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Longing for that Day

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. - Romans 8:18-25 

We are familiar with groaning. Sometimes it is the result of age. Missing the nail for the thumb. The direction of our country. The foreboding personal situation, conversation or relationship. The inward hurt of betrayal, loss or grief.  This life is hard, and denying it won't see you through those hard times.  "The sufferings of this present time" are not downplayed or minimized by the Scriptures or by God.   They are compared to what will be. And that, grants us hope.

What will be is not a pie in the sky or unrealistic baseless hope. It is what will be because God has said it will be. What will be is set against the back backdrop of what currently is. The sin and falleness of this world has caused untold toil, strife and hurt. Adam's sin, our sin has caused this blackness and God wrought subjection to futility and vanity.  The world currently is a sick joke without a punchline. Why? Because of sin and its effects. Thankfully though, the suffering in this world and our sin that caused it are not the end of the story.

Hope. God provides hope. The same God who rightly judged this world because of sin and subjected it to the futility as punishment is also the one who will pay the price to redeem it. God redeems it  "in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" I hope you caught that.  God will set this world free from its current bondage and corruption. Along with redeeming the world and setting the cosmos right again, God has already begun to set right all those who are adopted as his sons and daughters.

What has happened for believers who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior is that God has placed all of their sin upon Jesus. Jesus dies as our substitute on the cross and in rising again, Jesus gives to us all of his perfection and righteousness as a gift. On the basis of the perfect righteousness that we have received God adopts us into his family as perfectly acceptable children, full heirs in the family and fully reconciled to our Father.  All of this is ours only if we turn from our sins to Christ in trust and faith, believing on what he did in my place.

And yet, we must wait for that adoption and redemption to be brought to its fullest point.  We who trust Christ are saved for certain and irrevocably, but God setting the whole world right again and us enjoying this creation in its fully redeemed state is still in the future. So we groan, rightly and patiently long for that day when God will set the whole world right again, for the day that he punishes evil and evil doers who reject him and he brings the full salvation and adoption of those who have trusted Christ.

So those of us who have trusted Christ wait along with creation to be fully set right. And The Holy Spirit who resides in all who truly trust Jesus helps us wait patiently even amidst our inward longing for that day. "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him... we ourselves, who have the firstfruits 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... we wait for it in patience." So, may our groaning, our pain, our inward longing for things to be set right again, lead us to wait on God alone through Christ alone to set all things right again. Including us.

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