From Suffering to Glory

Creation waits and groans for the revealing of the sons of God, because it will also be delivered into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Creation suffers unter the emptiness of pointless repetitious cycles of life and death.

Arc 19-22

editing

Romans 8:19-22

nkjv

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God .

For the creation was subjected to futility ,

not willingly,

but because of Him who subjected it in hope ;

negativepositive

ground

[ because -> that] the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God .

actionpurpose

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

ideaexplanation

Suffering reminds of the glory that will be revealed in us. This is comfort to the suffering soul. One day all suffering will end and I eagerly await it.

Our Lord Jesus will soon return.

The reason for creations subject to futility is because God subjected it in hope. How? Why? When?

Paul says that creations state is like a woman that is in birth pains. The pain is terrible but the outcome is tremendous joy. Likewise with the current state of creation's futility. Creation will be transformed to a place of absolute beauty and harmony. But before that happens, the elements of this earth will be burned. (2 Peter 3:10-13)

Synonyms for futility: pointlessness, vanity, fruitlessness

I believe that most translator were right in choosing "that" instead of "because". Paul is talking about something God did and what he yet will do with His creation. So it is an Action-Purpose statement, and not a Ground.

discourse

Phrase 19-22

Romans 8:19-22

For the ... expectation of the creation ... waits

eagerly

Manner

earnest

for the revealing of the sons

Content

of God.

For the creation was subjected

Ground

to futility,

Destination

not willingly,

Negative

but because of Him

who subjected it

in hope;

Context

because [-> that] the creation itself also will be delivered

Purpose

from the bondage

Source

of corruption

into the glorious liberty of the children

of God.

For we know

Reference

that the whole creation groans and

labors

with birth pangs

Accompaniment

together

until now.

Temporal

together with who?

"Revealed" in the book of Romans Rm 1:17 In the Gospel of Jesus Christ the righteousness of God is revealed . Rm 1:18 The wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Rm 2:5 The righteous judgment will be revealed to those of a hard and impenitent heart. Rm 8:18 mentions the glory that is to be revealed to us. Two revelations: The revelation of the righteousness of God and the glory that is linked to Christ's righteousness for all who receive the gift of the forgiveness of sins and a perfect standing before God in Christ. The revelation of the wrath of God against all unrighteousness and those who have hardened their heart to the truth of God.

Who subjected creation? The NKJV and some others translate the "Him" with an capital "H" referring to God. I heard somebody referencing the "Him" to Adam. Adam was the one who subjected creation to futility through the fall and than was making the earth subject in hope through his work. Adam might have been the vehicle of subjecting creation but the Him refers to God because of verse 21. Is Adam the one who will deliver creation from the bondage of corruption? Certainly not. God subjected creation (Gen 3:17-19) in hope and will also deliver creation from it's bondage of corruption.

Paul is further explaining what happens when the believers get glorified.

The glorious liberty of the children of God is the freedom from life's pointlessness, failures, weaknesses, and bondage. Everything will be perfect.

How is creation expecting the revealing of the sons of God? Creation goes through its cycles of emptiness till decay has done it's work. Creation is promised along sight the sons of God to be changed into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. A day is coming of no decay and absolut harmony and perfection.

What does the revealing of the sons of God mean? How does it work? Rm 8:14 says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Present tense) A time will come which will reveal all the glory that is in the fact of being presently by God's grace, sons of God.

Adam was not without hope when God cursed the ground. It just took a lot of hard work to have a fruitful ground for plants and fields. God also promised a deliverer who would be bitten by the serpent in the heel, but He would crush the serpents head (Gen 3:15). The Lord Jesus crushed Satan at the cross of Calvary. Satan's seeming victory was his complete defeat. His bite in the heel of the savior required him his head. Satan, sin, and death are conquered by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And all who receive this truth personally take part in His victory.

Sons of God speaks about position. Fathers love their sons no matter what. If the father had a business and one of his employees would slack, he would fire him. But never would a father in his right mind cast his son out. If their are issues, the father loves even more to resolve and help his son to get back on track. Females should not be discouraged because it speaks about males. In fact it should be encouraging because back in time, the first son received a double portion of the inheritance. Women that were left out back in Israel's history, receive now a full double portion in Christ. Women are equal heirs of eternity. They have equal access to the tremendous blessings in Christ. (Gal 3:26-29)

phrasing

Paul explains in theses verses the state of this world and the liberation that will come soon. The world was subjected to futility because of man's sin ( Gen 3:17-19 ) and the deliverance form futility is linked to the glory that will be revealed in the sons of God (8:19). God designed creation with a link to men. Men was to rule over creation. When men fall in sin, creation came as a result of men's sin under bondage of corruption. Likewise, when the glory in the sons of God will be revealed, creation is going to be freed from bondage. Governments in Europe have enforced regulations to prevent greenhouse gases as if, it seems, they found the ultimate solution to our environmental problems. It is great to make our planet a better place to live on, but it is also important to keep in mind that theses effort cannot create the perfect environment. If too much effort is set on sustaining the environment, the governments regulations could discourage companies, which end up in less regulated countries, producing the same waste. Technological advances did and do excellent things for us but in the end they cannot change the second law of thermodynamics. The work for creation's liberation is already done in Christ's death and resurrection. All that is needed is the revealing part of His glorious work in the sons of God. The revelation of Jesus Christ will be an amazing day! Creation is tired of the repeating cycle of life and death. For thousands of years creation is trying every year to bring forth perfection, only to discover in fall that all the efforts were for nothing. That is why creation is expecting and waiting eagerly for that glorious day of perfection. The sun won't burn flowers anymore and the lion will be satisfied without eating antelopes. The stronger animals will not kill the weaker, but they will life in complete harmony.

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