No Longer Slaves but Children
As children of God, we are no longer slaves to sin, but rather, we are loved and accepted by God through Christ Jesus.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes that through faith in Christ's atonement, believers transition from being slaves to becoming children of God. This transformation is not based on our works or the Spirit's actions but solely on God's unconditional love and grace. Spurgeon reassures that we are not bound by the law but have received the spirit of adoption, allowing us to call God 'Abba, Father.' Our identity in Christ means we are seen as righteous and loved, regardless of our unworthiness. This profound change motivates us to work not for salvation, but because we are already saved.
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Since we have put our trust in an atonement provided and applied by grace through Christ Jesus, we are no longer slaves but children, not working to be saved, but saved already, and working because we are saved. Neither that which we do, nor even that which the Spirit of God worketh in us is to us the ground and basis of the love of God toward us, since he loved us from the first, because he would love us, unworthy though we were; and he loves us still in Christ, and looks upon us not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in him; washed in his blood and covered in his righteousness.
Ye are not under the law, Christ has taken you from the servile bondage of a condemning covenant and made you to receive the adoption of children, so that now ye cry, Abba, Father.
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Christ The End Of The Law," delivered November 19, 1876.
Sermon Outline
- No Longer Slaves but Children
- Understanding Our New Status
- The Basis of God's Love
- The Freedom from the Law
Key Quotes
“Ye are not under the law, Christ has taken you from the servile bondage of a condemning covenant and made you to receive the adoption of children, so that now ye cry, Abba, Father.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We can now approach God as our loving Father, Abba, and receive His love and acceptance.
- We are no longer bound by the law, but rather, we are free to live as children of God.
- Our worthiness is not the basis of God's love for us, but rather, it is a love that is unwavering and unconditional, given to us through Christ.