During this present time when God’s curse is upon the world, both the creation and the Christian groans. However, there is a time coming when both will be set free from slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God!
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Groanings
Romans 8:18-25
This passage is about groaning.
Let me give you an outline of this passage of Scripture. Romans 8:18-22 is The Groaning Of The Creation. Romans 8:23-25 is The Groaning Of The Christian. Romans 8:26-27 is The Groaning Of The Comforter.
The Groaning of the Creation – look at verse 22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
The Groaning of the Christian – look at verse 23, “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
The Groaning of the Comforter – look at verse 26, “but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.”
Now, what do we mean when we speak of groaning? The dictionary defines it as “make a deep inarticulate sound in response to pain or despair.” Okay, well is there anything within this passage that might speak of pain or despair?
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.”
8:20 – “For the creation was subjected to futility…”
8:21 – “that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption”
8:22 – “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
Paul, in this passage, speaks of suffering, futility, and corruption. I think that would qualify for reason for groaning, don’t you?
But there’s more than groaning going on here. There’s also glory! In fact, Paul sets the tone for verses 18-25 in verse 18 when he writes, “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.” “The glory that is to be revealed to us.” What is Paul referring to? Well, in verse 17 he said, “if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” There. In that single verse Paul mentions suffering with Christ and being glorified with Christ. Suffering and Glory. And that is what Paul is talking about in verse 18 – the Sufferings of this present time, and the Glory that is to be revealed to us.
Remember, our last study in Romans? We discovered a little bit about what this inheritance includes. First, we inherit God! We also are fellow heirs with Christ, meaning we receive all that Christ receives, and the Bible says that He inherits all things! We also inherit the world. Further, we inherit glorified bodies. Now, all of that is pointing toward the glory that is to be revealed to us.
So, what is Paul saying? He’s saying that he has considered this. He has sat down and thought about this from all angles. He brought all his reasoning powers to bear and this is what he came up with. When he got a pair of scales out, and stacked all of the sufferings of this present time on one side of the scale and then stacked up all the glory that is to be revealed to us on the other side of the scale, which side is going to be heavier? No question about it! The glory that is to be revealed is going to come crashing down, because it is infinitely greater than the sufferings of this present time. Future glory is so much greater than present suffering that it is not even worth comparing the two! It is like comparing the weight of a feather with the weight of a jumbo jet! Sometimes when our sufferings are great, and they seem to never end, we can wonder if it is really worth it. Paul answers, “Yes!” You can’t even compare your suffering to the wonder of the glory to come. So, go on. Keep persevering in faith. Keep running toward the finish line. No matter how great the suffering, it will all be worth it in the end.
Now, this might be just a bunch of hot air if it didn’t come from Paul. Paul did not go through life with a silver spoon in his life, living in some ivory tower. Paul was beaten, stoned, chained, imprisoned, shipwrecked, starved and exposed to the elements. And this is the man that says it isn’t even worth comparing our present sufferings with future glory.
As we work our way through this passage, I want you to see three things about Creation:
- The Creation was subjected to Corruption
- The Creation is a Slave to Corruption
- The Creation will be Set Free from Corruption
That is the order I want to take these in. Something happened in the Past – the creation was subjected to corruption. Something is happening in the Present – the creation is a slave to corruption. Something will happen in the Future – the creation will be set free from corruption.
Then I want you to see three things about the Christian:
- The Christian groans because he has tasted the first fruits of the Spirit
- The Christian groans because of the infirmity of his flesh
- The Christian groans because he hopes for glory
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The Groaning Of The Creation
The Creation Was Subjected To Corruption
Creation. What does Paul mean by “creation”? Well, we know he is not talking about Christians, because he specifically mentions them in verse 23 as being in addition to the creation. It seems that Paul is speaking about the non-rational creation. He is speaking about plants and animals, mountains, lakes, winds and waves – everything God has made in this world apart from man.
Futility. This word means “purposeless, emptiness, meaninglessness, vanity.” The word for futility speaks of “that which fails to measure up to the purpose for which it was created.” Solomon said exactly the same thing in the book of Ecclesiastes. He said, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). What Paul is telling us, is that something is terribly wrong with the world.
Was Subjected. Notice that the creation did not subject itself. Verse 20 says this subjection to futility was not willingly. The creation did not decide to subject itself to futility. Then how did this subjection to futility happen? Verse 20 speaks of “Him who subjected it, in hope…” The creation was subjected by Him. A Person. This is not talking about Adam or Satan, because neither of them subjected the creation to futility in hope. It is talking about God. But when did God subject creation to futility? Go back to Genesis 3, and notice what took place as a result of man’s first sin. When God created all things He said it was very good. Originally this world was a good creation. Now it is a groaning creation. Why?
