Romans 8:21-30

 

Rom 8:21 (KJV)
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The entire creation will be freed from the effects of sin which has affected even the entire physical creation. One only needs to look at a rose and see the thorns or to look at animals and see the fear and ferociousness they possess since sin entered the world. The entire creation has been corrupted or in a state of degeneration because of sin. We see how metals rust or wood rots because of the degenerative effects of sin. Once God has saved the last one, then the entire creation is going to be remade but this time it will be kept righteous for eternity and no sinful thing shall be allowed to enter into it. As the children of God will be delivered or freed from the bondage of the present corruption, so will the entire creation itself.

Rom 8:22 (KJV)
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Here we are told that the entire creation which is made up of humans and the animal and vegetable world has all suffered the same fate when sin entered the world. Death comes to all phases of the creation. Trees, plants, and animals die as well as all human beings. The word “groan” carries with it the meaning of “sighing.” It means a grieving or yearning. God created this Earth and all it contains in righteousness and nothing was degenerating until sin entered the world. Once sin entered the world, all the creation groans together as all the creation suffer the same physical fate.

Rom 8:23 (KJV)
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Here Paul tells us that not only the creation is waiting for renewal but every Christian is also waiting for the day when the Lord gives us our new bodies which will be eternal in nature and will never suffer pain or sickness again. We groan inside desiring to be free of the effects of sin and the flesh body which so hinders our service and enjoyment of our salvation in the present. Countless numbers of Christians through the ages have had their ministries cut short because of sickness or some other infirmity which dwells in our mortal bodies.

Rom 8:24 (KJV)
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

The Christian has been given the earnest of the Spirit which means that we have the hope of eternal life already implanted in us. (2 Cor 1:22 KJV) Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The word “earnest” carries with it the meaning of “pledge.” So within the heart of the Christian, God has given us the Holy Spirit who instills the hope of the resurrection of the body unto eternal life with the Lord. (Col 1:27 KJV) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: The hope that we now have is yet unfulfilled in its final form and that will occur on the last day. We have that hope in us and now it is invisible. Therefore, we cannot see it but if we could see what God has planned for us then we are not living in hope but we are living by sight. If we see something, then hope is finished. For example, I hope to see the Grand Canyon in two years, if the Lord allows me to do that, then when I am standing at the rim, it is no longer hope but it is sight and there is no need to hope for it because it is right before me.

Rom 8:25 (KJV)
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

(1 Tim 6:11 KJV) But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. One of the principal traits of the Christian faith is patience. As we continue to live in hope, it under girds patience. The Holy Spirit is the one who places patience and hope in our hearts. The world runs on impatience. All we have to do is look around and see how fast the world is running to and fro. Just watch the way people drive or the way they live their lives and you will see a steady diet of impatience. The Christian is to run opposite of the world. We can have patience because we know that this life is not all there is. The world sees that few years it has as the only thing it has and therefore needs to rush and fulfill every second.

Rom 8:26 (KJV)
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

This is why the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter because He helps us in our times of weaknesses. How many times we go into prayer we really do not know how we should pray for ourselves and others. Many times we pray according to the way we see things or according to the way we want things to happen in our life. However, the Holy Spirit takes our prayer requests and even our deepest needs, those that we may not even be aware of, and makes intercession before the Father, so when the Father hears our prayers, they have been faithfully and properly put in order with all the selfness removed. The Holy Spirit, being eternal God, is able to know what we really should be praying for and having Him indwell us is the greatest gift God gave us this side of Heaven. This is why we should never be afraid to pray, even shallow prayers are brought under intercession. Remember the short prayers of Nehemiah? These prayers also were brought under the intercession of the Holy Spirit because Nehemiah was a believer. Those deep groanings which cannot be uttered by humans are the real prayers being brought before the Father in a proper way as I already mentioned.

Rom 8:27 (KJV)
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

(Jer 17:10 KJV) I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. God is the one who searches the hearts. He knows exclusively what is in the mind of the Spirit and that knowledge brings the two in harmony over the prayers of His redeemed. That harmony brings the proper intercession of the weak prayers of the Saints into line with the will of God. Many times we Christians pray according to our will or desire and we fail to take into account what the will of God may be on a certain situation. This is why God denies many of our prayer requests. He does it for our good because we do not know what the future God has for us according to His will, and that is why many times we pray apart from His will and that is why the Holy Spirit has to bring our prayers back into line with God’s will for our life. Think of it this way that absolute wisdom is in control of our prayers.

Rom 8:28 (KJV)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Here is the reason that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. No matter what happens in our life, even when it is opposite of our prayers, we can have the confidence that everything works together for good to those who love and trust God. This means that only the Elect of God is the recipient of the good. Those who are unbelievers or who are religious use this verse in its truncated form and believe that God will work on their behalf but here we are seeing that only the Elect of God are the ones that work out for good. Only the true believers are called according to the purpose God has for them. There are many times that we are cast into a situation and we wonder how this could work together for our good. The way we know that things work out for our good is that we take things on faith, knowing that it is God who is working out the details behind the scenes. Job never found out why God had allowed those things to come into his life but he continued to trust the Lord and his health, wealth, and family were restored. There are many times that we will never know why God works something on our behalf the way He does, and quite frankly, we really don’t need to know.

Rom 8:29 (KJV)
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The foreknowledge of God has always been a debatable subject, especially for those who hold to the Arminian view where the idea that God predestines someone is reprehensible. The Bible is very clear on this subject and the only way someone can be confused on this is by intentionally twisting the meaning of the words. This verse is one of the most twisted by the free will camp. I have read people claim that the way is predestined but not the person. I have also heard that this verse is not teaching salvation by predestination. Both of these are seriously wrong. First of all, the question must be asked. When did God first know us? He first knew us when He wrote our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world.

(Rev 13:8 KJV) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

(Rev 17:8 KJV) The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

If you notice in these two Revelation verses, we read that the names of the Redeemed were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and it was done before the world was created. The word “predestinate” is the Greek word “proorizo” which carries with it the meaning of “selected beforehand, appoint or determine beforehand.” Now this verse states that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. The word “conform” in the Greek carries with it the meaning of “having the same form.” Now how can a person be conformed to the image of His Son unless they first become saved. We read above in Revelation that we are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the world was formed. This means the Elect of God was predestined to become saved at some time in their life and that salvation is to image the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the “firstborn” among the brethren. This means that He was the first to rise from the dead to never die again. While we are on this earth, we image Christ in our souls when we are saved because we receive our resurrected souls. In our soul existence we too will never die. The physical body will die but the resurrected soul lives on eternally. On the last day when we receive our new bodies we will then be like Christ, in that we will never die again. So before one can be conformed to the image of Christ, they must become saved, and the Elect of God are the ones who were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We also image Christ in his characteristics because we are given the mind of Christ when we are saved.

Rom 8:30 (KJV)
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Here God continues the chain of events which occurs in the life of the Elect. First of all, God predestines us by writing our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the world was formed. Then when that person is born physically into the world, sometime within their lifespan God calls them as they hear the Gospel being presented in some fashion. Then after the calling, God then justifies the person. Justification is a singular event whereby a person is found not guilty of any sins. This person is given a clean slate as if they had never sinned. Now that God Himself has declared that Christian not guilty, He now glorifies them. This glorification is not based upon anything the believer has done but upon the work of Christ. The ultimate glorification of the Believer will take place when we receive our new glorified bodies after the last day. (1 Cor 15:44 KJV) It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. A very simple chain of events taking place behind the scenes before the Believer becomes a Believer and we see that it all starts with being predestinated.