Paul has shared with us his very personal struggle with sin. Now, however, he opens chapter 8 with these encouraging words: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

God does not condemn anyone who holds on to His Son by faith. The fact that God does not condemn us doesn't give us license to keep on sinning as we may have in the past. Having died to sin, we are now to live for God through Jesus.

Jesus met the full requirements of the Law and now we "do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." But as Paul has pointed out to us, this is easier said than done. Though we now belong to Christ, we continue to have three enemies. These enemies are: the devil, the world, and our own flesh. These three work hard to pull us back into the slavery of sin, however, the Spirit who dwells in every believer, works in us to enable and empower us to overcome these three enemies.

This passage points us to the fact that the creation itself is groaning as it waits for the "sons of God" to be revealed. The creation was subjected to frustration when Adam and Eve sinned. In a very real sense, the creation has been trapped in the FALLOUT of sin by no fault of its own. Now, however, its waits for the "sons of God" to be revealed. The "sons of God" are all who are led by the Spirit.

By the Spirit, by adoption into God's family, we can now call God 'Daddy.' Jesus made this possible for us. God is not like our human daddies. God is perfect and His love for us is perfect and because God is our Father, we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, "if indeed we share in his sufferings..."

Unfortunately, we don't generally raise our hands and eagerly volunteer to suffer for anything, but Jesus calls us to pick up our CROSS and follow him. The fact is that we may very well have to suffer on account of Christ. Many people suffer daily throughout the world on account of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Any sufferings we may go through amount to a mere blink of an eye when compared to the eternal joys that are waiting for us.