TONIGHT’S TEXT
Romans 8:18-25 NRSV Updated Edition
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God, 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in[n] hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
GOING DEEPER
1. The CONTEXT … A summary, as per The Enduring Word Commentary …
Romans 8
A. Romans 7 was all about the Futility of Trying to Please God by Living in the Flesh
B. Romans 8 is about the Benefits and Blessings of Living Life in the Spirit contrasted with Living Life in the Flesh.
1. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom.8:1)
2. Life in the Spirit is much different from Life in the flesh. (Rom.8:2-4)
3. Christians cannot please God in the flesh. (Rom.8:5-8)
4. Christians are empowered to live in the Spirit. (Rom.8:9-11)
5. Obligations of Christians as children, heirs and joint-heirs (Rom.8:12-17)
Back to our text for tonight …
The IMMEDIATE CONTEXT …
Romans 8:12-17 So then, brothers and sisters, we are obligated, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba![l] Father!” 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we in fact suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
From PreceptAustin commentary on “suffering” as hinted at in Romans 8:17 …
The apostle Paul has told us in verses 15-17 that the Holy Spirit that lives in us bears witness that we are the children of God. Someone might say, “you don’t look like a child of God.” And that’s a true statement. But, daily we are being conformed into His image as we learn to trust Him. Verse 29 of chapter 8 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.“
And we know that one day, when we finally see Christ as He is we shall be like Him. John tells us of that day in 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.“
We are conformed to His image through the tool of suffering. The “suffering with Christ” that is found in verse 17 refers to the fact that all believers suffer as Christ suffered. No one is left out. In fact, the word “suffer with” is sumpascho, meaning “to experience pain jointly.” It is found only here and in 1 Corinthians 12:26: “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.“
All believers “suffer with Christ.” In the awful context of when Nero had burned Rome and the people were being slaughtered, Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:12-13, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.“
We suffer not only when sinners come against us and persecute us, but in the ordinary sufferings that life on earth brings. You see, suffering now is a “tool” that God uses to prepare us for the “glory” that is to come.
Suffering, according to Paul, is the indispensable prelude to glory. It prepares us to participate in the glory to come. We have a totally different attitude and perspective towards suffering on this earth. Well, let’s continue to watch how Paul teaches us concerning suffering with Christ.
First of all, Paul tells us that all our pain will dim when we see the glory that is to come. Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Paul certainly knew the pain that is involved in “suffering with Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:23: “Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.”
He would bear the marks as a worn out warrior for Christ.
Paul wrote Romans before he went to Jerusalem where the most serious of his troubles began. But, he always had the perspective of eternity. In verse 18, the word for “I consider” is logizomai, meaning to take all the facts and reason to a conclusion. If any man could look at suffering, Paul could.
The word for “suffering” is pathema, that which one suffers, or has suffered. The actual suffering itself involves pain, agony, and trauma. This word is used both of Christ’s sufferings and of believer’s suffering for Christ’s sake. Peter admonishes believers in 1 Peter 5:9 to “Resist [Satan], firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.“
Paul assured the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 1:6-7: “But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.“
Christ is Himself the perfect example of suffering for “righteousness” sake. Just as “suffering” was essential to Christ’s obedience to the Father, so it is with our obedience to Christ.
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We’ve gone from NO condemnation … to obligation and inheritance. Now, we’re going to look at anticipation (eager expectation) …
Romans 8:18
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.
- NET … For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared[Grk “are not worthy [to be compared].”] to the coming glory that will be revealed to us.
- NLT … Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Paul is comparing present suffering with future glory.
Life in the Spirit makes us able to understand and endure suffering.
Our present suffering and our future glory cannot be compared to each other.
Paul experienced more suffering than most people today, or ever … but he still believed that the future glory far outweighed our present sufferings.
Without a heavenly hope, the Christian life can be miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19), but … with that hope, in the light of eternity, choosing Christianity is the wisest and best choice anyone can make.
The coming glory will not only be revealed to us, but it will actually be revealed in us.
God has put this glory into believers right now. In heaven, the glory will simply be revealed.
QQQ … “The glory will be revealed, not created. The implication is that it is already existent, but not apparent.” (Morris)
From PreceptAustin …
Now, in verse 18 we find two great encouragements. First, Paul tells us that suffering, for the believer who obeys Christ, is only for a season. Paul says the “sufferings of this present time.” This gives the idea of that it is not forever, but for a particular season.
