We left off in Romans 8 with a powerful proclamation about who we are in Christ. If we are living according to the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then the Spirit testifies that we are sons of God (cf. Romans 8:12-16). We have received the spirit of adoption so that we can be called children of God. If we are children of God, then we are heirs of God. We have a great inheritance awaiting us. But then the apostle Paul says something that might be surprising at the end of Romans 8:17. Paul does not end his thought by telling us that if we are children of God then we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Paul concludes with an important condition: “provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
I want us to think about what Paul is doing as we begin this lesson. Romans 8 is a glorious chapter about who we are in Christ. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We have been set free from sin to live righteous lives before the Lord (Romans 8:4-5). We are adopted children of God and can cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15). But if we are children of God and heirs of God, what are we supposed to make of the problem of suffering? What does it mean when we suffer? What should be our perspective about our relationships with God when we are crushed by trials? Paul is going to take us through this process to help us understand the role of suffering and the glory of the gospel.
No Comparison (Romans 8:17-18)
Please notice something about the way Romans 8:17 is worded. Paul is telling us that suffering is necessary as children of God. We are children of God and heirs of God if we suffer with him. This is a really important way to look at our suffering. Suffering does not mean we are not children of God. Suffering does not mean that we are no longer heirs of God. Suffering does not mean that we no longer have our eternal inheritance in Christ. Instead, we are showing another way we are united to Christ. You might remember when James and John comes to Jesus desiring to sit at his right and left hand in the kingdom that Jesus asks a question to them. Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink (Matthew 20:22)? Jesus is pointing out that to be with him in his kingdom requires drinking the cup of suffering that he would drink. In other words, you have to also be willing to carry the cross to follow him. We must be willing to go through suffering in order that we will be glorified with him. The glory and honor of the inheritance of Christ does not come by skipping suffering. Paul strengthened the churches he visited by telling them that it is through many tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God (cf. Acts 14:22).
But no sooner does Paul tell us that we must suffer with Christ that he wants to encourage us in our tribulations. Look at Romans 8:18. This is the way Paul looks at his suffering: it is not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. There is no comparison. It is not even a contest. There is no question in Paul’s mind that it does not matter what our suffering is, how severe it is, or how long it is that there is no comparison to the glory that is going to be revealed to us. This is just a great life verse for us. Whatever we are going through, it is going to be worth it. We are not going to be disappointed. We are not going to enter eternity and say that God let us down.
Hope With Patience (Romans 8:19-25)
Now Paul is going to use some imagery to help us wait in hope for the glory that is to be revealed. The imagery in Romans 8:19-22 is to show everything has been made for this moment when the glory is revealed to us. In verse 19 Paul says that even the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. There are a number of pictures given by the Old Testament prophets speaking about how the creation and the earth are mourning, withering, and languishing because of the wicked deeds that are done on it (cf. Isaiah 24:4-6; Hosea 4:1-3; Jeremiah 4:28; Jeremiah 12:4). Creation was subjected to futility in Genesis 3 because of sin. The ground was cursed because of Adam’s sin. But that was not the end of the story. Romans 8:20 says that the creation was subjected to futility in hope that there would be a setting free from that slavery to corruption when the children of God are brought into glory. The point is not about the creation itself but how it is pictured as eagerly waiting for our revealing and our freedom from decay to glory (cf. Romans 8:21).
Notice that this is the transition in verse 23. The creation is not the only thing eagerly waiting and groaning for this moment. We are. We are groaning inwardly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Here is what Paul is revealing to us. We have already received the spirit of adoption by which we can cry out to God as our Father (cf. Romans 8:15). But we have not even begun to see what this fully means. We are eagerly waiting and groaning for the full experience of being the adopted children of God. Now listen to the words of Romans 8:24-25. This is the hope in which we were saved. We cannot see how glorious this redemption of our bodies will be. We hope for what we do not see. But we wait for it with patience.
This is an important question before we can move forward in the hope that Paul is teaching to us. The creation waits with eager longing. We are pictured as eagerly waiting, groaning for the freedom of the glory of the children of God. So here is the question: is that what we are groaning for? Are we longing for our redemption? Are we longing for eternity? Are we wanting to enjoy the glory that is to be revealed? Or have we be captured by the cares of the world and love this life so much that we long for this life? Paul is showing us that those who are truly God’s children want the glory to come and not glory in this life. They want the life to come, not the life there is here, temporary and futile. We wait in hope with patience.
