Obligation and Opportunity. (Romans 8: 12–17)

Welcome back to The Bible Project Daily Podcast. Today we’re continuing our journey through Romans 8. Our theme today is obligation. But not the heavy, guilt-ridden kind that crushes us. This is a holy obligation—the kind that opens the door to a transformed life.

Jesus didn’t come to make life easy. He came to make us holy. And to accomplish that, He did four things:

• He died.
• He rose.
• He ascended.
• And He sent the Holy Spirit.

His death and resurrection made forgiveness possible. His ascension and the sending of the Spirit made our transformation possible. So now, in Christ, we’re not just saved from sin’s penalty—we are empowered to overcome sin’s power.

But here’s the tension: Even with all of that, the Christian life is not effortless. There’s still a real war going on—a battle between flesh and Spirit, waging within the soul of every believer.

Paul has painted that struggle vividly, especially in chapters 6 and 7. Remember his raw cry in Romans 7?

“Oh, what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

And now in chapter 8, Paul begins to show us the way out—not by sheer willpower, but by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

So the question is:
 If we know we should walk by the Spirit—why don’t we always do it? Why does that path feel so difficult?

Let’s explore Paul’s answer in Romans 8:12–17. He gives us three reasons why we are not only invited—but obligated—to walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh.

1. We Are No Longer Debtors to the Flesh

Romans 8:12–13:

2. We Are Children of God, Not Slaves

Verses 14–15:

3. The Spirit Testifies: We Belong to God

Verse 16:

4. Heirs With Christ

The world asks, “Who am I?” But in Christ, we already know.
We are children of God. And because of that, we have both obligation—and opportunity.

To walk by the Spirit.
 To cry out, “Abba, Father.”
 To live as heirs of the Kingdom.

And one day, to share in His glory.

Thanks for joining me today.
 May the Spirit bear witness in you this week—and may you walk boldly in the freedom of a beloved child of God.

Until next time, grace and peace.

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• 15:06 (Cont.) Obligation and Opportunity. (Romans 8: 12–17)

Transcript

Obligation and Opportunity. (Romans 8:12–17)

Transcript: 

Welcome back to The Bible Project Daily Podcast. Today we continue in Romans 8—a chapter that offers both deep encouragement yet at th same time a sober challenge. 

We’re talking about obligation. But not the kind that weighs us down. This is the kind of obligation that opens the door to godliness.

Jesus didn’t come to make life easy—He came to make us godly And to accomplish that, He did four things:

·         He died.

·         He rose.

·         He ascended. 

·         And He sent the Holy Spirit.

The death and resurrection of Christ made forgiveness possible. The ascension and the sending of the Spirit made our transformation possible. So, in Christ, we’re not just saved from sin’s penalty—we’re also empowered to overcome sin’s power.

But here's the tension:

Even with all of that, the Christian life is not effortless. There’s a real battle between flesh and Spirit—a war within the soul of every believer. Paul has described this inner conflict in vivid detail throughout Romans chapter 6 and 7. Chapter 7, in particular, captures the cry of the weary believer who sometimes just wants to give in or give up.

“Oh, what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

But in Romans 8, Paul has begun to show us the way out—not through willpower, but through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now we all know we should walk by the Spirit. But why don’t we always do it? What makes this path so hard to stay on?

Let’s try and find the answer to that question, today….

As Christians we all know we should walk by the Spirit. But why don’t we always do it? What makes this path so hard to stay on? 

In Romans 8:12–17, Paul answers that by giving us three reasons why we are obligated—yes, obligated—to walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh.

Listen to what Paul says in are opening verses today. Romans 8:12–13:

“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.”

Paul’s first point is simple but profound: we owe nothing to the old self—our sinful nature—it has no claim on us anymore.

Imagine your life as a house. Before Christ, the flesh held the deed, and every sin was like another mortgage payment. But now, through Christ, the deed has changed hands. It’s been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6). The Holy Spirit has moved in, and we no longer pay rent to our former landlord.

Paul has warned us: if we continue to live according to the flesh, we die physically—but not just physically, but spiritually as well. Fellowship with God will begin to wither. Joy will dry up and the soul will shrinks….

Yet there’s hope: “If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” The Spirit empowers us not just to resist sin but to kill it. And that leads to true life—life marked by freedom, intimacy with God, and spiritual vitality.

Paul’s whole argument hinges on this: we have possession of the Spirit, and we are called to live by that same Spirit. This isn’t about earning salvation, but about walking in the life that’s already been given to us.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul spoke of being spiritually minded, walking according to the Spirit. It all builds to this: The Holy Spirit is capable of transforming us from the inside out. As we walk in step with Him, the fruit of the Spirit grows, and the old patterns of sin fall away—like dead leaves fall of a tree giving way to new growth in spring.

