Earlier in Romans, Paul drew images from criminal law, from the realm of accounting, and even from the laws governing death and inheritance. In these verses, he turned to the realm of the family to capture the essence of the community of grace God is creating. We are sons and daughters of God, adopted into God’s family. We are heirs, right along with Christ. As such, we are brothers and sisters to one another—“family” in the best sense of the word.

• Members of a military unit who’ve been through a lot together may refer to themselves as a “band of brothers.” What do those words signal about their bond with each other? As you claim your identity as a new person in Christ, and view others through a Spirit-enhanced “lens,” how is that transforming your relationships at home, at work, in your community and at church?
• In verse 15, Paul contrasted “a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear” with God’s loving adoption of us as sons and daughters. What factors have shaped your view of God as either a person we serve out of fear, or as a loving parent who wants what is best for us? If your life experience filled the word “father” with negative overtones, what images and relationships help you accept that God is love?