Sermon Tone Analysis

The Intercession of the Holy Spirit

What is meant by “in the same way”

ὡσαύτως

“In like manner, in the same way, similarly, likewise.

Helps: generally means to come to the aid of, be of assistance to.

Weakness: This is probably a chiasm

A. The Spirit helps

B. In our weaknesses

B’.

For we do no know what to pray for as we should

A’.

But the Spirit intercedes with unspeakable groanings

The hope of believers is also strengthened by the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

The verb συναντιλαμβάνεται (synantilambanetai, helps) is probably intensive, indicating not merely that the Spirit joins in helping but also that the Spirit himself and alone renders the assistance believers need.

The weakness of believers in prayer, therefore, is that they do not have an adequate grasp of what God’s will is when they pray.

Because of our finiteness and fallibility, we cannot fully perceive what God would desire.

Believers, then, should take tremendous encouragement that the will of God is being fulfilled in their lives despite their weakness and inability to know what to pray for.

God’s will is not frustrated because of the weakness of believers.

It is fulfilled because the Spirit intercedes for us and invariably receives affirmative answers to his pleas.

We can see how nicely this fits with the next verses, where Paul teaches that God works everything together for good and that God has designed all things so that we are conformed to the image of his Son.

No wonder all things are working out for our good: the Spirit is effectively praying for us so that the will of God will be accomplished in our lives, and we know that God identifies with and cares about our experiences of suffering, which provides comfort.

The Sovereign Work of God

Believers are Victorious