- And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.
- For I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
With a profound ability to illustrate the Christian identity, Paul paints a masterpiece with Romans 8:17-18. In just two verses, we learn five truths that apply to every believer: we are adopted into God’s family; we are brothers and sisters with Christ; and our faith is in the life to come. We also learn that there is glory to be gained in our sufferings, and that our afflictions affirm who we are in Christ—provided we remain faithful to Him.
As believers, we know that adoption into God’s family and the inheritance of salvation are real. We know this not only because the Holy Spirit testifies to this truth within our spirit—in a way that is only understood once we are born again spiritually—and by the fact that adoption forms a foundational pillar of Christianity. It is also echoed by almost all of the New Testament writers. Matthew, Luke, John, James, the writer of Hebrews, and Peter were all inspired at different times, in different places, and without the knowledge of each other’s writings. Yet each of them wrote about being adopted by God and becoming heirs with Christ.
Being adopted into God’s family means you are never alone in this temporal world. This is one reason Scripture emphasizes fellowship. John 1:7 teaches us that: “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” This shows that when we follow the path of Christ, we will recognize and be recognized by our brothers and sisters in the world. Hebrews 10: 24-25 reminds us to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together” because when believers gather together we encourage one another to walk in love instead of anger, and to always choose good over evil. Fellowship with our brothers and sisters makes it easier to travel the path less taken—the one that leads to the strait gate (Matthew 7:14).
Not only do we have the strength of Christ when we are adopted into God’s family, but we also gain the service of His holy angels. We learn who the angels are in Hebrews 1:14: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” This does not mean that God’s angels are in subjection to His children, but that as His children we receive their assistance as we walk toward our salvation. Although our physical eyes are blind to the spiritual realm where the angels dwell, adoption opens our spiritual heart to sense their presence and their work on our behalf. The ministry of angels enables God to work through His children, allowing His glorious light to flow from them into the darkness of the world.