You see Christians have great hope—their sufferings will end. The word translated “season” is the word kairos, a set or fixed time. It is different from chronos, which means a space of time. Kairos refers to that which will end, like spring, fall, and so on.
Remember Habakkuk when God finally spoke to him telling him of the great suffering that was coming because of the people’s sin? Habakkuk 1:11 says,
“Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god.”
Even chastisement, which is to be willingly received by the believer, will pass.
Romans 8:19-21
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God,
- NET 19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God.
- NLT 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
2. (19-22) All of creation is awaiting and anticipating this coming glory.
a. The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits: Paul considers that creation itself is eagerly awaiting the revealing of the sons of God. This is because the creation was subjected to futility on account of man’s sin, and will benefit from the ultimate redemption of men.
i. Isaiah 11:6-9 describes this redemption of creation in that day: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
From PreceptAustin …
The second encouragement Paul gives us in verse 19 is that suffering will add to our eternal glory:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
This is where the believer is different from the unbeliever. Believer’s who suffer for Christ’s sake will be rewarded for it one day. Those who do not know Christ have no hope when they suffer. Whatever the reason for their affliction, it does not come upon them for Christ’s sake, or righteousness sake, and therefore cannot yield any spiritual blessing or glory. But all our suffering for the sake of Christ does.
The verse says that these sufferings “are not worthy”—they do not in any way compare, or measure up to—”the glory that is to be revealed to us”.
Paul speaks of a time when we shall have “glory” revealed to us. A time when this suffering is over. The word “glory” refers to the glorious condition of blessedness, our glorification, into which it is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Savior’s return from heaven. This glory will be revealed to us. The word “revealed” is apokalupto, to uncover something that has been hidden.
Paul is simply saying that all the pain, suffering, tribulation we go through here on earth as believers for the sake of Christ, is nothing compared to the state of blessedness we shall one day have revealed to us. There is a future reward that the refining experience of suffering is preparing us for, a future glory that only believer’s have to look forward to.
The second thing Paul wants us to know is that all creation will rejoice when we are glorified. Look at verse 19: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”
Now, when Paul mentions “creation”, we must make the exception for the devil and his demons, because they are sentenced to eternal torment; also of God’s holy angels who are not subject to corruption; and believers, because we have already been covered in the previous verses. So, what does the “rest” of creation refer to?
Let’s look again at verse 19 and take it one phrase at a time.
“For the anxious longing of the creation.”
The word here is apokaradokia. It bears the sense something that is greatly desired. Something that is awaited with intense anticipation, or as the King James puts it “earnest expectation.”
“Of the creation” is ktisis—that which has been created; all of the non-rational creation of God. You get the picture that all of God’s creatures of nature are standing on tiptoes. All of nature longs for an event to occur. Their destiny is inseparably linked to man’s. This future time is going to be beneficial to all of creation. It is the time when we get our glorified bodies and all of creation sees us for who we really are, and a time when they will be restored to their created purpose.
“Waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” Apekdechomai means to patiently, but expectantly await. James 5:7 says,
“Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.”
So the sense is that creation is waiting like a farmer waits for his crops to come up—earnestly expecting them to come up, but not knowing when that will be exactly.
And what is creation waiting for? “The revealing of the sons of God.” Apokalupsis, the manifestation, uncovering, of the huios, the fully mature sons of God. Oh, what a day! Colossians 3:4 says,
“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
All believers will be revealed with Him in glory, and all “creation” will rejoice, because now they can be restored. What a future we have to look forward to! It’s amazing how all of creation awaits the “revelation of the Sons of God”. Our pain will dim when we see the glory that is to come. All creation will rejoice when we are glorified.
20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
- NET 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in hope
- NLT 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope,
- Him who subjected it in hope: Only God could subject creation in hope. This was not ultimately the work of either man or Satan.
From the PreceptAustin Commentary …
Well, the third thing Paul wants us to see in this passage is that God has a plan for death and decay. Look at verses 20 and 21:
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
You may ask, what did the plants, the animals, the birds do to deserve “being subjected to corruption,” which means death and decay? We must understand this. It was all because of man’s sin. No part of nature exists like God intended it to.
