The Expectant Groanings of the Sons of God (Rom. 8:23-25)
This sermon was preached on 11/2/2010
Paul has been describing the impersonal groanings of the universe because of the curse place on it by God because of Adam’s sin. This, of course, is a reminder to us of the necessity of divine revelation for understanding the condition of the natural world. We can look at the created world and discern by process of reasoning that there is something wrong with it. Some have even detected in the annual cycle of spring of following winter, an attempt by creation to bring about a kind of resurrection; of course, they realise that spring is inevitably followed by another winter. All our reflecting on the created world would not conclude this wonderful revelation of God’s Word that there will be liberty for the creation from the consequences of human sin.
Paul turns from the impersonal groaning of creation to the personal groaning of the Christian. He indicates that this personal groaning is connected to the groaning of creation in that it is concerned with the future day of glory when not only will the creation find its fulfilment but so also will all the members of the family of God. This comment by Paul stresses the appropriateness of groaning by Christians and is a rejoinder to those who say that the true expression of the Christian life is found by getting out of Romans 7 into Romans 8, that it is not appropriate for a Christian to say that he is currently a wretched man. Of course, it is not appropriate either for a Christian to stay in Romans 7 and ignore what is said in Romans 8. We need the teachings of both chapters in order to live as we should and understand why we have this sense of inner conflict.
Paul, in the verses we are considering, mentions four details that I would like us to consider briefly. First, he states a precious possession of all true believers, which is ‘the firstfruits of the Spirit’. Second, he refers to the personal pain that is felt by all such Christians, which is ‘groaning for the full experience of adoption’. Third, he points out the prospect that each Christian has, ‘the redemption of the body.’ Fourthly, he mentions the need of patience or persistence as we live out our lives day by day.
1. The precious possession
When Paul says that each Christian has the firstfruits of the Spirit, he is alluding to a ceremonial aspect of the religion of Israel connected to her harvest festivals. A sample of the future harvest was offered to God in anticipation of the full harvest he would give in due course. The illustration depicts for us that the Spirit is the firstfruits of all that will come our way in the eternal world. The Spirit is in us as a foretaste of the glory to come. The Spirit of grace, who conveys to our souls aspects of the heavenly world such as life from God, love to God and fellowship with God, will convey them in greater and more glorious ways in the eternal state. The obvious activity of the Spirit from the context is the sense of assurance that accompanies the outlook of the Christian as he looks to God as his Father.
2. The personal pain
The reason why Christians groan is because they are not yet fully conformed to the image of Christ. As long as they are in the body, this will be the case. When they leave the body and go to heaven, they are, as far as their souls are concerned, made perfect in holiness; nevertheless they are still lacking total perfection because their bodies will not have been glorified.
Life in our current body causes us to groan. It is in this body that we sin. We sin with our eyes, with our tongues, with our hands and with our feet. Every sin that we commit against another person involves our body to some extent. We become jealous because we hear something with our ears or observe something with our eyes. The list of possible sins is endless. Often temptation comes our way through the physical senses: the lust of the eye is a common cause of sin. As long as we are in the body we will sin.
It is in this body that we suffer. All suffering is the effect of sin. If there were no sin, if Adam had not fallen, there would be no suffering. Because he sinned, there is much physical suffering in the world. There is the suffering of illness, there is the suffering of persecution, there is the suffering connected to natural disasters such as war and famine. Of course, there is mental suffering (such as depression) and spiritual suffering (attacks on our souls by the devil), but both these sufferings also occur in the body. As long as we are in this body, we will suffer.
It is in this body that we age in life. We are all getting older, and some of us are discovering that we can no longer do the physical things that we used to be able to do. The limitations of our body prevent us engaging in spiritual activities that we may have enjoyed when we were younger. Our strength is not what it used to be. We have this limitation because we are sinners. Aging is an effect of sin.
Yet although we have these negative aspects of our body’s current contribution to our lives, the groaning is not a negative or pessimistic one. We can see this in the confidence expressed by Paul in Romans 7:24-25: ‘Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ Because we have the indwelling Spirit, even the existence of sin, suffering and aging does not prevent an optimistic outlook. The Spirit teaches us that glory is coming.
3. The prospect
Paul describes this glory as adoption, the redemption of our body. What does Paul mean when he uses the word ‘redemption’? He is reminding us that Christ’s redemption concerns the whole human person. Jesus did not die merely for our souls. Paul is describing our resurrection, but he does so in terminology that indicates our bodies already belong to him. When he paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, he purchased us to be his possession. Our bodies, although now affected by sin, belong to Jesus and he will yet come to claim that which is his own. The day is coming when he will speak the word and the bodies of all his people will be raised from the dead.
There will be a resurrection of the same body as we now have. Our souls and our bodies are going to be re-united. These eyes that brought sin into my soul, and this soul which often caused my body to sin, are together serve God in perfect holiness. My tongue and my ear, which so often involved my inner life in sinful thoughts and desires, will contribute to sinless devotion to God and delight in one another.
