Coheirs with Christ If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:17) Under Roman law, a servant who was adopted into a family as a son or daughter could never be cast away but would always be a part of the family. The parents could not decide later to revoke the adoption or the new child’s privileges. The inheritance would be secure, regardless of what the child did or said. Roman lawmakers made the law so tight that no adoptive parent could find a loophole. Once the process was over, the servant who was adopted was looked on as a full son or daughter, with all the rights and privileges of a blood relative. In many ways the servant was more permanently bonded to the parents than their own flesh and blood. Even if the servant displeased the parents, he or she could still not be disowned because the law stated that once the adoption was finalized, it was permanent. Knowing this fact, imagine yourself as a Roman citizen reading this message from Paul about being adopted into God’s family. “You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family—calling him ‘Father, dear Father.’ … And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too” (Romans 8:15, 17). When God redeemed us from sin, he didn’t just save us, he adopted us. He gave us full inheritance into his family. He made us sons and daughters—heirs to the family fortune. He took us out of the squalor of slavery, cleaned us up, and then robed us in princely garments. He embroidered the family crest onto the breast of our new clothing. He sat us at the royal table and introduced us as his children. He became our Father, in every sense of the word. And Jesus became our brother. The adoption is final and irrevocable. The promise is secure. “If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering,” Paul continues (Romans 8:17). If Jesus is our brother, then we have a responsibility to act like royal siblings. If he is an heir, then we are heirs, and heirs stick together. What is his has now become ours. When he rejoices, we rejoice. When he suffers, we suffer with him. His priorities become ours. Coheirs of the Kingdom. Brothers in arms. Children of the Most High!
Today’s Reading Mark 3:33-35; Romans 8:17 Reflection How does it change you view of God to see Jesus as a brother? In what ways do you share in his suffering? How have you embraced your royal inheritance?
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