This process isn’t instant. There’s no spiritual shortcut. Sanctification isn’t a sudden switch—it’s a steady, Spirit-led cultivation. Through daily obedience, renewal of the mind, and dependence on God’s Word, the life of the Spirit begins to overtake the life of the flesh.

Then, in verse 14 and 15, Paul gives us another reason to walk by the Spirit:

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

Continuing

“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.’”

We’re no longer slaves, we are children. The Spirit we’ve received doesn’t lead us into fear, but into the freedom of belonging. He teaches, convicts, and empowers us—not through mystical nudges or hunches, but through the truth of God’s Word. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures now illumines them for us which leads us into a life of holiness.

Earlier in this passage, Paul speaks of walking in the Spirit, now he talks of being led by the Spirit are essentially two sides of the same coin.

To walk in the Spirit is to be led by the Spirit, and to be led by the Spirit is to walk in obedience to the Word of God. After all, the Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture, speaking through human voices. So, when I submit to Scripture, I am submitting to the Spirit. When I obey the Word, I am following the lead of the Spirit.

And yet, while these two ideas are deeply connected, they offer different emphases. Walking in the Spirit carries a sense of movement, of action, of willful engagement. It calls for something from me. It’s not passive. Walking demands direction, intention, and effort.

Being led by the Spirit, on the other hand, also emphasizes our dependence. It’s a more passive posture—not passive in the sense of being lazy or disengaged, but in the sense of being surrendered, open, yielded to God’s guidance. 

And yet, even here, there’s still activity. Just as someone being led through a busy airport still has to walk—even if they don’t know where they’re going—so too we must keep moving as the Spirit leads.

So, yes, I strive to obey the Word. But I do so in reliance upon the Holy Spirit, who empowers me to live it out. I take steps, but only because the Spirit enables me to walk. My obedience is real, but so is my dependence.

And that’s what Paul is getting at in Romans 8:14 when he says “That all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” 

Being led by the Spirit is not a condition for becoming a child of God, but rather a sign of it. It’s the mark of one who belongs to Him.

Does that mean that a true child of God is always led by the Spirit, perfectly, every moment? No, clearly not. But when we are led by the Spirit—when we walk in step with Him—we are living out our identity as children of God. We are embodying our sonship.

Paul continues this when he says “The Spirit we received does not make us slaves, we don’t have to live in fear again; rather, we are adopted Children/sonship. And in the Spirit we cry, “Abba, Father.”” 

That first part points us back to our pre-Christian lives. Before Christ, we lived in fear. Paul calls it slavery/bondage, bondage to the law, to sin, to fear of judgment. We tried to earn God’s favor, or we feared His punishment. But now, in Christ, we have received not a semse of fear, but the Spirit of adoption.

The Spirit within us doesn’t drive us towards fear; He draws us to our Father. He enables us to cry out to our Father—that deeply personal, intimate word. Some say “Abba” is like “Daddy,” the point is clear: this is the language of closeness, of love, of security.

We don’t approach God like a slave before a harsh master now. We approach Him like children running to a Father who delights in us. There should be a desire now to speak to Him, to call out to Him, to be near to Him.

And that, Paul says, is evidence of who we are now.

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

(Romans 8: 16)

Notice—it’s not that the Spirit speaks to our spirit, but with our spirit. There’s a deep, inner resonance. The Spirit testifies, and we find ourselves echoing that testimony. We know we are His.

It’s a quiet confidence. The Spirit speaks, and our spirit agrees: I am His and He is mine. I belong to the Father.

In verse 15, he declares that we have received the Spirit of adoption—the Spirit by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. This is not just theological abstraction; it is the language of prayer, of intimacy. And in verse 16, Paul adds that the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Now, some would say that this witness of the Spirit is a deeply experiential thing. And perhaps they are right. But Paul doesn’t press the point and says it’s purely emotional or mystical. Later in this very passage, verse in 26 he speaks of the Spirit helping us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought. And yet the Spirit he says intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

This is not intelligible communication. It is something deeper. It is the Spirit of God working within us in ways we cannot always articulate. 

Sometimes in the presence of God, all we can do is sit still and groan. And even that—especially that—is a form of Spirit-led prayer.

There have been moments, perhaps you’ve had them too, when words simply failed. All you could offer was silence... a groan… and in that, the Holy Spirit bore witness with your spirit that you are indeed God’s child.

But zooming out from all these intricate twist and turn of his deeply complex and lyrical language what I believe Paul is saying is really quite straightforward. 

