We’ve come to a climax in this letter to the Romans. And we’ve needed all that has been said so far to appreciate the strong confidence of this section.
Through the gospel of Christ, we’ve been released from condemnation and are no longer bound by sin. And we’re not dependent on a regime of law, or doomed merely to die.
But what’s all this freedom for? In part, this has been answered already. We’ve been freed to be what we are created to be—beloved and obedient children of God. But there’s more.
God made us in his image and is working to the end that we will share his glory. Nothing less!
This matter of glory hasn’t been prominent in what we’ve learned so far, but it’s been present.
Back in chapter two, Paul says everyone should be spending their lives living well, so as to share in God’s glory, honour and immortality. If we don’t want this, expect this and work towards this, we’re traitors. If we’re not expecting to see God reigning gloriously over all he has made, and, ourselves sharing in that glory, God is ashamed to be called our God.[i]
Rather, as Paul says in chapter 5, we are now rejoicing in hope of sharing God’s glory.[ii] The threat of condemnation and gloom of being compromised are lifted. We are even embracing the difficulties of our lives because they are God’s way to better equip us for this wonderful future.
This is what Paul now takes up. Pain and confusion are a part of our present life. Paul knows this very well, but refuses to give it centre-stage. He says it’s not worth comparing with the new situation God is bringing about.
So, first, the creation is framed in hope (vv. 18-30).
There’s no doubt that the natural world is groaning. God has given it up to futility. Nothing in this world can ever be ultimately meaningful of itself. But God has added a promise so that we can learn to live in hope. It’s the things we do because we trust his promise that are meaningful.
Creation’s groaning is not it’s objecting to the way we abuse it—as some suggest. It grieves because it can’t be the home for us that it was designed to be. And then, it’s moans are like a mother’s giving birth to a child. From God’s point of view, creation knows it will be reborn and share the freedom that’s coming to us. Its pain is not fear of a fate but anticipation of a destiny.
And there is no doubt that we Christians also are groaning.
How can we not? We have been given new life from God. We know we are meant for ‘the freedom of the glory of children of God!’ How come our life is so mundane when anticipation of such a future has been built into us?
This is illustrated wonderfully by a former pastor of mine who said as he battled a serious illness, ‘God didn’t just mean for us to live anyhow, but gloriously!’
The Holy Spirit, living in us, is evidence that he will also renew our tired and tainted bodies. And he will give the strength we need to continue to live by faith and hope and love when our familiar and trusted framework begins to crumble.
But yet, we groan. How can we not? But we’re learning, through our pain, to see things that are unseen—because they are the things that are going to last. And we’re learning to wait. Our troubles are preparing us for a substantial and eternal glory.[iii]
In fact, this precious gift of the Holy Spirit groans too—from within us. More deeply than we can know. It’s what Isaiah tells us: ‘In all their affliction he [God] was afflicted… he lifted them and carried them’.[iv] The Spirit knows the Father’s mind—for our present and our future. And his prayers are answered. When our suffering renders us unable to pray, our communion with the Father remains in full action.
And then, look at the way God has been working with us. He has known us from eternity past—meaning he determined from the beginning to set his love on us. He chose our destiny—to be his sons and daughters. Then, he called us—meaning we heard the gospel and recognised he was speaking to us. And he glorified us—meaning that if God decides to do something, it’s as good as done. Notice, on this agenda of God’s dealing with us, we are four fifths of the way through his list—nearly there!
Given this agenda, can we imagine anything that won’t work in such a way as to be for our benefit? His purpose is nothing less than to make us like his Son—full of powerful grace and love.
And now, love will hold us—the love of God in Christ (vv. 31-39).
We’ve needed all the previous chapters of Romans to be able to hear this truth. Love may seem to be a simple thing, but it’s the deepest thing of all. And we’re talking about the love of God. And, we’re talking about ourselves as people who’ve flirted with many other ways to live than living in the love of God!
We need to meditate on what this means for us.
God has ‘given up’ his Son for us. He does this in the same way that he gives sinners up to their own evil deeds.[v] He doesn’t grant his Son’s wish to be spared this awful cup. He pours out his wrath on his own Son—for us. And we belong to that Son—now raised from the dead. With love like that, God’s not going to give us up!
So, what about all the accusations made against us? That’s the question that must be settled if we’re going to know the love of God. It’s no good relying on feelings here. We need to think.
Where does Jesus Christ fit in all that’s happening to us? He’s died for us. He’s been raised for us. He’s now speaking to the Father for us.
In other words, he not only loved us as he died.[vi] He loves us now.[vii] And this is what is going on between the Father and the Son.[viii] We’re caught up in a Godhead love story. And we are the subject of their conversation!
It’s so important to have this in mind when trouble comes. Our old self-sufficient consciences may have been reckoning that we were the reason for the delights we’d received. And then, when this is reversed, we tip into thinking that we are the reason for that too.
Wrong, both times! We need to be reckoning from what is going on in heaven! The accusations die with a look from our Saviour.[ix] Only this can help us to travel through our trials.
So, people who try to get our attention with their anger can’t win. Pain can’t have the last word. Danger isn’t all there is. We know the love of God to us in Jesus Christ. And he is Lord over all things. And as we continue to walk in faith, hope and love, we are more than conquerors.
[i] Heb. 11:16
[ii] Rom. 5:2
[iii] 2 Cor. 4:17-18
[iv] Isa. 63:9
[v] Rom. 1:24, 26, 28
[vi] Gal. 2:20
[vii] Rev. 1:5
[viii] John 17:22-23
[ix] Luke 22:61. If Peter remembered Jesus saying he would fail, he must also have recalled that Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail. And it didn’t. He finished as ‘more than conqueror’.
Simply True 