In Roman society, there was a tremendous difference between being a freed slave and being an adopted son. A freed slave certainly had reason to rejoice because he had been released from bondage, but his freedom was only the beginning. An adopted son received something far greater. He was welcomed into a new legal family, given the family name, granted full inheritance rights, and treated in every respect as though he had been born into that family. Under Roman law, his new identity was complete.

This is exactly the picture Paul wants us to see. God’s work in our lives is far more than an act of liberation. He does not simply break the chains of sin and send us on our way. He brings us into His own family, gives us a new identity, and bestows upon us all the privileges that belong to His children.

As we have journeyed through Romans, we’ve watched this progression unfold. In chapter 6, Paul described us as slaves to sin, bound under its power and unable to free ourselves. By the time we arrive at chapter 8, that picture has dramatically changed. We are no longer slaves—we are the children of God. And Paul doesn’t stop there. In Romans 8:17, he takes us one step further by declaring that we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. That is the breathtaking progression of the gospel: from slavery, to sonship, to sharing in the eternal inheritance of the Son Himself.

Here is the YouTube Link:

From Slave to Adopted

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From Slave to Adopted

In His Grip

Paige