Romans 8:18-27 Lesson 298

Romans 8:18-27
Lesson 298

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The future glory.
All creation suffers.
Hope (8:22-25) and intercession (8:26-27).

The way to salvation:

First, acknowledge that we have all sinned and that the penalty for sin is eternal death.
Second, repent and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that He died for our sins and was resurrected.
Lastly, pray and make Jesus a part of your daily life.

Forgiveness of sins comes through the Son of God.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Romans

The King James Bible

Romans 8:18-27
Future Glory

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 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.

24 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?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26 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.

27 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.

Margin notes:

"I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (8:18) - "I think the suffering in this life will seem insignificant compared to the glory that will be shown to us in the next life." See 2 Corinthians 4:17 and 1 Peter 1:6-7.

"The creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." (8:19) - "All creation (everything God made) waits for the children of God to be revealed."

"The creature was made subject to vanity." (8:20) - "All creation is subject to frustration." All creation is waiting for the day when Jesus returns, and God resurrects believers (8:19). Then, all nature will be liberated and function as one (Isaiah 11:6-9). Adam and Eve's sin exiled us from paradise (the Garden of Eden), where we were meant to live. See "Today's Question" below.

"The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption." (8:21) - "All creation will be free from decay and ruin."

"We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain." (8:22) - See Jeremiah 12:4.

"The firstfruits of the Spirit." (8:23) - Christians have already received the first fruit of everlasting glory; the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Trinity) lives within them.

"For we are saved by hope." (8:24) - We are saved by our hope (and faith) that God will provide what we need in this life and resurrect us to reign with Him in the next.

"The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (8:26) - The Holy Spirit Himself helps with our daily struggles and prayers with a passion that can't be expressed with words. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and intercedes with God on our behalf. See also John 14:15-17 and 16:13-14.

"He that searcheth the hearts knoweth." (8:27) - God knows our hearts, God knows everything about us.

New Living Translation

Romans 8:18-27
The Future Glory

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.

20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope,

21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it.

25 But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Why does "creation groaneth and travaileth in pain?" (8:22)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. All God's creation groans in pain (as if the earth was in the throes of childbirth) because it waits for the day when God's children will be established in the glory prepared for them. Sin is the root cause of the suffering in God's creation, and there exists a kind of distortion of the earth since the fall of Adam. This will not be the case when Jesus returns, and we are redeemed along with all of God's creation. The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lay down with the goat, and the lion will eat straw. The earth will be full of the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Application thought for the day:

This brief passage can teach us much about suffering, hope, prayer, and everlasting glory.
What applications can you find for your life?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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