Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 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.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. - Romans 8:12-25
Sometimes we who work for a salary are termed wage slaves. We may or may not be able to switch employers, but we still need to work for someone--an employer or a customer-because we need what they can provide. We give up some of our freedom and our strength in exchange for tokens (money) that someone else will accept in exchange for gods that we need or want.
The world of the New Testament was built on many types of relationships: slave, master, freedman, citizen, foreigner, beggar. But each of these relationships was ultimately transactional: you do something for them and they will do something for you. Slaves gave up their freedom or had their freedom taken from and received livelihood at the discretion of their masters.
But there was another type of relationship-the familial relationship-that was not transactional. In its ideal form, the parents poured into the children, not expecting a return other than gratitude at the relationship. God didn't give his Spirit to gain something from us-toe put us in debt (the usual way people entered slavery initially in Roman times). Paul says, "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you have to live in fear again." No, the gift of the Spirit moved us away from that transactional model of relationships by making us sons, "...rather the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship...Now if we are children then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." From the market place, we transition the family.
When I reimagine my relationship with God the Father and God the Son in these terms, it is a great freedom and a great obligation. Family is not transactional, but it does come with responsibility: our actions are no longer just our own, but reflect on the rest of the family-one the parents, the siblings. Yes, they love us but they can be hurt when we don't. Will I love the Father and my brother Jesus in equal measure with how they love me? Not to gain credits that I can spend. But to love them.
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