Although it will be the same body, Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 15 that it will be a spiritual body. By this description, he does not mean that it will not be physical. Rather he says that our current body is a ‘natural’ or ‘soulish’ body, suitable for the sinful environment in which we live. Our natural bodies are mortal, corrupt, and weak. We inherit them from the first Adam, and with them we have a sinful nature. In the resurrection, we will have a body in which the Spirit will dwell in his fullness and it will be transformed into one marked by great capabilities. Instead of mortal, it will be immortal; instead of dishonourable, it will be glorified; instead of weak, it will be strong.
This body will be similar to the body of our Elder Brother. Paul writes in Philippians 3:20:21: ‘But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.’ What an amazing change! This transformation will take place at the resurrection. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that when the trumpet sounds ‘the dead will be raised imperishable’, and those believers living at that time ‘shall be changed’. They will all bear the image of the man from heaven.
This new body will be shared by all our fellow-Christians. Each one will be changed and glorified. Each one will be publicly declared to be the son of God and acknowledged as such by the heavenly Father and the Elder Brother. It should be a help to each of us – in maintaining proper thoughts about, words to and actions for one another – to remind ourselves daily that my brothers and sisters are going to be like Jesus.
4. Patience
Paul then says that the best response to the knowledge of this wonderful future glory is patience. He does not mean patience in the sense of twiddling our thumbs. Rather he has in mind steadfastness and loyalty, determination and endurance. He is urging his readers to go through anything, to bear anything, to remain true to Jesus in everything, because the coming glory will make up for it all.
Jerry Bridges in his chapter on patience in his book The Practice of Godliness says that biblical patience allows believers to suffer mistreatment because they know that God will have the last word, to become slow to anger when provoked (which comes from reflecting on the way God responds to our provocation of him), to tolerate shortcomings in others (the graces of forbearance and forgiveness are the opposite of pride), and to wait on God to answer their prayers (as described by David in Psalm 40:1). ’The cure for impatience with the fulfilment of God’s timetable is to believe his promises, obey his will, and leave the results to him.’
Thomas Watson commented that ’patience proves that there is much of God in the heart. Patience is one of God’s titles: the God of patience (Rom. 15:5). If you have your heart cast in this blessed mould, it is a sign that God has imparted much of his own nature to you; you shine with some of his beams.’
Paul prays for the Thessalonian believers in 2 Thessalonians 3:5: ‘May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.’ This reference is not only to the example that the Saviour showed when he was here on earth; it is also a promise that such endurance and patience can be conveyed to us by the Spirit who takes from Christ and brings them to us. Patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and comes to us in the same way as the other graces come, from union to Christ. Circumstances in themselves don’t guarantee patience, only communion with God and Christ does so. We live in an impatient age, the instant society. Let us learn patience by having fellowship with our elder Brother as we anticipate, but wait for, the day of full adoption and the glory it will bring.
Persist in your groanings because they delight the ear of God, as well as being evidence that you are heading for the land where there is no pain. Continue with your sighs because they are evidence that you are bound for the land where there are no tears.
Paul turns from the impersonal groaning of creation to the personal groaning of the Christian. He indicates that this personal groaning is connected to the groaning of creation in that it is concerned with the future day of glory when not only will the creation find its fulfilment but so also will all the members of the family of God. This comment by Paul stresses the appropriateness of groaning by Christians and is a rejoinder to those who say that the true expression of the Christian life is found by getting out of Romans 7 into Romans 8, that it is not appropriate for a Christian to say that he is currently a wretched man. Of course, it is not appropriate either for a Christian to stay in Romans 7 and ignore what is said in Romans 8. We need the teachings of both chapters in order to live as we should and understand why we have this sense of inner conflict.
Paul, in the verses we are considering, mentions four details that I would like us to consider briefly. First, he states a precious possession of all true believers, which is ‘the firstfruits of the Spirit’. Second, he refers to the personal pain that is felt by all such Christians, which is ‘groaning for the full experience of adoption’. Third, he points out the prospect that each Christian has, ‘the redemption of the body.’ Fourthly, he mentions the need of patience or persistence as we live out our lives day by day.
1. The precious possession
When Paul says that each Christian has the firstfruits of the Spirit, he is alluding to a ceremonial aspect of the religion of Israel connected to her harvest festivals. A sample of the future harvest was offered to God in anticipation of the full harvest he would give in due course. The illustration depicts for us that the Spirit is the firstfruits of all that will come our way in the eternal world. The Spirit is in us as a foretaste of the glory to come. The Spirit of grace, who conveys to our souls aspects of the heavenly world such as life from God, love to God and fellowship with God, will convey them in greater and more glorious ways in the eternal state. The obvious activity of the Spirit from the context is the sense of assurance that accompanies the outlook of the Christian as he looks to God as his Father.
2. The personal pain
The reason why Christians groan is because they are not yet fully conformed to the image of Christ. As long as they are in the body, this will be the case. When they leave the body and go to heaven, they are, as far as their souls are concerned, made perfect in holiness; nevertheless they are still lacking total perfection because their bodies will not have been glorified.
Life in our current body causes us to groan. It is in this body that we sin. We sin with our eyes, with our tongues, with our hands and with our feet. Every sin that we commit against another person involves our body to some extent. We become jealous because we hear something with our ears or observe something with our eyes. The list of possible sins is endless. Often temptation comes our way through the physical senses: the lust of the eye is a common cause of sin. As long as we are in the body we will sin.
