PRESENT SUFFERINGS TO FUTURE GLORY (ROMANS 8:18-30) Lesson 17 Romans Study Notes Imagine Picture yourself in heaven one day looking back over your life. You can clearly see all the trials and tribulations you went through, but now you know how they turned out. In front of you is a vast realm of glory that you will enjoy for all of eternity. Behind you is a life that, at times, was filled with anxiety because it seemed so uncertain. Would your problems work out? you wondered for so many years. Would your family and friends be okay? Would all those dark nights of lying awake and worrying about the possibilities prove to be wellfounded? You didn t know. You couldn t have known. All you could do was trust, and at times you did. But all of the worries seemed really, really big, and, as much as you hate to admit it, God seemed distant and small. Was the Christian life or even the difficulty of life in general really worth it? At times, you weren t sure. But now? Now you re overwhelmed with His majesty, and all those worries seem extremely insignificant. You recall those doubts about the Christian life, with all its troubles and obstacles, perhaps not being worth the pain. What was I thinking? you ask yourself. Compared to the vision before you the glory of God and His everlasting kingdom of course it was all worth it. The question seems absurd. Your perspective, now rooted in ultimate reality, has completely changed. The Cost of Glory (Romans 8:18-25) Having put forth the stunning truth that we who were destined for death are now children of God and heirs of His kingdom, Paul shifts into a big-picture view of creation s future with a perspective statement: present sufferings are not worth comparing to future glory (verse 18). This reiterates a parallel passage in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, which also turns our attention away from trials momentary affliction in that passage and toward our future hope of glory. Paul s point is that whatever we go through in this world, whatever hardship we face, no matter how much it seems to overwhelm us, it is nevertheless light and momentary compared to our eternal destiny. In other words, the benefits of the kingdom always outweigh the costs. Our adoption as God s children is central to His purposes in this world. In fact, Paul writes, all creation is eagerly looking for a revelation of the sons of God, an unveiling of who His children really are (verse 19). We might expect the world to be longing for a revelation of God Himself, and perhaps it is. But in this age, that revelation comes through His people. The deep longing of all creation is to realize its ultimate destiny, and the reason it doesn t now is that God has subjected it to futility (verse 20). If humanity had fallen into sin and still managed to live in freedom and success without the inevitability of death and loss few would ever feel the need to turn to God and find their purpose in Him. The frustration and futility of the world actually serve a vital function in sending hearts in search of a Savior (verse 21). So it was for compassion that God turned humanity over to its own devices (Romans 1:24, 26, and 28), not for vengeance. We needed to be in a position of longing for more. This puts the Christian in an interesting situation. We live in a world that is subject to futility, yet we are members and heirs of a kingdom that is not. How do we reconcile this tension? In truth, we experience both the frustration and the fulfillment. We are dual citizens who walk in two realms at once. In one, there s futility; in the other, there s satisfaction. And one of our primary tasks in this world is to bring the fulfillment of the kingdom into the experience of the world as often and as thoroughly as possible. We are to believe, expect, and pray that God s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10) that the two realms would converge in us. Copyright 2016 by Explorer s Bible Study
Creation s groaning has progressed like labor pains (verse 22), and it will produce the glory of life just the same. This metaphor of childbirth echoes the same theme that began this passage the glory always outweighs the cost of getting it. In the moment, many women silently vow never to have another child because the pain of giving birth is so great; yet the moment the child is born, the pain fades into the background and the miracle of life inspires, overwhelms, and prompts undying gratitude. Was the outcome worth the process? Of course it was. And the labor pains of creation will lead to an even greater miracle, a new earth, another genesis that makes all things right. In fact, we see the firstfruits of this regenesis now in the Spirit that has been placed within us, which causes us to long for our adoption (verse 23). Though we already have been adopted (verse 15), the full experience of that adoption awaits us. We therefore live in hope (verses 24-25) not a wish that might be fulfilled, but a solid expectancy of what is certainly coming. No one should be alarmed by not seeing that hope fully yet; hope, by definition, is that which is not yet seen. So we wait with patience for God to fulfill what He has promised, though we experience tastes and glimpses of it even now. The Unveiling Does the world really look for an