Glory on the Horizon!

Study of Romans: Message Eighteen

Wednesday Nights at MFBC

Romans 8:18-30.

ETS: Paul explained the pathway from groaning to glory for the believers.

ESS: We look forward to the glory of the Kingdom.

OSS: [Devotional] {I want the hearers to rejoice knowing that glory is on the horizon}

PQ:

Why is groaning present?

UW: Reasons

Intro.:

TS: Let us examine now a few reasons why groaning is present as explained in this passage:

Note (1): This passage is book-ended with glory (δόζα). Thus, the key to understanding this is not getting caught up in the weeds or missing the forest for the trees. Contextually, Paul is emphasizing that because believers have been adopted into the family of God on account of their faith and sealed by the Holy Spirit, they have a glory awaiting them that is far better than the sufferings of the present world.

Note (2): Examine the three specific groanings before reading the reasons:

The groanings of creation [generally] (19-22)

The groanings of believers [specifically, collectively] (23-25)

The groanings of the Spirit [specifically] (26-30)

Creation groans because of its unwilling subjection to futility. [vv. 19-22]

“When God finished His creation, it was a good creation (Gen. 1:31), but today it is a groaning creation. There is suffering and death; there is pain, all of which is, of course, the result of Adam’s sin. It is not the fault of creation. Note the words that Paul used to describe the plight of creation: suffering (Rm. 8:18), vanity (Rm. 8:20), bondage (Rm. 8:21), decay (Rm. 8:21), and pain (Rm. 8:22).” [1]

The Jewish world considered two time periods: the current, “present age and the glory that will be disclosed.” [2]

It was not the intention nor desire of the creation to groan. Yet, because of the fall of man, as Barclay suggested, Paul almost accredited rationality to nature in suggesting it groaned against its current state, longing to be made new again. [3]

APPLICATION: There will be a day, indeed it is just over the horizon, when the creation will be made new. (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21)

Believers groan because of the glimpse of glory through the Spirit. [vv. 23-25]

Having the Spirit as firstfruits- a glimpse into the glory of the fulfillment of the adoption- groan within themselves eagerly awaiting the day when the glory is real to them.

The believer groans because having tasted a sample of the Lord’s glory via the Holy Spirit, He has a longing and craving to experience more fully the glory of the Lord, the redemption of the full individual, and new man. [4] This happens at the return of Christ. [Phil. 3:20-21] “20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.”

The term “eager expectation” is elaborated on by Barclay, “…it describes someone who scans the horizon with head thrust forward, eagerly searching the distance for the first signs of the dawn breaking- the daybreak of glory. To Paul, life was not a weary, defeated waiting; it was a throbbing, vivd expectation. Christians are involved in the human situation. Within, they must battle with their own evil human nature; without, they must live in a world of death and decay. Nonetheless, Christians do not live only in the world; they also live in Christ. They do not see only the world; they look beyond it to God. They do not see only the consequences of human sin; they see the power of God’s mercy and love. Therefore, the keynote of the Christian life is always hope and never despair. Christians wait not for death but for life.” [5]

APPLICATION: The believer groans only because he anticipates a glory that is far greater than the sufferings, sorrows, and stubbles of this world.

The Spirit groans because of the burden of sinfulness. [vv. 26-30]

Jesus was troubled by the impacts of sin in the world while He was here. As such, The Holy Spirit is still troubled by the sinfulness of the world. “Today, the Holy Spirit groans with us and feels the burdens of our weaknesses and suffering.” [6]

The Spirit, then makes intercession on our behalf, knowing the will of the Father. [v. 27]

Verse 28 likely refers to those who were genuine believers- those who were called. It is not that the things were good or bad; rather, that the believer understands that God is working in and through all things to bring about eventual good.

The key to verses 29-30 is not that to be of debate. Although it has been of much debate, what we can agree on and band ourselves together on is this:

God is the initiator of salvation; not humans. In His sovereignty, God knows all things. After all, He is omniscient. From his foreknowledge, he predestines those who are believers to be conformed to the image of Jesus. The goal is that Jesus might be glorified as the one who is the example or model to those who are part of the Kingdom of God. [Note, this does not mean nor imply in any way that God predestines some to salvation and others to condemnation. McArthur explained, “It should be strongly emphasized, however, that Scripture nowhere teaches that God chooses unbelievers for condemnation…If a person goes to hell, it is because he rejects God and His way of salvation.” [7]

He called them- which, quite frankly, refers to the fact that through His initiation of salvation, which is through the Gospel of Jesus because of the atoning work of Jesus, He calls us- beckons us- to salvation.

Thus, he not only predestined in the sense that the believer be conformed to the image of Christ, He also justified him in the same sense that his sins are atoned for in Christ and thus seen as right in God’s eyes.

Additionally, He then glorifies those who are believers as heirs of God and joint-heirs of Christ as those conformed to His image.

APPLICATION: As such, the believer, having tasted that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8) and witnessed a glimpse of His glory longs to be glorified in Him, as joint-heirs of Christ.

Takeaways:

[1] Do you long for the glory of Jesus?

Bibliography:

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, “Romans” in Be Right: How to be Right with God, Yourself, and Others (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2008), 102.

[2] William Barclay, “The Letter to the Romans” in The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY: The Westminster John Knox Press, 2017), 128.

[3] Barclay, 128-129.

[4] Wiersbe, 103.

[5] Barclay, 130-131.

[6] Wiersbe, 103.

[7] John McArthur, “Romans 1-8” in The McArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1991), 498-499.

Other Consulted Resources:

[1] Edwin A. Blum, “Romans,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017).

[2] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Romans, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885).

[3] Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes, New Edition., vol. 6 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation, 2014).