The thrust of the passage is that we are God’s children. And this identity, this reality, changes everything.

Many people in the world don’t know who they are. They’re searching. And people these days are always speaking about “finding themselves.” But they’re lost. 

Friedrich Schleiermacher, a German philosopher who deeply shaped modern thought—albeit sadly away from godliness—was once found sitting on a park bench late in life. A policeman, thinking he was a vagrant, asked, Who are you? And Schleiermacher famously replied, “I wish I knew.

That is the cry of the world. “Who am I”? But the Christian knows who they are. We are children of God. And that makes us valuable.

The world may see us as insignificant, but the Lord sees our worth. We are His. We are adopted, beloved, and cherished. And that is why we walk by the Spirit. We live out our identity.

But when we walk according to the Spirit and we are not only children—we are heirs. 

Verse 17 says: 

“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.”

(Romans 8: 17)

This is extraordinary. If you belong to Christ, you are an heir of God. 

So that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We inherit eternal life. Spiritual blessings. The kingdom to come. But unlike the usual logic of inheritance, where someone else must die, in this case, we must die—die to sin, die to self. And then, in Christ, we are raised to new life and made heirs.

Here’s the mystery: you don’t earn your inheritance., you receive it. So, to enter into the inheritance of God, you don’t climb a ladder. You bow the knee. You trust His Son. And when you trust the Son, the Father gives you everything that belongs to Him.

If you trust the Son of God, you inherit all that is the Father's. 

All spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms.

All the promises of eternal life. That is your inheritance. 

That is your identity. And that is why you walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh.

And yet Paul adds one more challenging line: “We are joint heirs with Chris, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him.”

And now a question arises: is being an heir the same as being a joint heir with Christ? Is this a separate level of inheritance? And what does suffering have to do with it?

Those are questions that lead us even deeper into the heart of Romans 8.

In Romans 8:17, Paul has made a profound distinction—a nuance that can be easily missed if we read too quickly or assume too much:

Most Bible commentators affirm that all believers are heirs with Christ. But what Paul is really saying? Does every child of God automatically become a joint heir?

Notice the language: being an heir of God is linked simply with being a child of God. That much is clear. But being a joint heir with Christ appears to have a condition— “if indeed we suffer with Him.” That “if” matters. It's not just rhetorical. I believe it implies a distinction between inheritance and reward, between being a child and being a co-ruler.

Some interpret this to mean that every true Christian will suffer. Taking this view, some have begun to see suffering as a mark of genuine faith. But I don’t think that is necessarily the case? 

I’m not convinced that every Christian is obliged to suffers in this way. 

Paul draws out this idea more clearly in 2 Timothy 2:11–13:

“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

What I believe Paul is telling us is that eternal life is a gift of grace. But reigning with Christ is a reward for endurance, for faithfulness in suffering. 

You can be a child of God and have an inheritance—eternal life, inclusion in His family, the secure hope of heaven. But there is the potential for even more.

In the Old Testament, the firstborn received a double portion. Others received an inheritance, yes—but the double share belonged to the one who bore responsibility and privilege.

That’s the heart of this passage. You are an heir, yes. But you also have the opportunity to be a joint heir. And the cost? Well frankly friends it suggests to me that is suffering with and for Christ. For me this suggests rewards for those who have died for the sake of their faith or endured persecution

This is the logic behind Jesus’ parables of reward. In Luke 19, some are entrusted to rule over ten cities, others over five. All are in the kingdom—but not all rule the same. Not all receive the same commendation. Some suffer loss, though they are saved “yet as though fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15).

So, what’s at stake here? Not our salvation, but glory. Not sonship, but reward in heaven. Not entrance into the kingdom, but position within it.

Beloved, that’s our story. Our beloved saviour, Jesus Christ, died. And in His death, He secured an inheritance for us. If we’re in Him, we have a portion, ut if we have endured suffering or persecution then we’re also invited to share in His reign, His glory, His victory.

Romans 8:12–17 opens with obligation; we are debtors to the flesh. But the passage ends by presenting us with an opportunity. It we endure and continue to walk by the Spirit, we can reign with Christ.

The passage gives us the reason behind all this. The Spirit gives life, not death. He leads us, not into slavery, but into sonship. He makes us heirs, and He invites us into co-heirship with Christ.

So, the call is clear: Walk according to the Spirit. Not out of guilt, but out of gratitude. Not merely out of duty, but out of hope, the hope of glory. 

And what Paul is saying here is that if you are a Christian, you have an obligation to walk by the Spirit, but you also have a glorious opportunity: to suffer with Christ, that you might also be glorified all the more with Him.