It is in this body that we suffer. All suffering is the effect of sin. If there were no sin, if Adam had not fallen, there would be no suffering. Because he sinned, there is much physical suffering in the world. There is the suffering of illness, there is the suffering of persecution, there is the suffering connected to natural disasters such as war and famine. Of course, there is mental suffering (such as depression) and spiritual suffering (attacks on our souls by the devil), but both these sufferings also occur in the body. As long as we are in this body, we will suffer.
It is in this body that we age in life. We are all getting older, and some of us are discovering that we can no longer do the physical things that we used to be able to do. The limitations of our body prevent us engaging in spiritual activities that we may have enjoyed when we were younger. Our strength is not what it used to be. We have this limitation because we are sinners. Aging is an effect of sin.
Yet although we have these negative aspects of our body’s current contribution to our lives, the groaning is not a negative or pessimistic one. We can see this in the confidence expressed by Paul in Romans 7:24-25: ‘Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ Because we have the indwelling Spirit, even the existence of sin, suffering and aging does not prevent an optimistic outlook. The Spirit teaches us that glory is coming.
3. The prospect
Paul describes this glory as adoption, the redemption of our body. What does Paul mean when he uses the word ‘redemption’? He is reminding us that Christ’s redemption concerns the whole human person. Jesus did not die merely for our souls. Paul is describing our resurrection, but he does so in terminology that indicates our bodies already belong to him. When he paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, he purchased us to be his possession. Our bodies, although now affected by sin, belong to Jesus and he will yet come to claim that which is his own. The day is coming when he will speak the word and the bodies of all his people will be raised from the dead.
There will be a resurrection of the same body as we now have. Our souls and our bodies are going to be re-united. These eyes that brought sin into my soul, and this soul which often caused my body to sin, are together serve God in perfect holiness. My tongue and my ear, which so often involved my inner life in sinful thoughts and desires, will contribute to sinless devotion to God and delight in one another.
Although it will be the same body, Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 15 that it will be a spiritual body. By this description, he does not mean that it will not be physical. Rather he says that our current body is a ‘natural’ or ‘soulish’ body, suitable for the sinful environment in which we live. Our natural bodies are mortal, corrupt, and weak. We inherit them from the first Adam, and with them we have a sinful nature. In the resurrection, we will have a body in which the Spirit will dwell in his fullness and it will be transformed into one marked by great capabilities. Instead of mortal, it will be immortal; instead of dishonourable, it will be glorified; instead of weak, it will be strong.
This body will be similar to the body of our Elder Brother. Paul writes in Philippians 3:20:21: ‘But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.’ What an amazing change! This transformation will take place at the resurrection. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that when the trumpet sounds ‘the dead will be raised imperishable’, and those believers living at that time ‘shall be changed’. They will all bear the image of the man from heaven.
This new body will be shared by all our fellow-Christians. Each one will be changed and glorified. Each one will be publicly declared to be the son of God and acknowledged as such by the heavenly Father and the Elder Brother. It should be a help to each of us – in maintaining proper thoughts about, words to and actions for one another – to remind ourselves daily that my brothers and sisters are going to be like Jesus.
4. Patience
Paul then says that the best response to the knowledge of this wonderful future glory is patience. He does not mean patience in the sense of twiddling our thumbs. Rather he has in mind steadfastness and loyalty, determination and endurance. He is urging his readers to go through anything, to bear anything, to remain true to Jesus in everything, because the coming glory will make up for it all.
Jerry Bridges in his chapter on patience in his book The Practice of Godliness says that biblical patience allows believers to suffer mistreatment because they know that God will have the last word, to become slow to anger when provoked (which comes from reflecting on the way God responds to our provocation of him), to tolerate shortcomings in others (the graces of forbearance and forgiveness are the opposite of pride), and to wait on God to answer their prayers (as described by David in Psalm 40:1). ’The cure for impatience with the fulfilment of God’s timetable is to believe his promises, obey his will, and leave the results to him.’
Thomas Watson commented that ’patience proves that there is much of God in the heart. Patience is one of God’s titles: the God of patience (Rom. 15:5). If you have your heart cast in this blessed mould, it is a sign that God has imparted much of his own nature to you; you shine with some of his beams.’
Paul prays for the Thessalonian believers in 2 Thessalonians 3:5: ‘May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.’ This reference is not only to the example that the Saviour showed when he was here on earth; it is also a promise that such endurance and patience can be conveyed to us by the Spirit who takes from Christ and brings them to us. Patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and comes to us in the same way as the other graces come, from union to Christ. Circumstances in themselves don’t guarantee patience, only communion with God and Christ does so. We live in an impatient age, the instant society. Let us learn patience by having fellowship with our elder Brother as we anticipate, but wait for, the day of full adoption and the glory it will bring.
Persist in your groanings because they delight the ear of God, as well as being evidence that you are heading for the land where there is no pain. Continue with your sighs because they are evidence that you are bound for the land where there are no tears.
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