SPIRIT OF ADOPTION

The life of Jesus is in us by impartation, revelation and participation of His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This is what makes us ‘sons of God’ because, “all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:14-17).

Our lives are ours to make them the Fathers, and they are the Fathers only as we make them so by submission to His grace in Jesus and His power through the Holy Spirit. When God the Father is only power and Word and force from without and not the pursuing and presence within by the Holy Spirit, we cannot become His by free choice and free will. The Holy Spirit must prepare us from within to receive the loving Father through the grace of Jesus. This is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We can know this only by our personal intelligence, affection, will and voluntary action as we exercise within what the fellowship of the Holy Spirit has brought; which is death to the old self and life in the love and goodness of God through the grace of Jesus.

“You have heard from me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Jesus