True Hope

Romans 8:22-25

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

               Paul starts this passage by finishing off the metaphor for creation, bringing it back to humans. It is interesting to note here how Paul includes himself in this which shows he is talking about Christians here. Paul gives this idea in this passage of pain but the way he describes it is “pain of childbirth” which is, in most people’s accounts, the most excruciating pain. This gives the idea that all of creation is in the worst pain for the adoption of the sons and daughters who believe in Jesus. What is this idea of adoption? Paul goes on to describe it as the redemption of the body. The second part of the passage Paul shows that this is something still that I hoped for, and it is the same hope that we had when we were saved. Paul shows that this is hope because it is in something unseen right now which is not our faith in Jesus but is instead the redemption of our bodies. This is obviously hope because our bodies have not yet been redeemed. This is in contrast to the faith we have in Jesus and His works; this is hope seen almost proven. We have true hope because just like that hope with which we were saved, Paul shows that this redemption is happening. He will continue on with this same idea further in the chapter when he shows us what the Holy Spirit does for us now to make up for the weakness of not being redeemed completely in our bodies.

               For Christians, the hope is clear. It is that same hope that brought us to faith in Jesus. This can also be represented as truth—the truth that Jesus saves and the truth that God will also continue to adopt us until our bodies are completely redeemed which will happen when we leave this earth and meet Him face to face in heaven. It is ok to hurt on this earth, waiting for that inevitable day. As Paul shows here, it is one of the most excruciating things we can go through, and it not only affects us but also the whole of creation. We need to take heart, though, in this pain that our hope is a hope of complete redemption, a hope that we can see is not here yet. This gives us the answer to all of our questions of incompleteness, why we are still hurting and why we still sin and fall short. It is because we are still being redeemed. When we fall, or the pain is almost too much to bear, we have to look up to Jesus and hope, not a vain hope but a hope with a promise behind it from Him who always keeps His promises. It is as the writer of Hebrews says, we run the race looking forward at Jesus who started our faith and will also complete it (Hebrews 12:2).

               For those who are not Christians, do you wonder why there is pain in this world? As we move into this month of identity, this is the most important question to answer: who are you? Paul shows us in this passage there is only one hope for that unbearable pain of emptiness and loneliness, and it is a hope that will bring you to completeness—not right away but there is that hope it will happen. Every Christian will still attest to pains that feel excruciating, but they will also attest to their only hope which is Jesus who saves us and in the end will redeem us. This is a redemption not to be mindless slaves of God with no personality but to be sons and daughters of the King who have access to whatever is good eternally and forever.