New Living Translation
Romans 8:16
16For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
- New International Version (NIV)The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
- New King James Version (NKJV)The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Context of Romans 8:16
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Read all of Romans 8Romans 8:16 word by word
αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα συμμαρτυρεῖ τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν ὅτι ἐσμὲν τέκνα θεοῦ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The Spiritὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- The Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
- itselfαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- beareth witness withσυμμαρτυρέωsummartureō · to testify withG4828
- ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- we areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the childrenτέκνονteknon · childG5043
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
Cross-references for Romans 8:16
- Romans 8:23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
- 2 Corinthians 1:22and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.
- 2 Corinthians 5:5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
- Ephesians 1:13And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.
- Ephesians 4:30And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
- 1 John 4:13And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.
- 2 Corinthians 1:12We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.
- 1 John 3:19Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.
- 1 John 5:10All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.
Commentaries on Romans 8:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit - , that same Spirit, the Spirit of adoption; that is, the Spirit who witnesses this adoption; which can be no other than the Holy Ghost himself, and certainly cannot mean any disposition or affection of mind which the adopted person may feel; for such a disposition must arise from a knowledge of this adoption, and the knowledge of this adoption cannot be given by any human or earthly means; it must come…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The Spirit - The Holy Spirit. That the Holy Spirit here is intended, is evident, (1)Because this is the natural meaning of the expression; (2)Because it is of the Holy Spirit that the apostle is mainly treating here; (3)Because it would be an unnatural and forced construction to say of the temper of adoption that it bore witness. Beareth witness - Testifies, gives evidence. With our spirit - To our minds. This pertains to the adoption; and it means that…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-17Verses 10-17 If the Spirit be in us, Christ is in us. He dwells in the heart by faith. Grace in the soul is its new nature; the soul is alive to God, and has begun its holy happiness which shall endure for ever. The righteousness of Christ imputed, secures the soul, the better part, from death. From hence we see how much it is our duty to walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If any habitually live according to corrupt lustings, they will…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. The Spirit itself--It should be "Himself" (see on Ro 8:26). beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children--"are children" of God--The testimony of our own spirit is borne in that cry of conscious sonship, "Abba, Father"; but we are not therein alone; for the Holy Ghost within us, yea, even in that very cry which it is His to draw forth, sets His own distinct seal to ours; and thus, "in the mouth of two witnesses" the thing is established…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 8:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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