The Spirit’s Help In Suffering (Romans 8:26-27)
But God has not left us alone while we wait patiently in hope with eager longing. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Paul has told us that if we are children of God and heirs of God then we must suffer with Christ. But you are never alone in your suffering. I think this is one component about trials that make them very difficult. We can feel like we are alone. We can feel like no one understands. We can feel like no one has a clue what we are going through. But Paul tells us that we are not alone in our trials. But verses 26-27 give us some very real, tangible help. The Spirit intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. Just let this idea rest on you for a moment to give you the help and hope you need. God searches the heart and knows the mind. Please think about the words of verse 26. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought…” How many times in your trials and in your suffering do you not know what to pray for? How many times are you unable to put into words the hurt you have? I think of a child who is so badly hurt that the child cannot stop crying long enough to put into words what is wrong. But sometimes we know what is wrong. We do not need the words. We know what to do. Even when we cannot put into words what we need and we do not know what to pray for, God knows what we need. Friends, I do not know what I need to get through another day. But God does. I cannot express the deepness of my hurts from the trials I have been through and continue to go through. But God knows my hurts. The Spirit intercedes and God knows exactly what we need. God knows what we are feeling. God knows what is in our minds. Sometimes our prayers can simply be: “I don’t know but you do.” God has not left us alone but is with us, helps us, and intercedes for us in our weakness.
Hope In God’s Purpose (Romans 8:28-30)
Now Paul says something that is monumental to helping us when we are suffering. Look at verse 28. We know that God works all things for the good of those who love him. It does not seem like it when we are going through trials. It does not seem like this is true when we are experiencing trials. But this is a key truth. God is working all things according to his purpose. We know that for those who love God, he works all things together for our good. Now it is important to think about this for a moment. What is “the good” that God working things together for? What has been the context of this discussion? The good that we have been looking at is being glorified with Christ (cf. Romans 8:17). The good is the glory that is to be revealed to us (cf. Romans 8:18). The good is obtaining the freedom of the glory of the children of God (cf. Romans 8:21). The good is our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (cf. Romans 8:23). God is working all things to the good, that is, to bringing us to glory with him. That is what God is doing.
This is the very point of Romans 8:29-30. What is God doing in suffering? He is moving us to glory. God has determined to have a people who are conformed to the image of his Son. You see this in verse 29. But God is not going to leave us where we are. God cannot leave us where we are. If God leaves us where we are then none of us would experience the glory to be revealed. We must be conformed to the image of his Son. God is going to use trials and sufferings to achieve this purpose. God is working these things to together for this good that we need. So God knew and determined before the foundation of the world that he would have a people who belong to him. God knew and determined that those people would be conformed to the image of his Son. And God does not leave us alone in this process. Those who he called he also justified and those who he justified he also glorified. God is not dropping us off on the side of the road of this spiritual journey. God is with us every step of the way to bring us to glory. To say this another way, everything that God does is for the purpose of saving his people and bringing them home to glory.
Now here is our patient hope: we trust that God knows what need to conform us to the image of his Son so that we can experience the glory that is to be revealed. Our hope is not that these trials will end today, this month, this year, or even in our lifetimes. Our hope is that these trials are bringing us to glory. We long for glory. We groan for the glory to be reveal. We want to redemption of these bodies, not the preservation of these physical bodies. All creation longs for that moment. All creation exists for that moment. But we must suffer to reach the glory to come. We must patiently wait and trust that God is using our suffering to bring us to glory. We just recently studied the book of Job and I want us to listen how James speaks about all that we learned about Job and suffering.
You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11 ESV)
The compassion and mercy of God is seen through the suffering of Job. The purpose of the Lord is seen in the suffering of Job. Through Job was blameless and upright, fearing God and turning from evil, there was more conforming and transforming that needed to occur. God’s purpose was accomplished. We see God’s mercy to not leave Job. We see God’s mercy to not leave Job untransformed. We see God’s compassion because he did not leave Job through the whole trial. Trust in the Lord. He is bringing you to glory.