Restored Identity. Series

Paul emphasizes that our help is from “the Spirit Himself”. His “help” (sunantilambanetai) refers to a person coming alongside another to take part of a heavy load and help him bear it.( Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: The Reign of Grace (Vol. 2, p. 888). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.) His divine help not only is personal but direct. The Spirit does not simply provide our security but is Himself our security. The Spirit intercedes on our behalf in a way, Paul says, that is totally beyond human comprehension, with groanings too deep for words. The Holy Spirit unites with us in our desire to be freed from our corrupted earthly bodies and to be with God forever in our glorified heavenly bodies. To understand, the groanings of the Spirit are not utterances in unknown tongues, much less ecstatic gibberish that has no rational content. As Paul says explicitly, the groans are not even audible and are inexpressible in words. Yet those groans carry profound content, namely divine appeals for the spiritual welfare of each believer. In a way infinitely beyond our understanding, these groanings represent what might be called intertrinitarian communication, divine articulations by the Holy Spirit to the Father. No passage of Scripture provides greater encouragement for prayer. The Spirit comes to the aid of believers baffled by the perplexity of prayer and takes their concerns to God with an intensity far greater than we could ever imagine. Our groans (v. 23) become his (v. 26) as he intercedes on our behalf (Mounce, R. H. (1995). Romans (Vol. 27, p. 187). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).

Finally in verse 27, we can know: And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit is. He refers to God the Father, who searches hearts of people . In the process of selecting a successor to King Saul, the Lord told Samuel, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed, “then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),” (1 Kings 8:39; cf. 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 139:1–2; Prov.15:11). When they were choosing between Joseph Barsabbas and Matthiasas a successor for Judas, the eleven apostles prayed, “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen” (Acts 1:24; cf. 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:13).

Since the Father knows the hearts of all, how much more does He know the mind of the Spirit. The Father understands exactly what the Spirit is thinking because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Because the Spirit’s will and the Father’s will are identical, and because God is one, Paul’s statement seems unnecessary. But he is pointing to the truth in order to give encouragement to believers. Because the three persons of the God-head have always been one in essence and will, the very idea of communication among them seems superfluous to us. It is a great mystery to our finite minds, but it is a divine reality that God expects His children to acknowledge by faith. Yet, the joy for the believer is that God always answers the requests of the Spirit in the affirmative, since the Spirit always prays “according to the will of God” (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2171). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)