12; 15:30; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 4:6-7; Jas. 4:13-18; and compare Psa. 88:1-2, 13.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The compound συναντιλαμβάνομαι (also occurring in Luke 10:40) is comprised of two prepositions, σύν ("together with") + ἀντί ("over against" or "corresponding to") and the verbal λαμβάνω ("take hold of").

     ² Note also “with” Christ (vv. 17, 32), and the providential working of God (v. 28).

     ³ Paul uses two different words that essentially convey the same meaning: ὑπερεντυγχάνω, to “plead” or “intercede” (v. 26), and ἐντυγχάνω, to “appeal,” “entreat,” “petition” (vv. 27, 34; 11:2). See BAGD 270, 840. 

     ⁴ Cf. Matt. 6:10; 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; John 12:27; Acts 18:21; 21:14; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7; Heb. 6:3; Jas. 4:15; 1 John 5:14.  

     ⁵ See also Heb. 4:14-16; 7:24; 9:24; 1 John 2:1.

     ⁶ Against the popular glossolalia interpretation, see D. J. Moo, Romans 524-25; E. F. Harrison, “Romans” 96. Whatever biblical tongue-speaking entails, it was not intended for every Christian (1 Cor. 12:7-11, 28-30), whereas the Spirit’s intercession in prayer is. 

     ⁷ J. Murray, Romans 1:312. “Even though we’re unable to verbalize our deepest desires, God knows them …” (R. Mohrlang, Romans 139). 

     ⁸ W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 213-14.

     ⁹ 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Psa. 7:9; 17:3; 139:1, 23; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; Acts 1:24; 15:8; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 2:23.

     ¹⁰ The term “heart” [καρδία] represents a person’s physical, mental, and spiritual core, involving the cognitive (10:6, 8-10), emotional (9:2), and impetus of action (6:17). 

     ¹¹ Matt. 6:9-10; 7:20-21; 12:50; Eph. 3:20; 5:10, 17; 6:6; 1 Thess. 4:3; Heb. 6:3; 10:7, 9, 36; Jas. 4:15; 1 Pet. 1:12; 3:17; 1 John 2:17; 5:11-15.

     ¹² D. J. Moo, Romans 526. 

Related Posts: Rom 8:28-39

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The Creation Waits and Groans With Us (Romans 8:19-25)

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:19-23, ESV). 

Human language has its limitations, especially when attempting to describe divine activities and extraordinary end-time events. Even though the working of God is real, it “cannot be described literally since the direct activity of God cannot be fully comprehended in human language. The biblical writers have therefore to resort to analogy and metaphor, the language of symbol, in order to convey their message.”¹ Similar to apocalyptic language employed in the Thessalonian letters, here Paul shifts into personification along the lines of Hebrew poetry (cf. Psa. 89:11-12; 96:11-12; 98:7-8; 114:3-8; Isa. 35:1-2; 55:12-13). 

Anticipating the Future

The “revealing of the sons of God” is “an eschatological revelation” (cf. 2:5; 16:25),² involving “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (cf. v. 18; 2:7, 10; 5:2). “Scripture does not tell us much of what that glory will be, but it assures us that it will be.”³ In the meantime, the human experience in a fallen world includes “the sufferings of this present time” (vv. 17-18; cf. 5:3) to which God’s people are not immune. The scientific mind of the literalist, no doubt perplexed by the language used here, sees the degenerating world and woeful plight of mankind as a natural state of affairs. But the spiritual mind (vv. 5-6), with poetic personification, envisions “the creation” empathizing with the Lord’s suffering people. It “waits,” a verb describing an intense yearning for Christ’s return,⁴ with “eager longing.” 

Unidentified and presumably already understood, “the [one] having subjected” or “him who subjected” evidently is God.⁵ The physical habitat he originally designed for an unflawed humanity could no longer be perfect when his human creation was corrupted by sin. It was therefore “subjected to futility … bondage to corruption … pains of childbirth” in the form of death, decay, hardship, and danger,⁶ though “not willingly.” Seeing that the material cosmos is not volitive, this is a subtle reminder of the widespread and devastating consequences of man’s willful choices that brought sin and death into the world (cf. 5:12-19). But God has worked through this lamentable situation “in hope,” with a personified creation joining God’s children in “groaning,” with eager anticipation of a future liberation from pain and suffering. When Christ returns, the volatility, turmoil, and decline of the physical world ends (2 Pet. 3:10-14), and “the sufferings of this present time” are exchanged for the incomparable “glory that is to be revealed to us.”⁷

God’s children are set apart from the rest of creation with “the firstfruits of the Spirit” or “spirit” (cf. 11:16; 16:5). The imagery is drawn from “the first portion of the harvest, regarded both as a first instalment and as a pledge of the final delivery of the whole. The Holy Spirit is thus regarded as an anticipation of final salvation, and a pledge that we who have the Spirit shall in the end be saved.”⁸ Cf. 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14.

