A podcast listener named Ty writes and asks this, Pastor John, what does it mean for the

spirit to bear witness that we are children of God in Romans 8, 16?

This is enormously important because what I have found over the years is that right up

there with fear and lust and anger, Christians everywhere, at some time all of us deal with

the problem of assurance, the assurance of salvation, am I really a Christian?

Every Christian deals with this at some point and some Christians all the time.

And so, I really would like to help here if I can.

So this person is thinking about Romans 8, 14 to 16, so let me read the verses because

the verses themselves provide the clue to what is being meant here.

This is verse 14, Romans 8, all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.

So led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God, a clue that you're the son of God is

that you're being led by the Spirit, verse 15, 4, you did not receive the Spirit of slavery

to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we

cry, Abba, Father, a very intimate, warm, personal affectionate cry to God as our Father.

The Spirit is witnessing, number 16, the Spirit himself bears witness is witnessing in that

cry, Abba, Father, with our Spirit that we are the children of God.

So here's the first thing I would say, the witness of the Holy Spirit that you are a child

of God is not a word whispered in your ear, you are my child, that's not the way he does

it.

The external and the devil could do that to an unbeliever.

I don't doubt that the devil does whisper that in people's ears because it says that

at the end of the day they're going to be people who think they've called Jesus Lord

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