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Writer's pictureDamian T. McCalman
Dec 30, 20226 min read

IF CHILDREN, THEN HEIRS...(PART 2)

December SOED Campaign | GODSENT


Romans 8:14-24 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 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!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

In his letter to the saints in Rome the apostle Paul adds to his words to the Galatians (4:6&7) when he says, “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”. To those in Rome, he adds “provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him”. This addition is important because there is a “suffering” that we as children and heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ must endure. We tend to spend more time on the “glory” that is to come but we can’t be “GLORIFIED WITH HIM” unless we are willing to “SUFFER WITH HIM”.

So what is the “suffering”?

The “suffering” is something that Paul says that we have to endure “with Christ”. Christ “suffered” in many ways during His life on earth, but I think that the way that we are to “suffer with Him” is just how He tells us in John 15. Jesus tells His disciples, 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”. Jesus tells them that they will be “hated” and that they would be “persecuted” as He was and still is.

Being “hated” by “those in the world” or those who are not believers is a tough thing especially when it comes from the people whom we probably spend most of our time outside of our homes with; be it work or school or even some so-called friendships or associations. Those who “hated” Jesus did so to the degree of seeking to and eventually killing Him, which none of us are being “hated” to that degree, but He said that we too, those of us who have been “chosen out of the world” would experience “hate”. Jesus said that we too would be despised, that people would feel an aversion toward us, feel hostile towards us, regard us with disgust, and not be able to stand us on account of His name or on account of us being associated with His name. Even if you have just felt the dislike of them that are in the world it’s all the same just at a different level, but it’s still “hatred”.

Jesus also said that we would be “persecuted” by those who are “of the world”. Now, this form of “suffering” is based on our religious beliefs and how our Christianity affects how we view the world. Once again our level of “persecution” may not be as high as the level that Jesus experienced but hostility and ill-treatment on any level is “persecution”. This can come in the form of discrimination, punishment, harassment, badgering, teasing, and even bullying that we might experience on account of our Biblical new covenant beliefs and practices that go against the beliefs and practices of the world. Again, Jesus Himself dealt with “persecutions” for these same beliefs and practices but to a much higher degree. Most of us may never “suffer” as He “suffered” and have to endure what He endured but we are going to be confronted with something from somebody at some time as a result of our Christian beliefs and practices if we are bold about our faith and living them out in the world.

In short, the “hatred” and the “persecution” or "suffering" that we are going to have to endure will come as a result of us doing what Jesus called His disciples to do when He said, “If any man desires to come after Me, let him DENY HIMSELF, TAKE UP HIS CROSS and FOLLOW ME.”. Doing this daily will cause those who are in the world to “hate” us. Doing this daily will cause those who are in the world to “persecute” us. This is what Jesus did walking this earth as a man so He is asking us to do the same. He isn't asking us to do endure anything that He hadn't experienced Himself knowing that on the other side of this is eternal life and an unmatched inheritance; Glory.



So what is the “glory”?

Jesus said to the Father, “glorify Me in Your presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed” -John 17:5. So again, as we talked about during week 1’s study, Jesus existed with God in Heaven before He was sent to be “born of a woman” and that existence in all its glory is what He would be “glorified” back to after His work on earth was finished. He emptied Himself of that "glory" to be "born of a woman" (Philippians 2:5-8). The scripture says that He did not grasp EQUALITY WITH GOD which means that in all that He was, He was EQUAL WITH GOD. The Bible says that He was in the FORM OF GOD which means that Jesus was to be found in the appearance, existence, and nature of God. That was the "glory" that He had in the presence of God.


This is also the type of "glory" that we will also receive when we are "glorified with Him". We will take on a different form (appearance, existence, and nature) in the presence of God.


Look at Romans 8:18-25...

​18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Here we read about "the glory of the children of God" and Paul writes that there will be a "revealing of the sons of God" which creation is eagerly waiting for because it will be set free from the bondage of corruption and obtain the "freedom of the glory of the children of God". The keywords are "set free" and "bondage of corruption" because as long as the creation is subjected to being corrupted and bound it can't experience what it is needing which is freedom and incorruptibility. This is the "freedom of the glory of the children of God" that we will experience in the presence of God when we are "glorified with Christ". There is a time and place when and where this will all take place which we should be eagerly waiting says that we, the children of God will put on our "spiritual bodies" or "glorified bodies" at this time (1 Corinthians 15:35-53). This is us being "glorified with Christ". This will be us completing "the adoption as sons" process and "the redemption of our bodies".


No Suffering No Glory!!!


So we have to "suffer"; experience being "hated" and "persecuted" throughout this life to be "glorified" in the next. As children and heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ this is what we are called to do to obtain the inheritance that is stored up for us.

Be encouraged. Christ has already overcome the world with all their hate and persecutions and He will lead us to do the same.


Be blessed. Be one with God.


You can watch Week 3 ("If Sons, The Heirs" | Part 1)


You can also watch the full monthly study on Galatians 4:4-7 on our YouTube Channel.



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