Obligations. Romans 8:12-17 V.12. I must stop here to consider and review what has happened since God was willing to take up a dealing of grace with me. I have been crucified with Christ, so in Him I have died to Adam, the human head through whom sin has passed on to all men resulting in death for all men. But through the sacrificial death of Christ, that chain has been broken, and I am alive to God in the risen Christ. When that new life began, the Holy Spirit entered to dwell in this body of mine and used these body parts as instruments of righteousness. The power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Sin has no dominion over even this body that awaits the redemption of it when the Lord comes at the Rapture of the Church.
V.13. The Holy Spirit is the key to the Christian life. Even though my body is still dead to God, the indwelling Spirit is the controlling factor in my life - even when it comes to the use of the body. That makes me obligated as a debtor, not to the flesh to be living as the flesh desires, but living to God. The demands of the body are the same, but by the power of the Spirit of God, these must be reckoned dead. There is no reason for Christians to live under the control of sin. The Holy Spirit delivers us from that domination, so sin has no unrestrained power over us.
V.14. To be controlled by the Spirit is evidence that we are children of God. As children of God, we owe submission to His authority because He is our Gracious Father who has adopted us into His family. We have an obligation to put to death the misdeeds of the body. By the Spirit of adoption, we are legally in the family of God and adoption assures us that we are right with God. The Holy Spirit bears witness to that as a fact.
As a believer, I must refuse the desires of the flesh to follow the old man's ways and submit gladly to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I know that nothing of the self-life is good. The sin that the self tends to follow is a terrible thing. I, by the power of the Spirit, put that in the place of death and commit to the guidance of the Spirit. This does not mean I am like a robot without the ability to make moral choices. I am accountable to God and must assume the responsibility to be led by the Spirit as a mature son. This leading is a way of living constantly and consistently, not just to do some particular work. To be one of the sons of God has a family responsibility that includes a reputation to uphold.
V.15. In the past people lived in fear as they sought in vain to fulfill the demands of the law. That fear held them in bondage. This is not what Christians are under. We are not in a state of fear trying to uphold a perfect standard. Though we have been born again into the family of God, we have been placed there, not as incapable babies with no ability to fulfill God's will, but as adult sons. As such we have an awareness of who we are and who God is as our Father. The Holy Spirit communicates to us in our spirit, not the intellect, that we have been born into God's family.
V.15, There is something fundamental in our spirit that gives us the consciousness of spiritual light, joy, and privilege to respond to God Himself. There is an inherent knowledge that we belong to Him. That knowledge is supported by the Word of God. We know we are family members because of an inward work of the Holy Spirit. This is similar to a natural family of parents and children. There is a bond of nature that remains there and it cannot easily be explained. In the family of God, we find ourselves heirs of God with many others, and there is a link of love there with them when we meet.
Through the blessings of the new covenant, the Spirit of God within us, and the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been brought into spiritual intimacy with the Father. This is so special that we are able to say respectfully and reverently, without fear, “Abba Father!” All believers have received the "divine nature" and we have a relationship with all of the children of God. Because we are children, we are heirs of God - and joint heirs with Christ!! This is another great evidence of the amazing grace of God. We share God's blessings with the Eternal Son of God!!
V.16. Because we are children and heirs of God, we have a new standing before Him. Instead of being condemned sinners, we are sons and daughters with a new life. This relationship opens up to us the privileges of “sonship,” and in a remarkable way, we have been “made partakers of the divine nature.” We have been given all of this solely on the grounds of the sonship of our Lord Jesus Christ who has made us accepted in Himself. We are united with Him and have been given the gift of eternal life with God.
V.17. During the brief time we have on earth, we may be called upon to suffer with Christ. Godly living and suffering go together. To avoid that suffering may sometimes be the choice of some, but there is something basic in believers that will enable them to endure the suffering and enjoy the glory with Christ. These two things go together because the first one, enduring suffering, makes us fit to reign with our glorified Lord who endured suffering and is now glorified.