Genesis 3:17-19, “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, `You shall not eat from it´; 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; And you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
When man sinned, God cursed the creation. Instead of easily and pleasantly going out and gathering his food, man now must toil and sweat to survive. Instead of this world being a Paradise, it has been cursed because of man’s sin. Nothing in this world is as God originally created it. The Fall of man has brought corruption, disease, devastation, and death upon everything. We look around at the world and think, “Well, that’s just the way the world is.” But it’s not the way the world originally was. It is the way it is now, because has subjected the world to futility.
The Creation Is A Slave To Corruption
As a result of God subjecting creation to futility, it is currently a slave to corruption. In other words, it is in bondage to a state of corruption. The creation can’t change this state of affairs.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a lot in our world that points to the glory of God. The view from the rim of the Grand Canyon. Snorkeling in the ocean at Hawaii. Watching dolphins jump from the water in perfect synchronization alongside your ship. The beauty of a sunset. Sea turtles migrating thousands of miles back to the very spot where they were born. There are all kinds of echoes of the glory of God in creation. Yet, we all know that something is wrong. This present creation is not at all functioning according to God’s original design. Plants, trees, animals all get sick and die. This world experiences horrific hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis. No part of creation exists as God intended it to be and as it was originally created in perfection. There is a universal process of decay and death going on in the plant and animal kingdom.
Scientists even have a name for this condition. They call it “entropy.” Entropy speaks about the gradual decline into disorder of everything. It is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Everything is going from order to chaos. Everything runs down, disintegrates, and dies.
Think of it this way. At the beginning of time the world was marked by perfection. At the end of time the world will be marked by perfection. Revelation 22:3 says “There will no longer be any curse.” But during the span of time in between there is a curse on the world.
The Creation Will Be Set Free From Corruption
When will this happen? 8:19, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” Paul pictures the creation as personified and anxiously waiting for something. What? The revealing of the sons of God. What does that mean? It means that right now the sons of God are not revealed. The sons of God now pretty much look like everyone else. We don’t have a halo over our heads, or a heavenly glow shining from our faces like Moses did after being in the presence of the Lord. But Jesus said that when He returns, “then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” How will the sons of God be revealed? Jesus will do the revealing. When He comes in His glory He will sit upon His throne and He will separate His sheep from the goats. He will put His sheep on His right, and the goats on His left. Then all the world will see who are the Beloved, the favorites of Heaven! They will be amazed to see the ones they thought were foolish, weak, base and despised, as the chosen of God.
Why is the creation anxiously waiting for the revealing of the sons of God? Because the creation’s destiny is bound up with man’s destiny. Man plunged creation into futility when he sinned. But man will also lift creation into glory when He is restored. That is what Paul means in verse 21, “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” When the sons of God experience the freedom of glory, the creation will experience it as well. Then they will be set free from corruption.
The whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. There is a lot of suffering in childbirth. I was there when my two sons were born, so this is something I know! But there is a lot of hope and expectation in childbirth. Although the pregnant woman suffers greatly, she also looks forward to something wonderful and beautiful – the birth of her baby. So too, though creation suffers greatly now because of the Fall, it looks forward to the time when the curse is lifted, and it again can perfectly reflect the glory of God.
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The Groaning Of The Christian
The Christian Groans Because He Has Tasted The First Fruits Of The Spirit
And not only this, but also we ourselves. Not only does the creation groan to be set free from its slavery to corruption, but also we groan to be set free from corruption as well. That which is taking place in creation is mirrored in that which is taking place in the Christian.
Having the first fruits of the Spirit. The first fruits were the first portion of the harvest. The first fruits was a pledge and guarantee that a full harvest was coming. The first fruits was the beginning of the coming harvest. The first fruits of the Spirit is the beginning of the world to come. You see, when the Holy Spirit comes in to take up residence in a believer, He gives us a foretaste of the world to come. His ministry to us in regenerating and sanctifying us gives the believer a foretaste of what life will be like in the New Earth. When the Spirit works within us to love God, desire to worship Him, commune with Him, please Him, and obey Him, that is just a foretaste of what life will be like when we do that perfectly in the eternal kingdom.
The Christian Groans Because Of The Infirmity Of His Flesh
Groan within ourselves. Notice that this is an inward groaning, not an outward groaning. Our spirit groans inwardly. I don’t believe this is talking about audible groaning, but the inward groaning of the soul.
Waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. Now this is odd. Paul says the Christian is waiting eagerly for his adoption. Well he just got done saying in verse 15 that he has already received the Spirit of adoption as sons. Which is it? Has he already been adopted, or is he going to be adopted? Brothers and sisters, this is not an Either/Or, but a Both/And. Yes we have been adopted, and Yes we will be adopted! What do I mean? I mean that when the Spirit came to indwell us, He came as the Spirit of Adoption. At that time, we were brought into God’s family as His sons. However, our completed and perfected adoption is still to come. We have experienced the beginnings of our adoption, but the fullness and climax of our adoption is still future. What is it? The redemption of our body.
