“Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15.
1. ST. PAUL here speaks to those who are the children of God by faith. “Ye,” saith he, who are indeed his children, have drank into his Spirit; “ye have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear;” “but, because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” “Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
2. The spirit of bondage and fear is widely distant from this loving Spirit
of adoption: Those who are influenced only by slavish fear, cannot be termed
“the sons of God;” yet some of them may be styled his servants, and are “not
far from the kingdom of heaven.”
3. But it is to be feared, the bulk of mankind, yea, of what is called the
Christian world, have not attained even this; but are still afar off, “neither is God in all their thoughts.” A few names may be found of those who love God; a few more there are that fear him; but the greater part have neither the fear of God before their eyes, nor the love of God in their hearts.
4. Perhaps most of you, who, by the mercy of God, now partake of a better
spirit, may remember the time when ye were as they, when ye were under the
same condemnation. But at first ye knew it not, though ye were wallowing
daily in your sins and in your blood; till, in due time, ye “received the
spirit of fear;” (ye received, for this also is the gift of God;) and
afterwards, fear vanished away, and the Spirit of love filled your hearts.
5. One who is in the first state of mind, without fear of love, is in
Scripture termed a “natural man:” One who is under the spirit of bondage and
fear, is sometimes said to be “under the law:” (Although that expression
more frequently signifies one who is under the Jewish dispensation, or who
thinks himself obliged to observe all the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish
law:) But one who has exchanged the spirit of fear for the Spirit of love, is properly said to be “under grace.”
Now, because it highly imports us to know what spirit we are of, I shall
endeavour to point out distinctly, First, the state of a “natural man:” Secondly, that of one who is “under the law:” And Thirdly, of one who is “under grace.”
I. 1. And, First, the state of a natural man. This the Scripture represents
as a state of sleep: The voice of God to him is, “Awake thou that
sleepest.” For his soul is in a deep sleep: His spiritual senses are not
awake; They discern neither spiritual good nor evil. The eyes of his
understanding are closed; They are sealed together, and see not. Clouds and
darkness continually rest upon them; for he lies in the valley of the shadow
of death. Hence having no inlets for the knowledge of spiritual things, all
the avenues of his soul being shut up, he is in gross, stupid ignorance of
whatever he is most concerned to know. He is utterly ignorant of God, knowing nothing concerning him as he ought to know. He is totally a stranger to the law of God, as to its true, inward, spiritual meaning. He has no conception of that evangelical holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; nor of the happiness which they only find whose “life is hid with Christ in God.”