Look again at Romans 8:20:
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope.”
Now, again, he doesn’t tell us when it was subjected to futility, but we already know when. Romans 5:12:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
Notice that it says, “creation was subjected.” It did not subject itself. God Himself subjected it. It’s interesting to me that so many environmental agencies are making noble attempts to turn the tide of corruption that has devastated both man and his environment since the fall. But, it will never cease until the Creator, who subjected it, removes the curse and creates a new heaven and new earth.
“Futility” is the word mataiotes, emptiness, that which is vain. The idea of the word mataiotes is the idea of being without success, of being unable to achieve a goal or purpose. You see, because of man’s sin, no part of nature now exists as God intended it to be, and as it originally was.
This is a cursed world we live in, yet in spite of that, God’s glory and beauty are still seen in it. Look back to Romans 1:20:
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
So “the creation was subjected to futility, not of it’s own will.” The word here is hekon, not voluntarily, not willingly. The word for not is ou, which means “not in any way” willingly.
“But,” the verse goes on, “because of Him who subjected it.” Again, God subjected it. Why? Because of man’s sin. “Who subjected it” comes from the word hupotasso, to subordinate. God Himself subjected it to the impossibility of ever getting better on it’s own.
All this happened because of man’s sin. Why? Read verse 21, picking up the last two words of verse 20,
in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
“In hope” is the word elpis, which carries the meaning of confidence, expectation. So you could translate it “certain hope“—hope that is never uncertain. Just as man’s sin brought corruption to the universe, man’s restoration to righteousness will be accompanied by the restoration of the earth and it’s universe to their divinely intended perfection and glory. We can be certain of that.
“That the creation itself also will be set free.” “Will be set free” is the word eleutheroo. We have seen this word before in Romans. It carries the idea that, not only will it be set free, but it will be shown to be free. Everyone will know it.
God will set it free. There will come a time when the creation will be fully restored to its desired perfection and glory. Free from what? From its “slavery to corruption.“
The word here for “slavery” is douleia, which indicates any kind of bondage. “Corruption” is phthora, that which is perishable, that which decays. Again, all of nature is in a current that is heading into corruption and seems to be on tiptoes waiting for the event when the sons of God are revealed.
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
- NET 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
- NLT 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
c. The glorious liberty of the children of God: This benefits not only the children of God themselves, but also all of creation. Until that day, creation groans and labors with birth pangs.
From the PreceptAustin Commentary …
This refers to the time when believers will be liberated from the presence of sin, liberated from their flesh and their humanness. When we are given our glorified bodies and begin to share in His eternal glory, then the world itself will also be set free.
In my own belief, I think this begins in the Millennium. Turn to Revelation 5:9-13:
“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
Isaiah speaks of the millennium in Isaiah 11:6-9 “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.”
Then it culminates in the “new heaven and the new earth“, cleansed of all corruption.
Well, our pain will one day dim in the light of the glory God has prepared for us. Creation will also rejoice in that day. God has a plan for death and decay. He is in control!
Romans 8:22-23
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor,
- NET 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.
- NLT 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
The liberty of the children of God: This benefits not only the children of God themselves, but also all of creation.
Until that day, creation groans and labors with birth pangs.
d. The revealing of the sons of God: Certain groups with a “super-Christian” mentality take the idea of the revealing of the sons of God to say that all creation is waiting for their particular group of super-spiritual Christians to be revealed in an incredibly powerful fashion. This is a purely egotistical fantasy.
e. The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now: “Creation is not undergoing death pangs… but birth pangs.” (Morris)
23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
- NET 23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,[ “who have the Spirit as firstfruits.”] groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption,[d] the redemption of our bodies.[e]
- NLT 23 And 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,[Greek~ wait anxiously for sonship.] including the new bodies he has promised us.
(23-25) We also groan and wait with perseverance for the coming glory.
Who have the firstfruits of the Spirit: This means we have a taste of the glory to come. Can we be faulted if we long for the fulfillment of what we have received in the firstfruits?
b. Eagerly waiting for the adoption: We are waiting for our adoption. Although there is a sense in which we are already adopted (Romans 8:15), there is also a sense in which we wait for the consummation of our adoption which will happen at the redemption of our body.
i. God does not ignore our physical bodies in His plan of redemption. His plan for these bodies is resurrection, when this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53).
