Our Liberty In Christ by Philip Mauro

God), and the several ministries of the Spirit on their behalf. We find in this Scripture the same characteristic words as in Galatians—children, bondage, liberty, the inheritance, the heirs, the flesh, the Spirit, the adoption. Verse 15 reads: “For ye have not received the (a) spirit of bondage again to fear, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ ” This verse speaks plainly (as does Galatians 4:5) of the work of the Spirit in making real to the children of God His relation to them of “Father,” so that they can intelligently and confidently address Him as “Father.” But here the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Adop­tion.” As such He enables us to anticipate, and look forward to, and patiently wait for, the adoption itself, mentioned in verse 23. which tells us that we are “waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” The adoption then is still future. It is that which we “hope for,” the “glory” into which the children of God are to be brought in association with Christ at His coming again. It includes the taking possession of the redeemed creation, which shall then be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). It is what is referred to in the corresponding passage in Ephesians (1:13) as “the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory.”

All these Scriptures present the Spirit of God as the present possession of God’s children, as the “Earnest” or “First fruits” of the eternal inheritance which they are to share with Christ as His co-heirs; and they all speak of the Father sparing not His own Son, but sending Him forth to redeem those for whom the adoption is prepared, thus making way for the coming of the Holy Spirit into their hearts.

The adoption is therefore a comprehensive term em­bracing all those glorious things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man—“the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” And it is only through the Spirit and by faith that these things can be known, for “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” For “we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-12).

When a child is born heir to vast possessions and prop­erties his human spirit—“the spirit of man that is in him”—enables him to know those things, to appreciate to some extent their value, and to enjoy their prospective possession; for they are “the things of a man.” But “the things of God knoweth no man; but the Spirit of God.” In proportion, therefore,