For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
All Commentaries on Romans 8:14 Go To Romans 8
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
After stating that through the Holy Spirit will be given to us the life of glory, which will exclude all mortality from our bodies [n. 628], the Apostle now proves this: first, he shows that this glorious life is given by the Holy Spirit; secondly, why it is deferred [v. 17b; n. 650]. In regard to the first he presents this argument: All who are sons of God obtain the inheritance of a glorious life; but those who are ruled by the Holy Spirit are sons of God. Therefore, all who are ruled by the Holy Spirit obtain the inheritance of a glorious life. First, therefore, he posits the minor of this proof; 316 secondly, the major [v. 17; n. 646]. In regard to the first he does two things; first, he states his proposition; secondly, he proves it [n. 637]. 635. In regard to the first there two things to consider. First, how some are led by the Spirit of God. This can be understood in the following way: All who are led by the Spirit of God, i.e., ruled as by a leader and director, which the Spirit does in us, inasmuch as he enlightens us inwardly about what we ought to do: "Let thy good spirit lead me" (Ps 143:10). But because one who is led does not act on his own, whereas the spiritual man is not only instructed by the Holy Spirit regarding what he ought to do, but his heart is also moved by the Holy Spirit, it is necessary to get a better understanding of what is meant by all who are led by the Spirit of God. For those are led who are moved by a higher instinct. Hence we say that animals do not act but are led, because they are moved to perform their actions by nature and not from their own impulse. Similarly, the spiritual man is inclined to do something not as though by a movement of his own will chiefly, but by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, as it says in Is (59:19): "He will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives," and in Lk (4:1): "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." However, this does not mean that spiritual men do not act through will and free choice, because the Holy Spirit causes the very movement of the will and of free choice in them, as it says in Phil (2:13): "God is at work in you both to will and to work." 317 636. Secondly, we must consider how those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. This is clarified by a likeness to natural children, who are produced by the natural seed coming from the father. But the spiritual seed proceeding from the Father is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, through this seed some men are born as sons of God: "No one born of God commits sin, because the seed of God abides in him" (1 Jn 3:9). 637. Then (v.15) he proves that men who receive the Holy Spirit are sons of God; and this in three ways. First, by distinguishing the gifts of the Holy Spirit; secondly, by our own testimony [v. 15b; n. 644]; thirdly, by the testimony of the Spirit [v. 16; n. 645]. 638. In regard to the first it should be noted that the Holy Spirit produces two effects in us: one is fear: "His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord" (Is 11:3); the other is love: "God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom 5:5). But fear makes slaves; love does not. To realize this it is necessary to consider that fear bears on two things, namely, the evil from which someone flees through fear, and whatever seems to be the source of that evil. For a person is said to fear being killed and the king who has the power to kill. But sometime it happens that the evil from which someone recoils is contrary to a bodily or temporal good which a person sometimes loves inordinately and recoils from having it injured or destroyed by a mere man. This is human or worldly fear and is not from the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Lord forbids such fear: "Do not fear those who kill the body" (Mt 10:28). 318 639. There is a second type of fear which recoils from an evil contrary to created nature, namely, the evil of being punished, and shrinks from having this evil inflicted by a spiritual cause, namely, by God. Such fear is praiseworthy at least in one respect, namely, that it fears God: "Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments" (Dt 5:29). In this respect it is from the Holy Spirit. But insofar as such fear does not recoil from an evil opposed to ones spiritual good, namely, sin, but only punishment, it is not praiseworthy. It has this shortcoming not from the Holy Spirit but from man’s guilt; just as deformed faith is from the Holy Spirit, inasmuch as it is faith but not its deformity. Hence, even if a person does something good under the influence of such fear, he does not act well, because he does not act spontaneously but compelled by fear of punishment -- and this is characteristic of slaves. Therefore, this fear is properly called servile, because it makes a man act as a slave does. 640. There is a third type of fear which recoils from evil opposed to a spiritual good, namely, from sin or separation from God, which a person fears to incur from the just vengeance of God. Thus it bears on spiritual goods, but with an eye on punishment. This is called initial fear, because it is usually found in men at the beginning of their conversion. For it fears punishment due to past sins and it fears separation from God through sin because of grace infused with charity. This is the fear mentioned in Ps 111 (v.10): "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 641. The fourth type of fear has its eye entirely on spiritual things, because it fears nothing except separation from God. This is holy fear which endures forever," as it says in Ps 19 (v.9). But just as initial fear is caused by imperfect love, so this fear is caused by 319 perfect love: "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 Jn 4:18). For this reason initial fear and chaste fear are not distinguished against charity’s love which is the cause of both, but the fear of punishment is; because just as this fear produces slavery, so charity’s love produces the freedom of sons. For it makes a man act voluntarily for the honor of God -- which is characteristic of sons. 642. Now the Old Law was given in fear which was signified by the thunder and things of that sort which occurred when it was given, as it says in Ex 19 and in Heb (12:21): "So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear." So the Old Law, which induced men to obey God’s commandments by inflicting punishments, was given in a spirit of slavery; hence it says in Gal (4:24): "One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery." 643. Therefore, he says here: It was correct to say that "all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." For in the New Law you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, namely, of punishments; but you have received the Spirit of sonship, by which we are adopted as children of God: "That we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal 4:5). This does not mean that there is one spirit and another spirit, but that it is the same spirit, who produces servile fear in some and love in others. 644. Then (v.15b) he manifests the same thing by our confession. For we confess that we have God as our Father, when we follow the -Lord’s instruction to pray: "Our Father, who art in heaven" (Mt 6:9). And since it is suitable not only for the Jews but also for Gentiles to say this, he uses two words to signify "Father," namely, "Abba," which is Hebrew, and "Pater," which can be Latin or Greek. Even the 320 Lord himself says: Father, all things are possible to you" (Mk 14:36); "You will call me, My Father" (Jer 3:19). We say this not so such with the sound of our voice as with the intention of our heart, an intention so strong that it is called a cry, as with Moses to whom it was said: "Why do you cry to me? (Ex 14:15), namely, with the intention in your heart. But the great strength of this intention comes from the feeling of filial fear which he produces in us. Therefore, he says: In which, namely, the Holy Spirit, we cry: Abba, Father. Hence it says in Is (6:3) that the seraphim, burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit, "cried one to another: Holy, holy, holy...". 645. Then (v.16) he manifests the same thing through the testimony of the Holy Spirit, to show that we are not deceived in our confession; hence he says: The reason I say that "we cry, Abba, Father" in the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit himself is bearing witness to our spirit that we are children of God. He bears this testimony not with external words that reach men’s ears, as the Father gave testimony to his own Son in Mt (3:17), but through the effect of filial love he produces in us. Therefore, he says that he bears testimony not to our ears but to our spirit. 646. Then (v.17) he posits the major. First he shows that to children is owed the inheritance, saying: If some are children, namely, through the Spirit, it follows that they are heirs, because the inheritance is owed not only to the natural child but also to the adopted: "We have been born anew to an inheritance which is imperishable" (1 Pt 1:4); "Yea, I have a goodly heritage" (Ps 16:6). 647. Secondly, he shows what that inheritance is. 321 First he describes it in relation to God the Father, saying: heirs of God. Now one’s heir is a person who receives or gets his chief goods and not some small gifts, as we read in Gen (25:15) that Abraham gave all his possessions to Isaac, but to the sons of his concubines he bestowed gifts. Now the chief good by which God is rich is himself. For he is rich of himself and not in virtue of something else, because he does not need the goods others have, as it says in Ps 15 (v.2): "You do not need my goods." Hence the children of God obtain God himself as their inheritance: "The Lord is my chosen portion" (Ps 16:5); "The Lord is my portion, says my soul" (Lam 3:24). 648. But since the child does not obtain the inheritance unless the Father dies, it seems that man cannot be an heir of God, who never dies. The answer is that this applies to temporal goods which cannot be possessed by many at the same time; hence one must die, if another is to inherit. But spiritual goods can be held by many at the same time; therefore, it is not necessary that the Father die in order that the children become heirs. Yet it can be said that God dies for us inasmuch as he is in us by faith. 649. Secondly, he describes this inheritance on the part of Christ, saying: fellow heirs with Christ, because just as he is the chief Son with whom we share sonship, so he is the chief heir, to whom we are united in the inheritance: "This is the heir" (Mt 21:38). 650. Then (v.17b) he shows why this glorious life is delayed: first, he gives the reason concerned with suffering; secondly, the preeminence of glory over suffering [v. 18; n. 652]. 651. In regard to the first it must be recalled that Christ, the principal heir, attained to the inheritance, of glory through suffering: "Was it not necessary that the 322 Christ should suffer these things and enter his glory?" (Lk 24:26). But we must not expect to obtain the inheritance by an easier way. Therefore, it is necessary that we attain to that inheritance through suffering: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Ac 14:22). For we do not receive an immortal and unsuffering body at once, in order that we might suffer along with Christ. Hence he says, provided we suffer with him, i.e., along with Christ endure the tribulations of this world patiently, in order that we may also be glorified with Christ: "If we have died with him, we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim 2:11).