Having already “received the spirit of adoption as sons” (v. 15), and having been justified through the redemption in Christ (3:24), we still look forward to the ultimate “adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” A close parallel to this passage, without the poetic language, is Philippians 3:20-21, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”⁹ Other helpful commentaries are 1 Cor. 15:36-54 and 2 Cor. 4:14–5:5. Accordingly, this section of Romans appears to be an expansion of what Paul had already communicated to the Corinth church.

Saved in Hope

“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8:24-25).

“For” continues and expounds upon the fact that in this fallen world, “as we wait eagerly” for our glorious future, there is a connection between suffering and “hope” (cf. 5:2-5), namely “this hope” in which “we were saved” (in the past). Although in Romans Paul mostly speaks of salvation in terms of the future (5:9-10; 9:27; 10:9, 13; 11:14, 26), here we see that from the moment of our conversion “hope” carries us onward, all the way through to the end. By its very definition the object of hope has yet to be realized, so “we wait,” lit. “we hope” (presently and continuously) for it with “patience” or “perseverance” (NASB, NKJV) or “endurance” (NAB, NET) (cf. 2:7; 5:3-4; 15:4-5). If the focus is on God’s promise, we wait patiently; if on current sufferings, we hope with perseverance, although contextually both are applicable in the sense of patient endurance.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ I. H. Marshall, Thessalonians 128.

     ² C. K. Barrett, Romans 165. Cf. also 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Thess. 1:7.

     ³ E. F. Harrison, “Romans” 94, emphasis in the text. 

     ⁴ H. A. A. Kennedy, Expositor’s Greek Testament 3:463. See Rom. 8:19, 23, 25; 1 Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 3:20.

     ⁵ Cf. HCSB, LSV, NASB, NET, NLT, NKJV, YLT. 

     ⁶ Cf. Gen. 3:16-19; 5:29; Eccl. 2:22-23.

     ⁷ Instead of a renovated physical earth, which will have served its purpose at the end of time, the eternal home of God’s children is heavenly: Matt. 5:12, 16, 34; 6:19-21; Phil. 3:20; Col. 1:5; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:16-17; Heb. 6:18-19; 10:19-20, 34; 12:23; 1 Pet. 1:3-4; cf. also 1 Cor. 15:23-24, 35-54; 2 Cor. 4:14; 5:1-2.

     ⁸ C. K. Barrett, Romans 167. See also C. E. B. Cranfield, Shorter Romans 199; J. D. G. Dunn, Romans 1:473-74; Theology of Paul the Apostle 329 n.68, 469.

     ⁹ See also 1 Cor. 16:22b; 1 Thess. 5:6. “The more Christians are caught up in enjoying the good things of this life, and the more they neglect genuine Christian fellowship and their personal relationship with Christ, the less they will long for his return …. To some extent, then, the degree to which we actually long for Christ’s return is a measure of the spiritual condition of our own lives at the moment” (W. A. Grudem, Systematic Theology 1092-93).

Related Posts: Preterism (Part 4), Adopted into God's Family (Rom 8:12-18), The Spirit Helps in Our Weaknesses (Rom 8:26-27)

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Adopted into God’s Family (Romans 8:12-18)

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:12-18, ESV).

Led by the Spirit

As Paul is a “debtor” or “under obligation” to preach the gospel (1:14-15), “we are debtors,” in view of all the Lord has done, to live a certain way, not “according to the flesh” that produces death but “in spirit” [πνεύματι] that procures life (cf. 5:15–8:13). The latter involves persistently (present tense) being “led” [ἄγονται] “by the Spirit of God” [πνεύματι θεοῦ]. Gal. 5:16-18 is a close parallel, where the question is whether the “Spirit” is doing the leading or the “spirit” is being led. Here, however, is the more explicit reference to “the Spirit of God.” Considering the internal battle described in chap. 7, the appetites of the flesh do not miraculously disappear, and being “led by the Spirit of God” is not a mere passive experience but requires actively walking according to the S/spirit [πνεῦμα] with intentionality and resolve (vv. 4-10; cf. 2:6-13; 6:4-22; 7:6, 25; 13:13). We are therefore led by the Spirit of God as we are willfully compliant and faithfully following the Spirit-inspired teachings of God (1:16-17; 6:16-18).

