The witness of two spirits

Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, I want to encourage you today with Rom. 8:16. In the previous verses, Paul had been encouraging his readers in Rome (and us) that they were children of God—they belong to Him. He had told them that if they had the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them, then they belonged to God. If they were being led by the Holy Spirit to put to death the deeds of the body, then they were children of God. In this verse, Paul strengthened his point by revealing to them the testimony of two witnesses: the Holy Spirit and their spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit, not to our spirit. It helps to answer the question, “What does Paul mean by “our spirit”? First, let’s notice he didn’t use the plural form “our spirits.” We all have one spirit. Second, it seems best to stay in the context of the last verse where Paul said that we have received a spirit of adoption. When we are born again by the Holy Spirit, we received a new spirit. God revealed this in Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” We have a new heart, a new spirit, the spirit of adoption that, by its very presence testifies to us that we are children of God. Only the children of God have an awareness that they are adopted by the God of the universe, their Father who loves them with a steadfast love. As I mentioned yesterday, His children feel they owe their new father great honor, allegiance, gratitude, and love. Those attitudes testify to whose we are. Then we also have the Holy Spirit testifying that we are children of God as He gives us grace (the desire and power) to put to death the deeds of the body. As we experience His guidance (which involves awareness and conviction of the sinfulness of the deed), we then follow through with repentance to express the love of Jesus. This process also is a witness to the fact that we are children of God. So we have two witnesses as to our identity as children of God. If you have these two testifying to you, then you have been loved and have been called to enjoy, be satisfied in, and express His love as long as you live. It is a privilege to be one of God’s beloved children. We will learn more about that tomorrow, but for today, let’s give thanks to God for giving us a firm foundation and confidence in this life through Jesus Christ. Thank you, Father, for giving us these two witnesses of your love for us. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com