Romans 8:15 ASV

The Pulpit Commentary - Romans 8:14-17

For the Spirit you received when you became Christians was one of sonship; our habitual earnest cry of "Abba, Father," expresses our feeling of it; the Spirit still witnesses with our spirit that we are God's children; and sonship implies heirship—heirship with Christ, through our union with whom we feel ourselves to be sons; and, if we have to share in his sufferings now, this only unites us the more to him, and fits us the more for our inheritance of eternal life with him. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Romans 8:15-16

The Spirit received by Christians. The Holy Spirit is the gift of God to his people in Christ—"the promise of the Father;" the Comforter whose advent was foretold by Christ, accompanying Divine truth, and characterizing the new dispensation of God's mercy and love. In this passage the Spirit is mentioned, not so much as the Gift of God, as in the aspects he assumes in the conscious experience of God's people. I. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY . Man in a state... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Romans 8:15

The spirit of bondage - The spirit that binds you; or the spirit of a slave, that produces only fear. The slave is under constant fear and alarm. But the spirit of religion is that of freedom and of confidence; the spirit of children, and not of slaves; compare the note at John 8:32-36.Again to fear - That you should again be afraid, or be subjected to servile fear - This implies that in their former state under the Law, they were in a state of servitude, and that the tendency of it was merely... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Romans 8:14-16

Romans 8:14-16. For as many as are led, guided and governed, by the Spirit of God As a Spirit of truth and grace, of wisdom and holiness; they are the sons of God That is, they stand related to God, not merely as subjects to their king, or servants to their master, but as children to their father; they are unspeakably near and dear to God, being spiritually begotten of him, and partaking of his nature. See on John 1:12. For ye Who are real Christians; have not Since you believed on... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Romans 8:1-17

Victory through the Spirit (8:1-17)The reason believers can have victory through Christ is that the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ is greater than the power of the old sinful nature. The downward pull of the sinful nature may be likened to the downward pull of the earth’s gravity. A stone thrown into the air will fall to the ground, because it has no life or power to overcome the force of gravity. A bird thrown into the air will fly away, because it has a living power that enables it... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Romans 8:15

have . Omit. the = a. spirit . App-101 . bondage . App-190 . adoption = sonship. Greek. huiothesia. Occurs here, Romans 8:23 ; Romans 9:4 .Galatians 1:4 , Galatians 1:5 .Ephesians 1:5 . An "adopted" child may partake of all the privileges of the family, yet it is not begotten and born in the family. But the subjects of this verse are begotten of the Spirit (John 3:6 ) and are, therefore, sons of God by spiritual generation. It is thus a real sonship-spirit that enables them to cry,... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Romans 8:15

For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.The spirit of adoption ... is doubtless another expression referring to the Holy Spirit, so-called here because of the appropriate contrast with the "spirit of bondage" which marked their lives in the service of Satan. Christians are sometimes called "bondslaves" to Christ; but here their status is compared to that of children adopted by a loving father. The point of... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Romans 8:15

Romans 8:15. The spirit of bondage— What this is, the Apostle has plainly declared, Hebrews 2:15. Again, means, "Now again, under Christ; as the Jews did from Moses under the law." The word abba signifies father in the Jewish language, and the insertion of it beautifully represents the union of Jewish and Christian believers, in thosedevotionswhichwere dictated by a filial spirit, as well as the genuine experience of a child of God. See Locke, Doddridge, and Evans's Christian Temper, vol. 1:... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Romans 8:15

15. For, c.—"For ye received not (at the time of your conversion) the spirit of bondage," that is, "The spirit ye received was not a spirit of bondage." again—gendering. to fear—as under the law which "worketh wrath," that is, "Such was your condition before ye believed, living in legal bondage, haunted with incessant forebodings under a sense of unpardoned sin. But it was not to perpetuate that wretched state that ye received the Spirit." but ye have received—"ye received." the spirit of... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 8:12-17

2. Our new relationship to God 8:12-17Paul proceeded to apply this truth and then to point out evidence of the believer’s new relationship to God. read more