That teaches us that our bodies are not yet redeemed. Verse 23 says we are waiting for the redemption of our body. Thus, we are redeemed souls dwelling in unredeemed bodies. And that is why we groan. And that’s why I believe that the Christian groans because of the infirmity of his flesh. He knows that he is headed to a perfect world, in which there is no corruption, or pain, or disease, or death. But he experiences all of that right now. So, he groans. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:2, “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.”
Now, what do I mean by the infirmity of the flesh? I mean the suffering and the sin that we experience in our flesh. Folks, look around – our world is broken! We see suffering and pain everywhere. If you think about it, our world is a cruel place to live. Yes, it is also a beautiful place to live. It is beautiful and cruel at the same time. We marvel at its beautiful sights, but cringe at its cruel afflictions. When my son died in 2004, a great black cloud descended upon me, and I experienced great anguish of soul. Millions of people experience the same thing around the world. Imagine the anguish all the people around the world have experienced today because someone they love very much as died. 55 million people die every year. 6,316 people die every hour. Breathe in and breathe out, and 4 people have died. This world is filled with suffering, pain, and death.
We witness babies born into the world with deformities and disabilities. Two of the children in our own church were born with a disability that will probably require them to live in wheelchairs the rest of their lives. 600,000 people a year die from cancer. Debbie’s dear friend, Holly, suffers from migraines frequently, often more than once a week that leave her bedridden and incapacitated. She has prayed for decades for God to heal her, and until now she has not been healed. Everyone I know suffers from some kind of physical malady. Nobody gets a free pass. Suffering is universal. It might be fatigue, back pain, epilepsy, diabetes, downs syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gherig’s disease, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, or something else, but the list goes on and on. Our bodies are weak, and prone to infirmities and suffering. When will all this pain cease? When Christ returns and your body is redeemed! That’s when you will experience the fullness of your adoption as sons.
I believe that Paul also has in mind the sin that we commit in these unredeemed bodies. We groan inwardly, because as new creatures in Christ, we long to live holy lives. If we could we would never sin again. We want to please the Lord in our thoughts, words and actions. Yet, sin expresses itself through our bodies. We think, say, and do things that we regret and grieve over. My friends, have you ever experienced this? Have you ever been grieved because of your sin? Have you ever inwardly groaned because you have disobeyed the Lord? Have you ever transgressed God’s Law because your flesh is weak? I’ve got good news for you. Your groaning will not last forever! There’s coming a day when your body will be redeemed and you will be set free from slavery to corruption. Hallelujah!
The Christian Groans Because He Hopes For Glory
For in hope we have been saved. What “hope” does Paul have in mind? I believe it is the hope he has already told us about in Romans 5:2, “and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” We long to experience and enjoy the glory of God. We want to experience in God in His fullness. We want to know Him and taste the sweetness of His attributes.
What does Paul mean by “hope”? He’s not talking about a wish that probably won’t come true, like someone hoping that he will win the lottery. No, Biblical hope is a certain expectation of coming good. It is future. That’s why Paul says in verse 24, “for who hopes for what he already sees?”
With perseverance we wait eagerly for it. If you have a true Biblical hope in the coming of Jesus Christ, the redemption of your body, the truth of the new heaven and the new earth, that will put steel in your backbone, and enable you to persevere the greatest trials and sufferings in this life. If you really believe what the Bible says, you will wait eagerly for the Lord to bring them to pass.
Conclusion
My friends, how should this passage impact us?
- It teaches us that in this life we will suffer tribulation. We should not be surprised by fiery trials or suffering. We live in a sin-cursed world. It is broken. Suffering comes along with sin. Accept that fact. You are not going to escape suffering. All of us will face it.
- It also teaches us that glory will be revealed to us! The sons of God will be revealed. They will enter into the freedom of glory. Their bodies will be redeemed. They will experience the fullness of being God’s adopted sons. It is coming! Believe it! Hope for it!
- Wait eagerly for the coming glory! Did you notice the phrase “waits eagerly”? It comes up three different times in our passage:
8:19, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”
8:23, “we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
Brothers and sisters, you and I are not just supposed to wait for glory, but we are to wait eagerly! We are to wait with breathless expectation. We are to wait excitedly. Don’t lose your hope! No matter how badly you suffer now, lift up your heads and believe the word of God. You will experience the glory of God. Christ is coming! Allow your suffering to cause you to wait all the more eagerly. Let it increase your appetite for God and His glory. Wait eagerly! I will close with this. Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
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