This leading One is also the witnessing One. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God.” There is a Witness within us who testifies that we are children of God. This means that within us Someone is reminding us that we are children of God. Sometimes this reminding One regulates us or safeguards us. This regulating comes from a living Person, the Spirit, who is witnessing with our spirit.
Often we have exercised our mind to try to figure out certain things related to our Christian life. We know from experience that this is a distraction. What we need is the living witness of the Spirit. According to 8:16, the Spirit witnesses with our spirit, not with our mind. Paul says clearly and explicitly that the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. However, the human spirit is neglected by most Christians.
Let me tell you how a certain sister experienced the Spirit witnessing with her spirit that she is a child of God. This sister went into a restaurant and ordered two hamburgers. But the one serving her charged her for only one. Within this sister was a reminder that she is a child of God. The sister was thinking that perhaps others would laugh at her if she said that she was charged for one hamburger instead of two. But as she was considering what to do, she continued to sense the Spirit reminding her that she is a child of God. Therefore, she told the person who sold her the hamburgers, “I am a child of God, and I need to pay you for the second hamburger.” I believe that many of us have had similar experiences of the Spirit witnessing with our spirit that we are children of God. This is also a divine provision.
Thus far we have seen from Romans 8 that we have three divine provisions: the law of the Spirit of life (v. 2), the leading of the Spirit (v. 14), and the witness of the Spirit (v. 16). Now in verse 23 we see another divine provision—the firstfruit of the Spirit. The word “firstfruit” here refers to a foretaste that is a guarantee that we shall experience the full taste. God Himself is the full taste, and He has given us His Spirit as the firstfruit to be our foretaste. This means that within us we have the Spirit of God for our enjoyment, and this enjoyment is the foretaste and guarantee that we shall have the full taste. This is the guarantee that at the Lord’s coming back we shall enjoy God in full. Praise the Lord that we have the Spirit within us as the foretaste!
In chapter eight of Romans we see the wonderful divine provisions. We have the divine law, the leading of the Spirit, the witness of the Spirit, and the Spirit as the foretaste for the coming full taste. The Triune God has afforded us these rich, divine provisions.
Every aspect of the divine provisions is actually the processed Triune God who is now within us. The law of the Spirit of life, the leading of the Spirit, the witnessing of the Spirit, and the Spirit as the foretaste are all the processed Triune God. After passing through the process of incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, our God has become the Spirit dwelling within us. Now in this Spirit we have the law, the leading, the witnessing, and the foretaste. Praise the Lord for these provisions!