An access to what Paul meant in describing a new life in the Spirit can be gained by looking at how Paul presents the identity of the people of God in the Spirit. In particular, in his letters to the churches in Rome and Galatia, Paul describes divine adoption in the Spirit, which makes possible a joint-heirship with Christ in terms of suffering at the present and glory in the future (Rom 8:14-17; Gal 3:26-4:7). Interestingly, the ‘son’ does not belong to the family by birth but is adopted. With regard to the divine kinship, however, Paul’s statement is extremely concise and includes a number of theological formulae which must be recognized and related to their respective contexts. The purpose of this essay is to explore the Pauline understanding of divine adoption and inheritance. An important characteristic of life in the Spirit is ‘kinship,’ an intimate relationship to God, expressed in prayer which begins “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15). Paul re-interprets his Jewish traditions and teachings about divine kinship as such. The divine promise, which was made to Abraham and has been fulfilled in Christ, is now witnessed by the Spirit (Rom 8:17). Paul places his declaration within the context of the churches at trouble and overcomes the threats from the opponents who have proclaimed “another Jesus,” “another spirit” and “another Gospel” (2 Cor 11:4). It is the Spirit who ensures the divine kinship and heirship for the believers and establishes the common faith for the church. The divine promises are already accomplished through the redemption in Christ Jesus and now manifested through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.