Romans 8:24-25
24 For in[by] hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees?
- NET 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?
- NLT 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope[wait] for it.
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
- NET 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.[f]
- NLT 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
We eagerly wait … with perseverance: The fulfillment of our redemption is something still distant, yet we hope for it in faith and perseverance, trusting that God is faithful to His word and the promised glory will be a reality.
“It (patience/perseverance) is the attitude of the soldier who in the thick of battle is not dismayed but fights on stoutly whatever the difficulties.” (Morris)
WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY?
To persevere in present sufferings with hope, keep your eyes on the future glory that God has promised us.
In our text, Paul wants us to understand two certainties and a practical conclusion that flows from them:
- First, the present time is marked by sufferings because of man’s fall into sin.
- Second, the future will be marked by glory for believers as God fulfills all His promises to us.
- The practical conclusion is, if we keep our eyes on the future promised glory, then we can endure present sufferings with perseverance and hope.
1. The present time is marked by sufferings because of man’s fall into sin.
Paul mentions “the sufferings of this present time” (8:18). He was not referring to an especially difficult period in history, but to the entire present age. The whole history of creation since the fall is marked by suffering. The history of nations is marked by struggles and catastrophes—wars, natural disasters, internal conflicts, power struggles, and crimes. The history of individuals is also in large part a history of trials—the trials of growing up, figuring out what to do with your life, whom you will marry, rearing children, working through struggles in your marriage, providing for your needs, growing old and facing declining health and death.
A. The whole creation suffers because of man’s fall into sin.
Romans 8:19-22: … (Gen. 3:17-18): “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you ….” … Isaiah 11:6-9 …
Not only the botanical world, but also the animal world, came under the curse.
Isaiah pictures in poetic language a vision of a restored creation, where there will not be any violence or death.
in the future, when believers receive the full redemption that has been promised in Christ, all of creation will be restored at least to its original state, if not to an even greater level of glory.
Two observations before we move on:
First, this text assumes that God is the creator of all that is.
Second, even though the creation is fallen, it still bears witness to the majesty and glory of the Creator. (Ps. 19:1)
If the fallen creation is this beautiful, just think how spectacular the new heavens and earth will be!
B. All believers suffer because of man’s fall into sin.
(Acts 9:16), (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Our Lord Himself was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isa. 53:3)
C. We need to think biblically about suffering so that we will grow through it rather than be destroyed by it.
Romans 8:18 … This paragraph is the result of Paul’s careful, biblical thinking about suffering. It’s important to think biblically about suffering because when it clobbers you or those you love, you will be engulfed by a wave of powerful emotions. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul does not deny that believers grieve when they lose loved ones, but he does say that in light of the promise of the Lord’s coming and the resurrection of our bodies, we should not grieve as those who have no hope.
The Bible gives us far more perspective on suffering than I can comment on briefly here. As you read it, ask God to instill His wisdom in your heart for how to handle suffering. But
four things about about suffering …
- First, our present sufferings are relatively short compared to our eternal sharing in the glory of God.
- Second, the weight of our present trials is like a feather on the scale, which can’t compare with the tons of gold of the glory that will be revealed to us. He expresses the same thought in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18,
- third thing to think about to endure present, temporary suffering for future glory is that our future glory with God is absolutely certain. God has promised it and He cannot lie. Christ promised to return in power and glory to bring final redemption to His people and to judge His enemies.
- a fourth … God is using it to conform us to the image of Christ.Not even torture or martyrdom can separate us from His great love (Romans 8:35-39).
D. The fact of suffering does not undermine the fact that God has a plan and that He will accomplish His plan.
Often people observe the terrible suffering in the world and doubt God’s love or His power. “It’s one thing if wicked people suffer such things, but how could a God of love and power allow these precious little children to suffer such things?” But Paul shows that such things stem directly from man’s fall into sin. As we saw in Romans 5, when Adam sinned, the whole human race sinned in him.
