Living Understanding, Pt 37: Groaning

Romans 8:18-27                    18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  19For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.  22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  24For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what they already have?  25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Present sufferings not worth comparing

Translation of ancient languages into modern ones always involves decisions regarding how to clearly present or communicate a thought.  In this case, Paul is comparing the circumstances of one’s current life situation with the life awaiting us when we enter eternity with Jesus.  NIV and others use ‘present sufferings’, and ESV uses ‘at the present time.’  Now, we live in a time when we struggle in some way for anything we achieve:  We have sickness, mental and physical anguish, difficulty of achievement, embarrassment, frustration, and financial struggle.  Nothing comes easily.  Then, we will have resurrected bodies freed of temporal issues; we will have bodies as if in our prime, not subject to sickness, decay, or death.  But they will be far more than that:  Our bodies will be recognizable as ourselves yet have the added nature of a spiritual existence.  We will walk, talk, and interact, yet also walk through walls, and translate at will across distances.  We will praise and exalt the Godhead for eternity with no sense of tiredness or boredom.

Paul’s point is how can the two types of life compare?  The one is infinitely greater than the other; so much so that one’s focus should entirely be upon the greater glory of eternity.

Creation waits…groaning in expectation

On that glorious Day, when Jesus returns on the clouds, everything will change.  It will come after a period of difficulty for human beings as Satan and his dominions will have spent years attempting to eradicate any sign of Godliness from society.  But ultimately, Satan is doomed.  The first thing Jesus does at his return is to conquer Satan and remove all evidence of evil from the planet.  Since the Fall, all of the earth has lain under a blanket of sin, corruption, and decay.  We are not used to think in this way, bet that blanket also cover the irrational parts of creation.  Grass is not as beautifully radiant as it was intended to be; the colors in a butterfly’s wings are not as piercing; the beasts of ocean and field have been limited to instinct.

In Genesis 3 it says the ‘ground is cursed because of you’, meaning because of the Fall (Genesis 3:17-19).  When humans are restored at the return of Jesus, that curse will be lifted so that in whatever way each part of creation has been diminished, that limiting will be ended.

It certainly is a personification to refer to creation as ‘groaning’ to burst forth as if in childbirth to achieve its natural, but heretofore unrealized full expression.  But it is an adequate expression of the change and beauty and glory which will be expressed in the New Earth energized by Jesus’ presence.

Spirit helps in our weakness

Right now, we are in our temporal bodies; we are under the curse of the Fall.  We decay and die.  We are weak, frail, and fragile.  Our sin nature limits our effectiveness and detracts us from the glory that flows from God.  We are so limited in fact, that we don’t even know what we should pray for, or how to respond to external stimulus, or what decision to make in different situations.  We have a sort of internal awareness that we are not rising to the greatness, or fullest glory, of what God created in us; we have a sense of limitation, that we are not rising to the level God wants for us.  In that sense we groan as if to remove the shackles of restraint placed upon us. 

The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God and is our spiritual connection to Him.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  11For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?  In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1Corinthians 2:10b-11)

Yes, we are limited and weakened because of our sin.  But in our submission to Jesus as Lord, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides, shapes, and nurtures us.  But it is in this groaning for the full revelation of Jesus that we most reach out to our Father.  Because of our awareness of limitation, we want more:  We want more God, more grace, more righteousness, more holiness.  We want more of Jesus.

What about me?

But we live now in this present time.  If we neglect to pay attention to its demands and requirements, unpleasant things come our way.  We lose our jobs if we don’t meet the expectations of them.  If we are so heavenly focused as to be of no earthly good, then how can we in anyway help our Lord further his Kingdom.  The answer to this dilemma is to live in one world but place our value and hope in the other.

How does this play out?  It has to do with our sense of priority.  When looking for a job, do you choose the one which pays marginally more than the other, but requires you to work on the Sabbath?  Do you visit bars and other adult establishments for entertainment, or do you find ways to worship God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?  Do you spend hours playing mindless, even satanic video games, but put no effort into reading the Word and interacting with your Father regarding what he is saying?  Do you love your neighbor as yourself, or do you love only with condition, only as far as the other person can help you feel better about yourself?

Now is the time for change.  Whatever the days each of us has left, let us offer them to Jesus and live in a way which glorifies him.  Holy Spirit, cause us to groan, to seek more fully, to covet more intimacy with Jesus, to live a more holy life!