The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 31, 2018): Romans 8

Emperor Tiberius ascended to the Roman throne on September 18, 14 C.E. He would remain on the throne for the next twenty-two years, watching over an eventful empire which would include the rise and eventual crucifixion of a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus Bar-Joseph, or maybe more commonly remembered as “Jesus of Nazareth.” Tiberius was the chosen successor of one of the greatest Roman leaders the empire would know, Octavian or Caesar Augustus. The Roman throne was hereditary – sort of. Tiberius was chosen by Octavian to be his successor, even though Tiberius had absolutely no blood relation that connected him to the Great Roman Emperor. The solution to this problem was that Octavian adopted Tiberius. This would become the way of the Romans. The successor would be chosen by the reigning leader and then adopted into the family. Once adopted, the new son would enjoy all of the benefits of a naturally born child, including the right to succeed the adoptive father in hereditary leadership. There was no difference between one naturally born and one who was adopted. And the one who was adopted into the family renounced all connection to his former parents and familial relations. He was now the son of the one who had adopted him. Often the one adopted was related in some way already, a nephew, or great-nephew of the leader in power. But sometimes, as was the case with Tiberius, there was no blood relation. The new leader is simply grafted into the family tree and takes his place as an equal member of the family.

This idea of adoption becomes a favorite illustration of the New Testament writers following the living illustration that was being played out in front of their eyes. God adopts us into his family, giving us all of the rights associated with being a child of the king. But for the adoption take place, we have to renounce our former associations with this world. The result is that we enjoy a new relationship with God, one that results in our ability to call him by the intimate title of Abba, a word probably best translated as Daddy.

A note on the use of the words slave. Paul says that we are no longer slaves. We have admitted that being a slave is something for which we seem to be built. But there are both crucial differences and similarities in ancient times between a slave and a child. Both did the work of the family, and both were seen as the responsibility of the master. The lowest rung of the workers in ancient times was the hired hand because the hired hand could be fired if times got rough. Neither a child or a slave could be disposed of in this way. The difference between the slave and the child was found in the idea that the child was an heir and the slave was not. So we are adopted into the family of God, and as Paul has mentioned before, we have become slaves to righteousness. But because of the adoption, we also have become heirs – and co-heirs with Jesus. So while we still have a master that we serve, we also know that we are heirs to all that our master possesses. We truly are the children of the King.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Romans 9