Paul continues to say, “For we do not know for what we should pray as is fitting, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings in our manner. This groaning apparently is our groaning, but in our groaning is the groaning of the Spirit. This is why His groaning is in the same manner as our groaning. He is in us and His groaning is in our groaning. He groans with us “in like manner.” This is the best prayer we can have for the growth in life. Most of our prayers are very utterable with clear words, but they may not be out of our spirit. But when we have a real burden to pray yet we do not know how to utter it, then spontaneously we just groan with that burden without any utterable word. This will be the best prayer within which the Spirit intercedes for us by groaning together with us.
This kind of unutterable prayer is primarily for the growth in life, concerning the true need of which we do not have much understanding. Concerning our material needs and business affairs we are clear and do have the utterance to pray about these things, but concerning the matter of our growth in life we are lacking in both understanding and utterance. However, if we are seeking the Lord regarding the growth in life, oftentimes deep within our spirit we will be burdened with some prayer about which we have no clear understanding and for which we have no utterance. So, spontaneously we are forced to groan. While we are groaning from deep within our spirit, the Spirit who dwells in our spirit automatically joins in with our groaning, interceding for us mainly that we may have the transformation in life for growth into the maturity of sonship.
Verse 27 says that “He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because He intercedes for the saints according to God.” The Spirit intercedes according to God. What does this mean? It means that the interceding Spirit prays for us that we may be conformed to the image of God. We will consider more of this in the next message.
We have seen that we are the sons of God enjoying all the blessings of sonship. We may itemize the blessings: the Spirit of sonship, the witnessing of the Spirit, the leading of the Spirit, the firstfruit of the Spirit, the helping of the Spirit, and the interceding of the Spirit. Eventually we will have the full sonship of the sons of God revealed in the freedom of glory (vv. 19, 21).
In this portion of the Word three significant terms are used—children, sons, and heirs. These three words correspond to the three stages of sonship. The life of God works in three stages to make us sons of God. The life of God regenerates us in our spirit, transforms us in our soul, and transfigures our body. Hence, we have regeneration, transformation, and transfiguration. These together give us full sonship. As the result of these three steps the sons are fully matured.
In this portion of Romans we are told that the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God (v. 16). In verse 16 it does not say sons or heirs, for in the first stage of sonship we are simply little children who have been regenerated by the life of God. After this we will grow. Then verse 14 says that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God.” In verse 14 we are no longer babes or children, but sons. When we are capable of being led of the Spirit, it means that we have attained a certain growth in life. We have grown from children into sons who are able to take the leading of the Spirit. This means that we are in the second stage, the stage of transformation. Ultimately, we will become heirs. According to ancient law, heirs had to be of age and declared the legal heirs that they might claim the inheritance. Therefore, in this portion of Romans we have children by regeneration, sons by transformation, and heirs by transfiguration or glorification. We were born the children of God, we are growing up as the sons of God, and we are waiting for the time when we will be fully matured and legally declared to be the rightful heirs of God. The procedure which makes us legal heirs is the transfiguration of our body, that is, the redemption of our body, the full redemption (v. 23). The transfiguration of our body will qualify us to be the heirs of the divine inheritance. This transfiguration will be accomplished by glorification.
There are great riches in this portion of Romans, and we need several messages to cover them. In this message we have seen a sketch of the three stages of the making of God’s sons: regeneration, transformation, and glorification. As a result of these three stages, we will obtain full sonship. These three stages correspond to the three stages of God’s salvation: the first stage, justification, produces children; the second stage, sanctification, enables the children to grow into sons; and the third stage, glorification, results in the transfiguration of the body that we may become the legal heirs of the divine inheritance.