This section of Romans deals with something we will all go through in life — suffering. What kind of suffering is Paul talking about here? He will focus on creation and man. And both these sufferings have deep root in the beginning of the Bible.
If we do not understand today’s passage, we will not be able to journey through the sufferings of this life with a sense of purpose.
(A) Future Glory Shapes Our View of Present Suffering (Rom 8:18)
We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ — not by our own ability but by faith (Rom 8:17). Because of this, we share in His glory, provided we also suffer with Him.
Paul concludes that future glory is far better than the present suffering (Rom 8:18). Paul is able to say this because his model is Christ. If we believe that Christ’s suffering is not pointless and accomplished something — glory, Paul concludes that his own suffering for Christ will also yield glory.
There is also a comparison of timeframe here. Paul says something similar in 2 Corinthians 4:17. Paul looks beyond the present into the future, eternal promises.
Our lives can feel long, especially when we are going through a rough patch. But Paul is teaching us to look at things from an eternal perspective.
The church in Rome was also going through their own struggles, with conflicts between believers, poverty etc. They were not living comfortable lives and struggled just like we do. Yet Paul is not downplaying suffering and telling them to “pray and it will get better”. He is also not holding out false promises. Paul looks at the reality of our entire lives and gives us a realistic and weighty encouragement.
The encouragement is that the duration (eternal) and weight of glory far exceeds the present suffering. Knowing this changes the way we face suffering now.
(B) Remember Creation Groans and Awaits Our Glory (Rom 8:19-22)
What is creation waiting for? In Romans 8:19, creation is waiting with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (Rom 8:19). Creation here is personified, and this helps us see that even the created world is moving towards a certain direction. We understand eager longing, desiring and the tension of anticipating a desired future. And this is what creation is described to be doing. There is also an idea that we do not fully see everything that is there yet. There will be a time when the sons of God will be fully revealed.
How is creation suffering? Creation was subjected to futility (Rom 8:20a). It is what Ecclesiastes describes as vanity. Creation is unable to fully achieve what it was designed to. This futility was not willingly (Rom 8:20a). In Genesis 3:17-19, God cursed Adam and as a result, creation and the ground was also cursed. Growth is choked and prevented from fully growing and flowering. Creation will struggle to be fruitful and there is a frustration of purpose. After all, God designed creation to flourish and provide for humanity. Yet, now it struggles to fulfil its full potential.
The curse in Genesis 3 also results in the futility of work. We all know about the struggles of work firsthand even though we may not be agrarian and work with agriculture today. Fruit does not come easily. Failure seems common. Perhaps our work can also go unnoticed.
Creation is also under the bondage to corruption (Rom 8:21). It is enslaved to the process of decay, deterioration, disorder and cannot escape death. It is to free to be what it was made to be.
Creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Rom 8:22). This is a painful process but there is hope at the end. It is not a futile groaning for life will come at the end.
In Jeremiah 12:4, we see that the sinfulness of man spills into the land, and the stewards that God has put in place are not doing what they ought. Thus, in Romans 8, creation longs for the stewards who will do what God intended for them to.
What is God’s intention? Creation was subjected by God in hope (Rom 8:21). This is a certain hope, one with purpose and intention. God intended that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and to obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom 8:22). As the children of God are glorified, creation too, enjoys a freedom that comes from it.
Creation shares in the anticipation of God’s promises and restoration. Creation is struggling right now and is waiting for a day when it will be set free and restored. God’s promises are real, and creation is also waiting and longing for it. It is a certain hope and promise. Isaiah 65:17 gives us a picture not of creation being wiped away and restarted, but looking forward to being restore.
These verses remind us that the world we live in is not how it was meant to be, and it is also waiting with us for the day when it can be glorified.
(C) Cling to The Certain Hope of Final Redemption (Jn 18:23-25)
Christians have something that creation does not have. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit (Rom 8:23b). 2 Corinthians 5:5 assures us that this will happen — for God guarantees it. Earlier in Romans 8:15, we saw that we have received the Spirit of adoption, and this Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit (Rom 8:16).
In Exodus 2:23-24, we see that Israel was enslaved and cried out to God. They knew the promises of God yet were not able to experience and live it out. They desired to be in a place where they are not enslaved to sin.
In Romans 7:24-25, Paul also cried out to God. But Paul and the people can cry out in hope, because they know that in Christ, we have been redeemed. God had brought His people out before and He will do it again. In fact, on the cross, He achieved a deliverance from sin and death.
Today, we are still waiting and being shaped to be like Christ. Legally, we are already children of God, but we are still waiting for the full realisation of this fact. This is why suffering takes place — because everything is still imperfect. We are living in the already and not yet. Yes, we are already sons of God but we do not fully bear these traits.
There is also hope, assurance and certainty that all that God says will come to pass.
What do these verses mean for us today? What are we meant to do? Like Paul, we are not to downplay suffering or wallow in it. We groan but have certain hope. We mourn our sin, but we know that one day we will be rid of sin that entangles us. We may fear illness etc, but in God’s time, we will have resurrected bodies that are whole.
These verses are realistic and optimistic, grounded in the promises of God.
In this hope we were saved.
God will redeem, save and glorify us.
What sufferings is Paul referring to here? In Romans 8:35, we see that it speaks to real life struggles. Christians also face daily sufferings in this world.
What kind of hope will we have and hold out to others?