Sermon Tone Analysis

Wenstrom Bible Ministries

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Thursday December 11, 2008

www.wenstrom.org

Romans: Romans 8:24-The Christian Was Saved With Reference To The Confident Expectation Of Receiving A Resurrection Body

Lesson # 270

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.

This evening we will study Romans 8:24 and in this passage, Paul teaches that the Christian was saved with reference to the confident expectation of receiving a resurrection body.

Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Romans 8:3-4, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Romans 8:5, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

Romans 8:6-8, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.

But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

Romans 8:10, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Romans 8:12-13, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh -- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba!

Father!’”

Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Romans 8:19, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”

Romans 8:20-21, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

Romans 8:23, “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

Romans 8:24-25, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

The statement “for in hope we have been saved” gives the reason why the Christian eagerly waits for his adoption as a son, the redemption of his body at the resurrection of the church.

Paul states in Romans 8:24 that the Christian eagerly waits for his adoption as a son, the redemption of his body at the resurrection of the church because the Christian was saved with reference to this confident expectation of receiving a resurrection body.

Therefore, Paul is teaching in Romans 8:24 that in the same way that creation was subjected to imperfection based upon the confident expectation of being set free so in the same way the Christian was saved with reference to the confident expectation of receiving a resurrection body at the resurrection of the church.

He is saying that though it is true that the Christian’s eternal destiny was secured the moment they trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior, the Christian’s salvation was still incomplete, thus the Christian’s life is characterized by a confident expectation of being made complete at the rapture or resurrection of the church.

“In hope” is the noun elpis (e)lpi$) (el-pece), which refers to the Christian’s “confident expectation” of receiving a resurrection body at the rapture of the church.

The noun elpis in this passage refers to the expression “the redemption of our body” that appears at the end of verse 23, which refers to the moment when the Christian will receive his resurrection body at the rapture of the church.

Therefore, the word is used in an objective sense meaning that which one has a confident expectation of receiving.

The noun elpis indicates that the Christian’s salvation is incomplete and will not be completed until the resurrection of the church.

The Christian’s salvation was planned by God the Father in eternity past and was received the moment the Christian trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and can be experienced to a certain extent through faith in the Word of God but will not be completed until the rapture of the church.

This confident expectation is not wishful thinking but a guarantee from God.

Paul taught in Romans 6:5 that the believer’s identification with Christ in His physical death is the basis for his future resurrection.

Romans 6:5, “Therefore, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that we are entered into union with Him, conformed to His physical death.

Of course, we believe this is true.

Then, certainly, we will also be united with Him, conformed to His resurrection.”

Paul instructs the Roman believers in Romans 6:8 that since they have died with Christ through the baptism of the Spirit, they will as a certainty, in the future, at the resurrection, i.e. rapture of the church live with Christ in the sense that they will receive a resurrection body like Christ.

Romans 6:8, “Now, as previously stated, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that we have died with Him.

Of course, we have already established that this is true.

Then, we do have this absolute confidence that we, as a certainty, will in the future also live with Him.”

These promises of a resurrection body are based upon God’s holiness, i.e. the absolute perfection of His character.

Romans 8:24, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”

“We have been saved” is the verb sozo (swv|zw) (sode-zo), which means, “to deliver.”

In Romans 8:24, the verb sozo is used with reference to the “positional” aspect of the Christian’s salvation or deliverance from sin, which sets up the “potential” for him to experience this deliverance and also guarantees the Christian’s ultimate deliverance at the rapture.

The believer’s salvation or deliverance from sin, Satan and his cosmic system is accomplished in three stages:

(1) Positional: At the moment the believer exercised faith alone in Christ alone, he was delivered “positionally” from real spiritual death and eternal condemnation, the devil, his cosmic system and the sin nature through the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

By “positionally,” I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ, which was accomplished at the moment of salvation through the Baptism of the Spirit when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit placed the believer in an eternal union with Christ.

In other words, the “positional” aspect of the believer’s salvation refers to the past action of God saving us from sin, Satan, his cosmic system and eternal condemnation when we trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The believer’s deliverance positionally sets up the “potential” for him to experience this deliverance in time since this deliverance can only be experienced after salvation through obedience to the teaching of the Word of God.

It also guarantees the believer’s ultimate deliverance at the rapture, which is based upon the sovereign decision of God rather than the volition of the believer.

(2) Experiential: After salvation, the believer can “experience” deliverance from the devil, his cosmic system and the sin nature by appropriating by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ.

In other words, the “experiential” aspect of salvation is used of the believer’s deliverance from sin, Satan and his cosmic system in the present moment.

1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

(3) Ultimate: At the resurrection the believer will be delivered “ultimately” and permanently from the devil, his cosmic system and the sin nature when he receives his resurrection body at the rapture of the church, which is imminent (Rom.

13:11; 1 Thess.

5:8-9; Heb.

1:14; 9:28; 1 Pet.

1:5).

In other words, the “ultimate” aspect of salvation is used of the believer’s future deliverance from sin, Satan and his cosmic system.

Philippians 3:20-21, “For our citizenship exists from eternity past in the realm of the heavens, out from which also we ourselves at the present time are eagerly anticipating as Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who will cause our humiliating body to be outwardly transformed to be identical in essence with His glorious body because of the power that will enable Him to marshal all things created to Himself.”

Romans 8:24, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”

The statement “but hope that is seen is not hope” denotes that a confident expectation that is realized or seen can by no means be characterized as a confident expectation.

The rhetorical question “for who hopes for what he already sees?”

demands a negative response and teaches that no one continues to have a confident expectation of a thing once it is realized.

So Paul teaches in Romans 8:24 that the Christian was saved with reference to the confident expectation of receiving a resurrection body at the rapture of the church.

He also goes on to define in the verse what having a confident expectation of something is not.

Obviously, something is not a confident expectation when it is realized.

Then, Paul goes on to teach in Romans 8:25 that since the Christian’s confident expectation has not been realized, he must with perseverance confidently expect to receive this promise.

Romans 8:24-25, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”