Sons of God

All this is necessary to be considered “sons of God” (cf. v. 19). Even though Paul was fully capable of speaking generically with reference to “children [τέκνα] of God” (vv. 16, 17, 21; 9:8), or even more specifically “sons and daughters” (2 Cor. 6:18), his employment of the masculine “sons” [υἱοί] must be deliberate, relevant to the inheritance metaphor (vv. 15-17).¹ In the patriarchal Mediterranean world of antiquity, daughters were generally regarded as inferior to sons and denied basic rights and privileges, particularly the family inheritance. Only a son could be heir.² Yet this firmly entrenched societal norm is challenged in Christ. With gender differences and gender roles understood, both males and females can now be “sons of God,” not in a biological-gender sense but in attaining equal access to divine privileges and the promised inheritance. All who might be marginalized or repressed by the world’s standards are welcomed into God’s family where no one is considered inferior to anyone else (cf. 12:4-5).³ 

Spirit of Adoption

Having been set free from our former master of sin (5:17–8:2), the “spirit [πνεῦμα] of slavery,” characterized by “fear,” has been replaced by the “spirit” [πνεῦμα] “of adoption as sons.” The imagery of “adoption” is used in the NT only by the apostle Paul.⁴ The literal practice of adoption was fairly common throughout the Greco-Roman world, though not among the Jews, involving “the common ancient practice of important patrons adopting people – even adult colleagues – and giving them full inheritance …”⁵ This is especially relevant to our relationship with God’s Son (vv. 3-4), enabling us to transition from lowly “slaves” to “sons” and “fellow heirs with” him (cf. Gal. 4:1-7).

The “spirit of adoption as sons” is the impetus from which “we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Comparable to “the spirit of Christ” and “Christ in you” (vv. 9-10), in Gal. 4:6 we read of “the spirit of [God’s] Son” within “our hearts” from which the prayerful cry emanates. While the “cry” [κράζω] might be understood in the sense of a “scream” or “shriek,” and elsewhere in the NT it signifies a loud or earnest cry (9:27; cf. Matt. 9:27; Acts 14:14), it is commonly employed in the LXX of prayer addressed to God, and when used in this sense, it is “a cry of some intensity” and “rather fervent than loud.”⁶ The spirit of sonship is not merely an occasion of surging emotions, or charismatic empowering, or inspired utterance, or ecstatic experience, but is patterned on Christ and conforms to his sonship.⁷

This is not “the passionate, violent operation of the Spirit”⁸ or some other independent force that calls out to God on our behalf. If the “spirit of slavery” is “such a spirit as is possessed by a slave, not by the son of the house” (BAGD 833), it follows that the “spirit of adoption as sons” is such a spirit as is possessed by the son of the house. Making an address to “Abba! Father!” is the prayer language of God’s Son (Mark 14:36), unique to Jesus in all extant Jewish literature. He regularly referred to God as “my Father,”⁹ and he taught his disciples to address God as “Father” (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2). 

The term “Abba” is a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic word for “Father,” which is also the meaning of the Greek πατήρ. It was used in Aramaic-speaking homes, both by younger and older children, as an affectionate address.¹⁰ However, it “was not a childish expression comparable with ‘Daddy’: it was more a solemn, responsible, adult address to a Father.”¹¹ An intimate relationship with the heavenly Father is implied by “the meaning of the term and the fact that such a cry comes from the heart ... Here is the ultimate evidence that we are God’s children, in that we address God with the same term of intimate relationship that Jesus himself used. We are not slaves, but children.”¹²

The Spirit’s Testimony

“The Spirit” [τὸ πνεῦμα] “himself” [αὐτό - emphatic!]¹³ “bears witness with” [συνμαρτυρεῖ] “our spirit” [πνεύματι ἡμῶν] “that we are children of God.” Here a clear distinction is made between “our spirit” and “the Spirit” [of God] dwelling within us (cf. vv. 9a, 11),¹⁴ albeit not disconnected from the “spirit of Christ” (vv. 9b-10a). God’s indwelling Spirit does not bear witness to our spirit but “with” [συν-], in the compound verb meaning “to testify or bear witness together with another, add testimony.”¹⁵ In addition to our own spirit, which confirms whether or not we are living in accordance with the Lord’s revealed will, the Holy Spirit “himself” searches our hearts and bears testimony to God. We might deceive ourselves but not him. 