But the fact of terrible suffering does not undermine the fact that God has a plan and that He will accomplish His plan. Paul says that the creation was subjected to futility “in hope” (8:20). He also uses the analogy of birth pains (8:22). The outcome of birth pains is the hope of new life. And even so, God is moving history toward a goal that includes our future glory:
2. The future will be marked by glory for believers as God fulfills all that He has promised us.
Note four things about this glory:
A. The future glory is not totally revealed to us yet, but it includes the revealing of all that God has promised for us. Colossians 3:4 … 2 Thessalonians 2:14 … Heb. 2:10 … 1 John 3:2. “Glory” includes all of God’s promises to bestow on us the “unfathomable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8). You can’t imagine how wonderful it will be!
B. The future glory includes the full renewal of creation to its original perfection and purpose. The new heavens and earth will probably be even more glorious than the Garden of Eden was. With new, glorified bodies we will live on a new earth and enjoy God’s creation as it was before sin entered this world.
C. The future glory includes our freedom from sin and its corruption, including the full redemption of our bodies. “Freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21) means at the very least, freedom from sin. We now enjoy the privileges of being God’s adopted children (Romans 8:15-16), but we haven’t yet come into our full inheritance, which includes the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23). Now, by God’s Spirit, we are able not to sin; but in glory we will not be able to sin. Hallelujah!
D. The future glory is guaranteed by our present possession of the Holy Spirit, the first fruits of our redemption. The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us a taste of what it will be like to be holy, as Jesus is holy. But we’re still living in these fallen bodies that are prone to temptation and sin, with all of its terrible consequences. But the Holy Spirit is the promise that God will not abandon us to our sin. He’s the down payment that signals that God will complete the purchase. The practical conclusion follows:
3. Keep your eyes on the future promised glory and you will persevere in present sufferings with hope. Paul anticipates us thinking, “But, I can’t see this future glory.” His reply is, “Yes, that’s the very nature of hope.” If you can see it all, then it’s not hope. Our salvation includes hope because we don’t receive it all in this life. The hope of our salvation is not uncertain, as when we say, “I hope it doesn’t rain on my picnic tomorrow.” Rather, it is absolutely certain because of the many promises of God, who cannot lie. But we hope for it because we have not yet received all that has been promised. So Paul concludes (Romans 8:25), “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” The key to persevering in suffering with hope is to keep your eyes on the promised future glory.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever watched your favorite team play in the Super Bowl, you were anxious as the game progressed, Maybe you even got depressed when they were far behind … But if your team came from behind and won in the last seconds of the game and later you watched a replay of the game, you wouldn’t despair when they fell behind … because you knew how it all would turn out. Knowing the certainty of the future glory can give us hope to persevere through sufferings.
If we become anxious or depressed in trials and lose hope, it’s probably because we’ve forgotten the absolutely certain outcome: Future glory forever with Christ! Yes, there is present suffering because we live in a fallen world. But God has promised future glory. Keeping that in view will enable you to persevere any suffering with hope.
From Barclay’s Commentary …
- THE GLORIOUS HOPE
- Romans 8:18-25
For I am convinced that the sufferings of this present age cannot be compared with the glory which is destined to be disclosed to us. The created world awaits with eager expectation the day when those who are the sons of God will be displayed in all their glory. For the created world has been subjected to chaos, not because of its own choice, but through him who passed the sentence of such subjugation upon it, and yet it still has the hope that the created world also will be liberated from this slavery to decay and will be brought to the freedom of the glory of the children of God; for we know that the whole creation unites together in groans and agonies. Not only does the created world do so, but so do we, even though we have received the first-fruits of the spirit as a foretaste of the coming glory, yes, we too groan within ourselves earnestly awaiting the full realization of our adoption into the family of God. I mean the redemption of our body. For it is by hope that we are saved; but a hope which is already visible is not a hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, then in patience we eagerly wait for it.
- Romans 8:18-25
Paul has just been speaking of the glory of adoption into the family of God; and then he comes back to the troubled state of this present world. He draws a great picture. He speaks with a poet’s vision. He sees all nature waiting for the glory that shall be. At the moment, creation is in bondage to decay.
“Change and decay in all around I see.”
The world is one where beauty fades and loveliness decays; it is a dying world; but it is waiting for its liberation from all this and the coming of the state of glory.
