The Spirit of Bondage

Romans 8:15-16 — Have you ever felt the Christian life to be filled with burdensome tasks? Have you ever thought of Christian living as an endless to-do list? We live in an antagonistic world and our tendency is to turn the faith into nothing more than a higher law. Holiness becomes nothing more than an occupation. To what does this lead? It leads to a wrongful fear of God; a tormented view, seeing God as merely a distant law-giver. This doesn’t lead to a life of joy-–but rather a spirit of bondage. In this sermon on Romans 8:15-17, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses this issue through examining the doctrine of adoption. The Christian is invited to call God “Abba.” A slave cannot call his task-master “Father”––only a child can do this. Adoption means that God is not a distant law-giver, but a Father who is near. Listen in, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains our desire to live a holy life must not come not from an attempt to appease God. On the contrary, we desire to live a holy life because He’s our father and we are His children. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. The moment we realize this, everything begins to change.