18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. ‘Glory’ is God’s ultimate aim for both His people and His creation (vv. 18-25).
-“Glory” means the “transforming, ennobling, joy-bringing manifestation of God in one’s personal being” (New Geneva Study Bible, 1995, p. 1780)
- Creation will be redeemed just as believers will, since – as Rom 5:12 attests - death came to it through sin (vv.19-22)
- There’s no reason to think that this doesn’t include all that God created in this world: sky, mountains, rocks, trees, creatures, etc.
Discussion Question 1a: What features of the “cursed earth” can we expect to be no more, once the earth is redeemed?
Discussion Question 1b: In light of what is taught about creation here, how might you respond to people who suggest that “matter is evil, and spirit is good”, and that if we want to become more like God, we must renounce all possessions and bodily pleasures?
-Our final salvation is yet to come – and it will be marked by the transformation of our bodies (vv. 23-25)
Question: What will our resurrection bodies be like? Some ideas can be gleaned from
1 Cor 15:35-49.
i. They will no longer wear out, grow old, or contract sickness and disease. (v. 42)
ii. Since they will be raised ‘in glory’, there will be ‘glow’ or ‘radiance’ about them (v. 43, v. 49; see also Mt 13:43 and 17:2)
iii. They will be full of strength and power (v. 43)
iv. There will be some continuity between our present bodies and future bodies (vv. 37-38) – for example, we will resemble our present ‘selves’ enough so that we will recognize each other, just as the disciples recognized Jesus in Luke 24:36-43.
Discussion Question 2 (taken directly from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, 1994, p. 836): ”Paul says that the expectations of a future bodily resurrection is the “hope” in which we are saved (Rom 8:24). Is the hope of a future resurrection of your body one of the major things you look forward to in the future? If not, why not? What could increase your hope in the future resurrection of the body?”
2. God provides us with all we need to eagerly and patiently wait for this glory. (vv. 26-30)(cf. 2 Pe 1:3-11)
a) The Holy Spirit’s help. The same One who gives us new life (8:2) and the power to fight and kill our sin (8:13) also intercedes for us as we struggle with prayer.
”Our inability to pray as precisely as we would like is no hindrance to the working out of God’s perfect will in our lives” (Douglas Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 2000, p. 269).
b) God’s promises. Verse 28 is one of the most beautiful – and misapplied – passages of Scripture. It promises that God will accomplish His perfect will for us. However, verse 28 must be taken together with verses 29 and 30. The “good” of verse 28 refers to God’s plan to conform us to the character of Christ (v. 29) so that we may share in His glory (v. 17, v. 30).
Discussion Question 3 (taken directly from Henry Virkler’s Hermeneutics, 1981, p. 91): ”A Christian man lost his job….He and his wife interpreted Rom 8:28 to mean that he lost his job in order that God might give him a better-paying one. Consequently he turned down several lower- or equal-paying job opportunities and remained on unemployment for over two years before returning to work. Do you agree with his way of interpreting the verse? Why or why not?”