unveiling of the children of God? It doesn t seem so. In fact, sometimes it seems that the world would rather we go away and leave it alone. The Christian message is often offensive and rejected. But in Romans 8, Paul does not say the world is longing for the Christian message. It is longing for some revelation of which people which followers of God (or gods), which adherents of which faith are truly who they say they are. In other words, rather than looking for the Christian message, the world is actually longing for examples of Christ. It wants a demonstration, not a doctrine. What exactly does it mean to be an example of Jesus? Is it having moral perfection like His (Matthew 5:48)? Being able to replicate His miracles (John 14:12)? Following His footsteps of suffering (Matthew 16:24; Romans 8:17)? Our hope faints at the very idea of these standards, yet Scripture urges us to embrace all of them. But whatever a revelation of the sons of God implies, at the very least it means that God s children should have unexplainable lives that can only be attributed to a divine source. Those who really have faith, who live supernaturally, who demonstrate that they are really of the Father apples who have not fallen far from the tree are revelations of who He is. One day the unveiling of the sons of God will make it obvious to all that we are born of the Spirit and citizens of another realm. But there is nothing in this passage or in all of Scripture to suggest that we can t become revelations of the Father even now. The Spirit and God s Will (Romans 8:26-30) We have life in us by the power of the Spirit (verse 11). We have the Spirit of adoption that causes us to cry out to God as Father (verse 15). We have a Spirit-inspired inward groan to experience the fullness of our adoption (verse 23). And now, in verses 26-27, the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that are too deep for words. We are saturated in the Spirit from our spiritual birth to the depths of our spiritual experience. We may not always feel saturated in the Spirit, but according to Paul s words in this passage (as well as many other New Testament passages), we are alive by the Spirit from the beginning until now. The fact that the Spirit Himself intercedes for us and in verse 34, as well as Hebrews 7:25, Jesus also intercedes for us has been profoundly reassuring for many believers. Quite a few of us have had the false impression that it s important to find the right words or the perfect attitude in order for our prayers to work, and many send up prayers with the same amount of hope we would have if we shot an arrow in the dark toward an unseen target. We want to pray for God s will, but often wonder what it is. Paul is open about the fact that we do not always know how to pray (verse 26), and that isn t a problem. The Spirit intercedes for us according to God s will, and the Father who knows our hearts also knows exactly what the Spirit thinks. He makes the connections for us in order to accomplish His purposes. We still have to pray; this promise is not given to those who neglect prayer itself. But the con- Page 10
tent of the prayers is less important than the faith behind them. The Spirit takes our words even our groans and sighs when we have no words and translates them into the language of God s will on our behalf. What if we miss out on God s will? Ultimately, we can t not if we love Him and are called by Him. Verse 28 is a landmark verse for many believers because it is so reassuring about God s purposes for us. It essentially says that we can t mess up His plans. We can stray from the path at times and miss out on some blessings, but He nevertheless finds a way to weave our human frailties and missteps into His purposes. We see that often in the Old Testament. Abraham s mistakes did not divert Him from the promise; the betrayal of Joseph by his brothers did not prevent him from arriving at his God-given destiny (in fact, it furthered God s purposes in his life); Saul s hatred of David did not prevent David from sitting on the throne; and so on. Those who love God and are called according to His purpose will inevitably arrive at the purposes He has for them. Does that mean that everything works out for everyone? Obviously not. We see plenty of evidence of missed callings and forfeited promises in our world today. This verse is no guarantee that all is well at all times, or even that we ll always experience God s best possibilities. Open rebellion against God turning our backs on Him in defiance and going the other way does not bring us into line with His plan for our lives. The verse applies to those who love God and are called by Him. But even when we love Him weakly or stumble in our pursuit of His calling, He steps in to bring us back into His purposes or, because He has foreknowledge, has already woven our mistakes into His purposes ahead of time. However He accomplishes it, the promise is sure. We can rest in what He is doing in our lives, even if our lives seem out of control at times. God s foreknowledge is a key to His working out His purposes (verse 29). Paul outlines a progression from foreknowledge to predestined purposes to calling to justification to glorification. Central in this progression is our being conformed to the image