Romans 8:9, Romans 8:14–15
The apostle Paul’s will to serve God was hindered by his living in the flesh
(through which his passions waged war against his will). He was unable to pull himself out of this swamp. Yet the Christians, including those in Rome, are in the Spirit.
The Spirit of God surrounds us, guides us, and guarantees our future. We are carried by the Spirit, and that which we desire will also be fulfilled, thanks to the Spirit who overcomes the flesh.
Having the Spirit dwell in us is the privilege of believing Christians. It is now no longer only the destructive force of sin which dwells in us, but also our new Lord, the Spirit of Christ. This is the reality for Christians. If this reality is lacking in someone, they do not belong to Christ. The ESV does well to convey the emphasis found in the Greek: Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
As such, the important question is not whether you sometimes resist the guidance of the indwelling Spirit and grieve this Spirit, but whether you perhaps do not have this Spirit at all. If you do not, then you are not a Christian, for when Christ enters a person’s life, he necessarily does so along with the Spirit.
In Romans 8:14 we read that all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Being called a son of God is not just an empty label; it is comforting assurance. God will not let his own children fall away and he guarantees that they will share in his glory. For this reason, the Spirit encourages us to call upon God in the struggle against the deeds of our bodies.
Children do not call upon their Father in vain: “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!'" (Romans 8:15). In the Gentile world people lived under the power of evil spirits, who inspired fear in them. The Jews lived under the good law of God, but sin still lived in them as a power that caused them to fear. It is very different when we are led by the Spirit, who makes us children of God. Paul uses the word huiothesia, which means adoption as children. This does not simply pertain to the juridical act of adoption, but also to the acceptance of the adopted persons as true children. The Spirit therefore encourages us to call upon God as our Father. The verb krazein actually means to call out loudly. As such this is not simply about addressing God Father,
but about actively calling on him for help. Sending an SOS makes sense only for people who have truly become children and from whom the Father receives the signals.
Through the Spirit, God encloses us in his love and liberates us from fear. On the one hand this love comes to us from above in the gospel and in the Spirit of holiness, and on the other hand it is the love that rises up to God from within us through his own Spirit working in us. In this way, humans, who could not maintain righteousness under the law, are now caught in a safety net that encloses them and lifts them up to a life near to God.1
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.