Verse 15
Unlike sin, the Spirit does not enslave us. He does not compel or force us to do God’s will as slaves of God. Rather He appeals to us to do so as sons of God. The "spirit" in view is probably the Holy Spirit who has made us God’s sons by regeneration and adoption.
"Abba" and "Father" are equivalent terms, the first being a transliteration of the Aramaic word and the second a translation of the Greek pater (cf. Galatians 4:6). Probably Paul used the Aramaic as well as the Greek term to highlight the intimate relationship the Christian disciple enjoys with God. The Lord Jesus revealed this intimate relationship during His training of the Twelve (Mark 14:36). [Note: See Joachim Jeremias, The Central Message of the New Testament, p. 28.] In their translations, J. B. Phillips paraphrased "Abba! Father!" as "Father, my Father," and Arthur S. Way rendered it, "My Father, my own dear Father."
Adoption is another legal term (cf. justification). It indicates the legal bestowal of a legal standing. Both adoption and justification result in a permanent condition, and both rest on the love and grace of God. [Note: See Francis Lyall, "Roman Law in the Writings of Paul-Adoption," Journal of Biblical Literature 88 (December 1969):458-66.]
"Paul could hardly have chosen a better term than ’adoption’ to characterize this peace and security. The word denoted the Greek, and particularly Roman, legal institution whereby one can ’adopt’ a child and confer on that child all the legal rights and privileges that would ordinarily accrue to a natural child. However, while the institution is a Greco-Roman one, the underlying concept is rooted in the OT and Judaism [i.e., God’s adoption of Israel]." [Note: Moo, p. 501. Cf. Bruce, p. 157; Ryrie, Basic Theology, pp. 306-7.]
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