Nougat 3

Context is everything. So while we took the same words to grasp the issue of fear yesterday; today’s Holy Nougat invites us to reflect on the text from a different perspective.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The larger Romans text invites us to reflect on our personal spiritual status and to live in accordance with God’s Spirit. It begins with an interesting statement that is often ignored or taken out of context: ‘there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.’ From those words we surmise that our experiences are not new, others have faced judgement or verbal critique before us. And it was serious enough to warrant Paul’s response as he explained what it means to be ‘in Christ’.

Moreover, the reflection also clarifies our identity in Christ. We live by God’s Spirit, overriding our own inclination to do as we please. The own nature is presented as our ‘spirit’. What we have then in the nougat, is a presentation of three spiritual forces at work in our sphere: God’s, our own, and of fear.

Being in God’s ‘in’ crowd is somewhat similar to being part of a clique in that we ought to imitate our Leader: God. But, we also recognize that the judgement that is directed by/at us demands a Love response. Since love to those who hurt is not always a natural response; we override our sin nature to adhere to God’s Spirit.

The challenge is that oftentimes a godly response triggers other reactions, which are as much rooted in the spiritual realm as in the natural. Hence the reminder that Fear, a spiritual and emotional action, is not a gift of God’s Spirit. That is so whether we are the ones instilling fear in others; or feeling fearful.

As I write, I am also realizing – by God’s Spirit – that our response is also about control. Response to God’s Spirit indicates that we belong to the household of faith in Jesus; thus God’s Spirit is in control as a parent with a child. It stands to reason that the call for self-control is not always about being led by God’s Spirit, but by our own efforts. And, a response in fear is accepting the invitation to forgo God’s coverage and allowing ourselves to be led (controlled) by the enemy of our souls. It is that straightforward.

So, now we have a glimmer of the context undergirding the nougat, which Spirit are we giving control?

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May all we seek be found in Christ