When Paul was painting this picture, he was working with ideas that any Jew would recognize and understand. He talks of this present age and of the glory that will be disclosed. Jewish thought divided time into two sections — this present age and the age to come. This present age was wholly bad, subject to sin, and death and decay. Some day there would come The Day of the Lord. That would be a day of judgment when the world would be shaken to its foundations; but out of it there would come a new world.
The renovation of the world was one of the great Jewish thoughts. The Old Testament speaks of it without elaboration and without detail. “Behold I create new heavens and a new earth” (Isa. 65:17). But in the days between the Testaments, when the Jews were oppressed and enslaved and persecuted, they dreamed their dreams of that new earth and that renovated world.
“The vine shall yield its fruit ten thousand fold, and on each vine there shall be a thousand branches; and each branch shall produce a thousand clusters; and each cluster produce a thousand grapes; and each grape a cor of wine. And those who have hungered shall rejoice; moreover, also, they shall behold marvels every day. For winds shall go forth from before me to bring every morning the fragrance of aromatic fruits, and at the close of the day clouds distilling the dews of health” (Bar. 29:5).
“And earth, and all the trees, and the innumerable flocks of sheep shall give their true fruit to mankind, of wine and of sweet honey and of white milk and corn, which to men is the most excellent gift of all” (Sibylline Oracles 3: 620-633).
“Earth, the universal mother, shall give to mortals her best fruit in countless store of corn, wine and oil. Yea, from heaven shall come a sweet draught of luscious honey. The trees shall yield their proper fruits, and rich flocks, and kine, and lambs of sheep and kids of goats. He will cause sweet fountains of white milk to burst forth. And the cities shall be full of good things, and the fields rich; neither shall there be any sword throughout the land or battle-din; nor shall the earth be convulsed any more with deep-drawn groans. No war shall be any more, nor shall there be any more drought throughout the land, no famine, or hail to work havoc on the crops” (Sibylline Oracles 3: 744-756).
The dream of the renovated world was dear to the Jews. Paul knew that, and here he, as it were, endows creation with consciousness. He thinks of nature longing for the day when sin’s dominion would be broken, death and decay would be gone, and God’s glory would come. With a touch of imaginative insight, he says that the state of nature was even worse than the state of men. Man had sinned deliberately; but it was involuntarily that nature was subjected. Unwittingly, she was involved in the consequences of the sin of man. “Cursed is the ground because of you,” God said to Adam after his sin (Gen. 3:17). So here, with a poet’s eye, Paul sees nature waiting for liberation from the death and decay that man’s sin had brought into the world.
If that is true of nature, it is still truer of man. So Paul goes on to think of human longing. In the experience of the Holy Spirit, men had a foretaste, a first instalment, of the glory that shall be; now they long with all their hearts for the full realization of what adoption into the family of God means. That final adoption will be the redemption of their bodies. In the state of glory Paul did not think of man as a disembodied spirit. Man in this world is a body and a spirit; and in the world of glory the total man will be saved. But his body will no longer be the victim of decay and the instrument of sin; it will be a spiritual body fit for the life of a spiritual man.
Then comes a great saying. “We are saved by hope.” The blazing truth that lit life for Paul was that the human situation is not hopeless. Paul was no pessimist. H. G. Wells once said: “Man, who began in a cave behind a windbreak, will end in the disease soaked ruins of a slum.” Not so Paul. He saw man’s sin and the state of the world; but he also saw God’s redeeming power; and the end of it all for him was hope. Because of that, to Paul life was not a despairing waiting for an inevitable end in a world encompassed by sin and death and decay; life was an eager anticipation of a liberation, a renovation and a recreation wrought by the glory and the power of God.
In Rom. 8:19 he uses a wonderful word for eager expectation. It is apokaradokia (GSN0603) and it describes the attitude of a man who scans the horizon with head thrust forward, eagerly searching the distance for the first signs of the dawn break of glory. To Paul, life was not a weary, defeated waiting; it was a throbbing, vivid expectation. The Christian is involved in the human situation. Within, he must battle with his own evil human nature; without, he must live in a world of death and decay. Nonetheless, the Christian does not live only in the world; he also lives in Christ. He does not see only the world; he looks beyond it to God. He does not see only the consequences of man’s sin; he sees the power of God’s mercy and love. Therefore, the keynote of the Christian life is always hope and never despair. The Christian waits, not for death, but for life.