A Longing of Hope

Introduction

The Subjection and Groaning of Creation

The Creation refers to the created world, although John Gill sees it referring to Gentile nations in whom are the Gentile elect who inwardly groan to come to a knowledge of God. In the context, this is unlikely. More likely is that this refers to the created world groaning under the weight of the curse.

The original state of creation: good but imperfect, waiting for the Image Bearers of God to cultivate it and make it perfect.

The fall had the effect of cursing the ground, thus cursing all creation. No longer can the creation look forward and enjoy our dominion of it, for we exercise dominion both sinfully and with a curse that works against our efforts.

Now the world, rather than being in a state of renewal and regeneration towards perfection, is in a state of ruin and degeneration towards destruction.

Psalm 102:25–26 ESV

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,

Isaiah 51:6 ESV

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

Why is creation subjected to this because of our sin?

Chrysostom points out that the creation was made for man, and as man is cursed and fallen creation turns the same way.

This is apparent in the appearance of disease, disaster, famine, cruelty and danger in the animal world, ruining of natural ecosystems, and man’s failure to subdue the world in a positive way. Rather, man subdues the world in sinful passions, for profit, for exploitation, for riches, for self-glorification, and not in order to glorify God.

If we are to ask the question, for example, of how such great and destructive natural disasters occur and how God allows such things to happen, this is the reason. We are the reason. Creation groans in hurricanes, earthquakes, plagues, famines, and all the rest. They happen because we have lost our ability to subdue the natural world and as such God’s curse continues to show itself in all kinds of natural evils.

What does it groan for? It groans for renewal, for redemption. It waits for the appearance of the Children of God because in their appearance will come the restoration of all things. When Adam was sinless, though not perfect, so the earth was good, though not complete without man to till the ground. When Adam was cursed, the earth was cursed as well. As God’s people long for a new day, creation longs for its redemption. As the Children of God are revealed in glory, sinless and perfect in Christ, so creation also will be revealed glorious and perfect to receive them and be their habitation.

The Groaning of the Saints

Chrysostom points out that since creation groans for the appearance of the final day when the Children of God are revealed in the glory of Christ, how much ought we to groan for our release from this mortal age? He says,

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.11: Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans Homily XIV

Be not thou worse than the creation, neither find a pleasure in resting in things present. Not only ought we not to cling to them, but even to groan over the delay of our departure hence. For if the creation doth this, much more oughtest thou to do so

How much sense does it make for us to live for the present world when the present world itself is groaning for another world, a perfect world? And so we groan, and these groanings are a result and proof of our heavenly nature given to us by the Holy Spirit. Just as the groaning of creation is like the groaning of childbirth that will one day see a death of the old creation and a resurrection, as it were, of a new creation, we ourselves groan to see the death of our sinful, mortal flesh so that we may be raised immortal. This gives us a view of the vanity of all things in this age, and discourages us from clinging onto this world and the things it offers because, as John says in 1 John 2:17

1 John 2:17 ESV

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Why do we groan? While the rest of humanity eats and drinks and takes pleasure in this dying world, we groan because we are those who have “the firstfruits of the Spirit”. We groan because we have been given a taste of the new world and have developed an appetite for what is to come, rather than what we have here.

When we were dead in sin, there was no groaning for a future world, but only a groaning for a better state in this world. Indeed, many in our city groan because of high rent, grocery and gas prices, and other ills which plague us in this life. Around the world people groan for many things, liberty, pleasure, peace, prosperity, health, and many other things that should signal to them that this world is not worth putting our trust in. But they, in their darkness, cannot see this hope. They are blind to it, but we who have received the Holy Spirit and have had this future reality revealed to us long for something better than this fallen world can offer. We long for our inheritance, a new creation.

There is a warning here for those who have tasted of the Spirit but then go back to longing after the things of this world.

Hebrews 6:4–6 ESV

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

There is a state where someone can have tasted of this firstfruits of the Spirit, though they are not elect in God’s sovereign plan, and turn away. We must be careful not to fall into this group, and treat everything that makes us fall in love with this present world with ruthless discrimination, since this remains a danger that we, if we are not careful, may fall into. Instead, let us carefully and continuously hold onto the hope that we are given.

Our Hope

And what is it for which we groan? It is the renewal of all things. It is the second coming of Christ in power and glory. It is the transformation of this fallen flesh into a glorious new body. It is the purification of the church when we see the “revealing of the sons and daughters of God”. It is the restoration of this fallen creation into an eternally good and perfect creation which shall never perish or be exposed to corruption or decay. It is everything Christ meant when he said to John in Rev 21:5 “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Now we see in our text that this is a hope of a future reality, although we have tasted of that reality in ourselves when the Spirit came to dwell with us.

“Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

We see it, but from a distance. We know it, but through the promises of God that we have in Christ Jesus.

Hope is not unfounded here, but it is not yet realized. It is founded on the promises of God, which cannot be shaken or changed. This is not hope in the way we often use it, baseless desire for a future event of consequence, but hope here is assured and certain. It is the knowledge of future things based on present evidences and proofs in the past and present faithfulness of God to keep his Word.

Since hope is not seen, it must be grasped with faith. Indeed, as we have seen, salvation is for those who believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God. Faith is the difference between those who keep their heads down in the decay of this age, and those who lift their faces to a new age coming in accordance with the good plan of God. An absolute trust in God, his Providence, his truthfulness, his love, and in the person and work of Jesus Christ brings us salvation. We could say that those who are being saved are those who live in the hope of being saved, who believe the promises of God and love him based on who he is as revealed in his fulfillment of those promises.

Conclusion

To conclude, how does living with this hope look like? There are two broad answers to this question that come from our text.

First, it looks like groaning. This is not unthankfulness or discontent in God’s providence, but rather a longing for what we know God will bring about according to his Word. We groan when we see this world not being as it should be, and we long for something more.

The second is joy in the hope we have. To live in groaning is not to live miserable in this life, but rather to live with a joyful longing for what we are promised. Our final hope is in the next life, and to that we strive. We can therefore have a joyful hope at what is to appear, and how we are to appear as the sons and daughters of God.

If you do not know Christ, your head is still turned towards a miserable existence in this life. Will you not turn your eyes to something better, something that God has promised which will truly satisfy? Only hope in Christ can save you from the corruption of this world and prepare you for a new reality. Otherwise you will be swept away, along with everything evil and corruptible in this world, and have to reckon with the judgement of God. May we all find hope in future glory and long for it as we see the day drawing nearer.