of Jesus so that He would have many brothers and sisters in the Spirit (verse 29). If any believer ever wants to know what God s ultimate purpose for his or her life is, this is it: growing into the likeness of Jesus and being glorified in Him. That s the context of verse 28 the Spirit intercedes for us according to God s will, and this is the foundational piece of it that will inevitably be accomplished in those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. We become like Him. All other purposes fall within that one overarching goal. All on Him Many people get caught up in the language and the progression of verses 29-30 and have heated debates about the nature of salvation, the sovereignty of God, the role of the human will, and so on. Those may be important conversations to have, but they almost always miss the big picture. The overall tone and purpose of this passage is for believers to know how completely assured we can be in our Father s care. We can trust Him. We cry out to Him as Father; when we don t know how to pray according to His will, His Spirit discerns it and carries the weight of the prayer; we don t have to worry about our wrong choices or the choices of others derailing us from God s overall purposes or ultimately working out for our harm; our salvation from beginning to end is in His hands. Yes, we respond to Him, but no, we don t carry the weight of any of it. Much earlier in this letter, Paul wrote about the priority of faith in setting us right before God. This passage carries that theme to some of its logical conclusions. Just as the law-keepers of earlier chapters were focused on their own efforts to have a right standing before God, so do many people who have come to Him by faith then pursue the relationship in their own strength as though all sin and righteousness, all effective praying, all outcomes of God s will in their lives, and even the process of being conformed to His image and experiencing His glory is all up to them. It isn t. That s the overriding theme of this passage. The believer s job is to have Godgiven faith and trust, acting on that faith and trust as needed. God takes the responsibility upon Himself to accomplish what He wants to accomplish through us. Page 11
DAY 1: Review Daily Study Questions 1. From your reading of Romans 8:18-25, what do you think creation is in the process of birthing? 2. What is the revealing of the sons of God (verse 19)? In what ways are we being revealed now, and in what ways do you think we will be revealed in the future? 3. Personal: In what ways does it encourage you to know that the Spirit is interceding for you when you pray? How does that take the pressure off your prayers? 4. To whom does the promise of Romans 8:28 apply? What specifically does it promise? DAY 2: Read Romans 8:31-32 5. Prior to verse 31, how has Paul demonstrated that God is for us? 6. Who or what do you think Paul has in mind when he asks who can be against us? Page 12
7. What does it demonstrate about God s nature that He did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all? 8. If God s nature is so generous that He would give His own Son, what are the implications for our lives and how we relate to Him? What attitude should we have when we pray? DAY 3: Read Romans 8:33-34 9. Read Revelation 12:10. How do verses 33-34 address the situation portrayed there? 10. Personal: In what kinds of situations, and from which people (including yourself), do you most feel condemnation? Why is it important to know in these situations that you are justified by God? 11. Challenge: Chapter 8 began with a statement of how there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, and verses 33-34 reemphasize that truth. How does Paul s description of life in the Spirit and our adoption as children fit in the context of these bookends? How do the truths between these verses support them? 12. Who is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us? Do you think this is a restatement of the same truth found in verse 27 or something different? Why? Page 13
DAY 4: Read Romans 8:35-37 13. In verse 35, Paul asks the sixth and seventh rhetorical questions in a series of questions that began in verse 31 a span of five verses. How does asking these questions emphasize his point? What point is he trying to make? 14. Many Christians have wondered in the midst of a difficult trial whether God loves them. How does verse 35 address that thought? 15. Read Psalm 44:9-26. How does the perspective of this psalm differ from Paul s perspective in verses 35-37? How does this context for his quote of Psalm 44:22 in verse 36 answer the psalmist s concerns? 16. What do you think it means to be more than a conqueror? DAY 5: Read Romans 8:38-39 17. What does Paul list in verses 38-39 that will not be able to separate us from God s love? 18. Why do you think Paul uses such all-encompassing words in this passage? Page 14
19. Do you think it s significant that Paul added nor anything else in all creation in verse 39? Why? 20. Chapter 8 has been, in many ways, a description of life in the Spirit (as opposed to life under the law). From your general impression (without rereading), what are some of the benefits that this life in the Spirit offers us that we could not have gotten under the law? Page 15