Romans 8.25-The Christian Confidently Expects And With Perseverance Eagerly Waits For The Promise Of A Resurrection Body
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday December 14, 2008
Romans: Romans 8:25-The Christian Confidently Expects And With Perseverance Eagerly Waits For The Promise Of A Resurrection Body
Lesson # 271
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This morning we will study Romans 8:25 and in this passage, Paul teaches that the Christian confidently expects and with perseverance eagerly waits for the promise of 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, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it.”
Romans 8:21, “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, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”
Romans 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
“But” is the “adversative” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which introduces a statement that presents a contrast with Paul’s rhetorical question that completes Romans 8:24, which is, “for who hopes for what he already sees?”
Therefore, de introduces a statement that stands in contrast with the idea that no one has a confident expectation of receiving something when he already sees it or when this expectation is realized.
So obviously, the opposite of not confidently expecting to receive something because you have already seen it, is that you confidently expect to receive something that you have not yet seen.
“If” is the conditional particle ei (ei)) (i), which introduces a protasis of a first class condition that indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
As we noted many times in our study of the book of Romans, the idea behind the first class condition is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument, then...”
This would encourage Paul’s audience to respond and come to the conclusion of the apodosis since they already agreed with him on the protasis.
Therefore, Paul is employing the first class condition as a tool of persuasion with his audience.
Here the protasis is “if and let assume that it is true for the sake argument that we confidently expect (to receive) what we do not see.”
The apodasis is “(then) with perseverance, we eagerly wait for it.”
In Romans 8:25, the basic relation that the protasis has to the apodasis is “evidence-inference.”
The “evidence” is that the Christian confidently expects what he does not see, namely, the promise of a resurrection body.
The “inference” is that with perseverance, the Christian eagerly waits for it.
The response to Paul’s protasis by his Christian readership would be obvious.
Of course, they confidently expected to receive the promise of a resurrection body, then they must be eagerly waiting for it with perseverance!
They would agree emphatically with his protasis.
He is not attempting to prove that his protasis is true rather he is presenting with the first class condition the fact that Paul and his readers confidently expect to receive from God the promise of a resurrection body.
The first class condition would then persuade them to respond to the conclusion found in the apodasis that with perseverance, they eagerly wait to receive this promise of a resurrection body.
Therefore, Paul’s audience would have to come to his conclusion if they submit to this line of argumentation.
He wants them to come to his line of argumentation because he is attempting to give them assurance that they will receive a resurrection body and therefore be perfected and delivered permanently from the old Adamic sin nature, which they were currently battling.
Therefore, it is essential that they agree with him on this point since it will give them encouragement in the midst of their ongoing battle with their sin nature.
The conditional particle ei is therefore drawing a conclusion from Paul’s rhetorical question at the end of verse 24.
This means that confidently expecting to receive the promise of a resurrection body, which the Christian does not yet experience means that they must confidently expect to receive it and eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Romans 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
“We hope for” is the verb elpizo (e)lpivzw) (el-pid-zo), which means, “to have a confident expectation” or “to confidently expect” receiving from God the promise of a resurrection body.
“What” is the relative pronoun relative pronoun hos (o^$) (hos), which refers to the object of the Christian’s confident expectation, namely, receiving from God the promise of a resurrection body.
“We do not see” is composed of the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), “not” and the verb blepo (blevpw) (blep-o), “we do see.”
Together, they denote that the Christian confidently expects to receive from God the promise of a resurrection body, and which resurrection body, the Christian “by no means sees” at this time.
“With perseverance” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV) (dee-ah), “through” and the genitive feminine singular form of the noun hupomone (u(pomonhv) (hoop-o-mo-nay), “perseverance.”
The noun hupomone is composed of the preposition hupo, “under” and the verb meno, “to remain abide,” thus the word literally means, “to abide under” as one would a heavy load.
In the New Testament, hupomone it used primarily to denote perseverance, which is steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, and a state and suggests activity maintained in spite of intense pressure, difficulties, steadfast and long continued application.
For the Christian, “perseverance” is remaining faithful and obedient to the Word of God despite the obstacles in life such as the old sin nature, self, the cosmic system of Satan.
It is bearing up under intense pressure and not quitting on God.
“Perseverance” is not passively waiting out difficult circumstances but rather it is active and is often depicted as enduring undeserved suffering on behalf of the communication of the gospel.
As was the case in the Old Testament, hupomone in the New Testament is closely connected to confidence in God and is particularly grounded in the future (Hebrews 12:1).
Believers demonstrate to God and others the quality of their Christian character and benefit themselves spiritually when they “persevere” and “endure” undeserved suffering that comes upon them because of their association with the gospel.
Hupomone, “perseverance” is not “gritting one’s teeth” nor is it a passive acceptance of the circumstances but rather it is remaining faithful and obedient to the will of God in the face of opposition or difficulty.
It is an attitude, which bears with things not simply with resignation, but with a confident expectation that God will be glorified in our adversity and we will be blessed.
In other words, when an adversity strikes in our lives that is difficult, painful, frustrating and disappointing, and we meet the adversity with God’s grace and faith in the Word of God, His power, sufficiency, fellowship, wisdom and love, and don’t give in to bitterness and resentment and complaining, then we are persevering.
The word conveys the idea of not permitting our adverse circumstances to get us to surrender or quit on the plan of God.
The word describes a triumphant confident expectation of reward and blessing in the midst of adversity, knowing like Joseph that even out of evil God guarantees good rather than a “grin and bear it” attitude.
Perseverance is that spiritual staying power that will die before it gives in and is the virtue which can endure, not simply with resignation, but with a vibrant confident expectation of reward and blessing.
It also involves doing what is right and never giving in to the temptation or trial and is a conquering perseverance and the ability to deal triumphantly with anything that life can do to us.
It accepts the blows of life but in accepting them transforms them into stepping stones to new achievement and spiritual growth.
Hupomone is the attitude of the soldier who in the thick of battle, is not discouraged and quits but rather fights on courageously whatever the difficulties.
Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
James 1:2-4, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Perseverance demands faith in the promises of God.
Faith is an attitude toward God, in which the believer considers God to be faithful who will perform all that which He is promised in His Word.
This attitude is illustrated in Philippians 1:6.
Philippians 1:6, “I am confident of this very same thing, namely that, the One (God the Holy Spirit) who began in all of you a good work that is divine in character, will completely finish it up to the day of Christ who is Jesus.”