If you’ve been following along, then you know I believe the Scriptures teach that God is going to redeem His creation at the return of Jesus. Not only do I believe that the unified story of Scripture teaches this, but I also believe many individual passages in Scripture point us toward this idea. Admittedly, many of the passages we will look at in this series can be pretty difficult to interpret. Because of their difficulty, we may interpret them differently and come to different conclusions. But as for Rom. 8:18-25, Paul leaves us no room to argue over interpretations. Creation is eagerly waiting to be redeemed!
Background on Romans 8
Romans 8 is one of the greatest chapters in the Scriptures. It begins by stating that there is no condemnation for those in Christ, and it ends by stating there is no separation from the love of God for those in Christ. It is a passage about hope, and how our hope is made available by the Spirit who lives within us.
Those who set their minds on and live according to the Spirit (instead of the flesh) will be resurrected to eternal life through the Spirit who lives in us (Rom. 8:1-13). Those who are led by and live according to the Spirit are God’s adopted children (Rom. 8:14-16). And as His children, we are heirs of (will inherit) the glorious resurrection in which Jesus was resurrected (Rom. 8:17). That leads us to our primary text for this article.
Romans 8:18–25 (NASB95)
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. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly 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 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. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 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. 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.
That's a lot to take in, so let’s break this passage down verse by verse.
Present Suffering, Future Glory
Romans 8:18 (NASB95)
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.
This present age is full of suffering. Sometimes we suffer due to the sinful choices and unwise decisions of others and ourselves. Sometimes we suffer because of our allegiance to Jesus. And sometimes we suffer simply because we live in a cursed and fallen world filled with sickness, disease, natural disasters, etc.
But as bad as our suffering may be in this present age, Paul tells us that it isn’t worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us. He is speaking of the glorious resurrection bodies we will receive at Jesus’ return. (1 Cor. 15:43; Phil. 3:21)
Paul made the same point in his second letter to the Corinthians. Speaking of our resurrection (2 Cor. 4:14), Paul tells the Corinthians not to “lose heart”. For “though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:16-17).
Creation is Eagerly Waiting
Romans 8:19 (NASB95)
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
With two related Greek words, Paul says that creation is “eagerly expecting” and “eagerly awaiting” the revealing of the sons of God. You may be thinking to yourself, “What does Paul mean by ‘the creation’ and 'the revealing of the sons of God'?" That's a great question. Let’s study on that.
“The Revealing of the Sons of God”
As we noted in verse 18, “the glory that is to be revealed to us” is referring to our glorious resurrection bodies that will be unveiled at the return of Jesus. According to Paul, God will reveal (make it fully known) that we are His children when we receive our new bodies.
"But Jon, didn’t Paul say, 'For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God'?" (Rom. 8:14-17) Yes, he did, but he also said we are still “waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:23) In other words, we who have “the first fruits of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:23) have already experienced redemption and adoption but not completely. Our redemption and adoption will be made complete at the resurrection.
So, what does Paul mean by "the revealing of the sons of God"? In simple terms, he's referring to the moment our adoption is fulfilled, when we receive our glorified resurrection bodies.
"The Creation"
We're still left to wonder, "What is 'the creation'?" I believe "the creation" refers to all of God's non-human creation. In a moment, I'll show you why that is the only logical conclusion.
Creation is Set Free
Romans 8:20–21 (NASB95)
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.
When Paul says, "the creation was subjected to futility", he's referring to the curses brought on by the fall in Genesis 3. God subjected creation to futility (purposelessness) and corruption (deterioration), but He did not intend to leave it in that state forever. He subjected it “in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from its slavery to corruption”. This tells us it has always been God’s plan to redeem His creation from slavery. Creation will experience “the freedom of the glory of the children of God”. That is to say, just as the children of God are going to be redeemed from corruption and experience a glorious transformation (resurrection), so will the entirety of creation.
Creation is Groaning
Romans 8:22–23 (NASB95)
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 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.
Just as we are now groaning and suffering in our present bodies, creation is groaning and suffering in its present, fallen state. But its groaning and suffering isn’t that of a creation that is dying and is soon to be annihilated. It is the groanings and sufferings of a woman in labor. Her pain is real and often severe, but she knows it is leading to something wonderful. Just as Jesus described in John 16:21, the pains of childbirth are great, but the joy a mother feels once her child is in her arms causes all her suffering to be forgotten. Just as our groaning will become joy whenever our bodies are redeemed, the creation is eagerly anticipating the day when its suffering will be turned to joy as well.
“But”, some have said, “how can creation eagerly expect and wait? How can creation groan and suffer?” The argument is made that since Paul is personifying creation (using figurative language), he isn’t saying that creation will be literally redeemed. But there is one major problem with that line of reasoning. Speaking figuratively doesn’t negate the fact that a point is being made. For instance, what point is being made when a person says, “It’s raining cats and dogs”? Are we to assume that, because they are speaking figuratively, they mean nothing at all? Or do we understand them to mean that it is raining especially hard outside? Figurative language still means something. Just because Paul is personifying creation doesn’t mean the point he is making is now invalid.
“The Creation” = The Creation
Let's get back to why I believe "the creation" refers to all of God's non-human creation. Here is what Paul says in our text about "the creation":
- “the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19)
- “the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly” (Rom. 8:20)
- “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21)
- “the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (Rom. 8:22)
- “we ourselves” who have “the first fruits of the Spirit” are contrasted with the creation (Rom. 8:23)
“The Creation” can’t refer to Christians. Paul clearly distinguishes between “the creation” and “we ourselves” who have the first fruits of the Spirit.
“The Creation” can’t refer to non-Christians. Unbelievers aren’t eagerly expecting and awaiting the resurrection. Unbelievers aren’t going to be “set free from [their] slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God”. This would imply a sort of universalism (the belief that all people will ultimately be saved).
“The Creation” can’t refer to angelic beings (whether good or evil). Angels weren’t subjected to futility, nor are they enslaved to corruption. Demons aren’t eagerly awaiting the resurrection, nor will they experience “the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
That leaves us with only one option. “The creation” is literally the creation.
A Hope Worth Suffering For
Romans 8:24–25 (NASB95)
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.
This is the hope for which we were saved. Jesus has promised immortality in glorious resurrection bodies to those who give their allegiance to Him. When this age of suffering is over, our bodies will be redeemed, and all creation will be redeemed along with us. We don’t see it yet, but we confidently expect it. And as we eagerly wait for it, we persevere, knowing that our future joy will far outweigh our present suffering. A life lived faithfully for Jesus is not lived in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
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