Suffering with Christ

We are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (cf. 4:9-16),¹⁶ conditioned upon whether “Christ is in you” and “provided we suffer with him …” Paul earlier portrayed our union with Christ as having been “united with him in a death like his …. our old self was crucified with him …. Now if we have died with Christ …” (6:5-8). As penitent believers we have symbolically reenacted his death, burial, and resurrection in baptism (6:3-4). However, this is just the beginning of a lifelong and difficult journey with him, as we “put to death the deeds of the body,” which is challenging enough, but also “we suffer with” him (present active indicative), currently and continually (cf. 5:3; 8:35; 12:12). The Christian life has never been promised as an easy life.¹⁷

Glorified with Christ

Despite the fact that as sinners we fall short of God’s “glory” [δόξα] (3:23), we look beyond “the sufferings of this present time” as we anticipate the incomparable “glory” in being “glorified with him” (cf. v. 30; 2:7, 10; 5:2).¹⁸ This continues the thought of v. 11 concerning our future resurrection life and reaffirms the assurance already given: “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (5:1); “we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his …. we believe that we will also live with him” (6:5-6). To be continued …

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Also Gal. 3:26; 4:6. See K. L. Moore, “How are all Christians ‘Sons’ of God?” Moore Perspective (6 April 2020), <Link>.

     ² Matt. 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 20:14; Gal. 4:1-2.

     ³ Cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Gal. 3:26-29; Col. 3:9-11.

     ⁴ Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5.

     ⁵ G. L. Borchert Galatians 303.

     ⁶ R. N. Longenecker, Galatians 174; J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Galatians 61 n.52; BAGD 448.  

     ⁷ J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Galatians 62; cf. Gal. 4:6-7, 19. Particularly on the misguided inference of ecstatic utterance, see G. D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence 409-10.

     ⁸ This is the description of H. N. Ridderbos, Epistle to Galatia 157.

     ⁹ 17 times in Matthew, 4 times in Luke, and 34 times in John.

     ¹⁰ See J. Jeremias, Prayers of Jesus 11-65. Paul’s use of this Aramaic expression in a letter to Greek-speaking churches “is a powerful testimony that the idea of God’s fatherhood goes back to Jesus’ teachings, since Jesus spoke Aramaic” (G. L. Borchert, Galatians 304).

     ¹¹ J. Barr, “Abba Isn’t Daddy,” JTS 39.1 (April 1988): 46; see also C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 1:399-402; J. D. G. Dunn, “Prayer” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels 618-19; G. D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence 410-12. 

     ¹² G. D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence 412.

     ¹³ The pronoun αὐτό is neuter rather than masculine because it modifies the neuter noun πνεῦμα, which contextually is distinct from “our spirit” [πνεύματι ἡμῶν] and thus an apparent allusion to “the Spirit of God” (v. 9).

     ¹⁴ After we have heard and believed the word of truth and have entered Christ, we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13-14). We can only be “in” Christ if we have been baptized “into” him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 2:27), and then we are said to be “sealed” with the Spirit, who is our “guarantee” or “pledge.” A “seal” signifies proof or authenticity of ownership (Rom. 4:11; 5:5; cf. 1 Kings 21:8; Esth. 8:8). Because we have this seal, the Lord “knows those who are his,” with the accompanying expectation of spiritual purity (2 Tim. 2:19). We are to glorify God in our bodies because we now belong to him and have his Spirit abiding in us (1 Cor. 6:18-20). To live in sin is to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

     ¹⁵ H. K. Moulton, The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised 382.

     ¹⁶ Cf. also Gal. 3:5–4:7; Tit. 3:7; Heb. 1:2; 6:13-20; Jas. 2:5.

     ¹⁷ Matt. 5:10-12; John 15:19; 16:33; Acts 14:22; Col. 1:24; 1 Thess. 2:14-15; 3:4; 2 Tim. 3:12; Heb. 10:32-36; 1 Pet. 4:13; Rev. 1:9; 2:10, 13; et al.

     ¹⁸ 1 Cor. 2:7; 15:43; 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:17; Eph. 1:18; Col. 1:27; 3:4; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 2:14; 2 Tim. 2:10; Heb. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:7; 5:1, 4, 10; cf. John 17:22.

Related Posts: Baptism: Death, Burial, Resurrection (Rom 6:1-4), Deliverance from Sin & Death (Rom 8:1-11), Creation Waits & Groans with Us (Rom 8:19-25)

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