Romans 8:15
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Continuing the family theme, Paul explains that the Spirit believers received is one of adoption, not slavery, enabling them to address God intimately as Father.
What Does Romans 8:15 Mean?
Paul contrasts two spirits, two ways of relating to God: not a spirit of bondage that produces fear, but the Spirit of adoption that lets us cry "Abba, Father." The believer has not been brought back into slavery, cowering before a master in dread. Instead, the Spirit establishes the relationship of a beloved child with a loving Father. This is a radical shift from fear to intimacy. The Christian approaches God not as a trembling servant but as a welcomed son or daughter.
The word "adoption" pictures being received into a family with full rights and status, a deliberate act of grace by which God makes outsiders His own children. The cry "Abba, Father" is especially tender -- "Abba" is an Aramaic word of close, affectionate address, the kind a child would use with a beloved father. That this intimate word rises from the believer's heart shows how near God has drawn His people. The same Spirit who leads (verse 14) now assures the believer of belonging, prompting this confident, loving address. Paul wants his readers to know that life in Christ is not marked by anxious dread but by the secure love of family. They belong, they are received, and they may call God Father.
In the Original Language
"Adoption" translates the Greek "huiothesia," the placing of someone as a son with full rights. "Bondage" renders "douleia," slavery, and "Abba" is an Aramaic term of affectionate address for a father.
Cross References
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
- Galatians 4:6
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
- Romans 8:16
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:”
- 1 John 3:1
Application
Believers can relate to God without anxious dread, approaching Him as a loved child approaches a trusted father, secure in their place in His family.