Romans

8:18-30

Arguments in support of the proposition, 1:18-11:36

3. The consequential blessings that flow to the righteous in Christ, 5:1-8:39

viii] The hope of future glory

In chapter 8 Paul explains that justified believers, though plagued with sin and the troubles of this world, no longer face condemnation, defeat or separation from God, rather, they possess in full the covenant privileges of the true people of God. Paul moves, in v18-30, to compare the present existence of believers with the future glory that awaits us. There is difficulty in the present, but this cannot be compared with the coming glory, v18. The whole of God's creation groans as it awaits that glorious day when the sons of God begin their rule with Christ, v19-22. Along with creation, believers groan, yearning for that day of glory, v23-25. Even the Spirit groans as he empathizes with us in our struggle, v26-27. Yet, through all the troubles of life, God's purposes are none-the-less being worked out for those who have put their trust in him. "No matter what the circumstances, that purpose will not be overthrown, and it culminates in final glory", Morris, v28-30.

Haldane says of this chapter, it "presents a glorious display of the power of Divine grace, and of the provision which God has made for the consolation of His people."

Some argue that in v28-30 Paul teaches "the effectual call" (the second point of Calvinism, resolved at the Synod of Dort in 1619 - God's choice of certain individuals for salvation before the foundation of the world). Yet, when considered within the wider context, especially chapters 9-11, we see that Paul is not arguing for the choice of individuals for salvation, but rather the sovereign choice of a righteous line who obtain a righteousness that comes from God out of faith and who thus, stand approved before God, sharing in the blessings of his glory. This righteous line, this "remnant chosen by grace" is an inclusive people united to the messiah. Christ himself is the faithful child of God, the righteous one; he is Israel, the people of God; he is God's faithful remnant. In Christ, this remnant, this righteous line, is broadened to include those who stand with Abraham and rest in faith on the faithfulness of God. Through faith Israel stands as God's "elect" "remnant" and through faith we Gentiles, the "wild olive shoot", are grafted into the remnant of Israel. This is a product of "God's mercy", of his grace.

It does seem that entry into the called-out chosen people of God, the remnant, the new Israel, is not a matter of God's sovereign selection of individuals for salvation, but rather a response of faith in the faith/faithfulness (the atonement) of Christ, a response to an invitation. "It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved", Rom.10:10.

This issue is anything but settled.

gar "-" - for. Possibly introducing a theological declaration (TH) and therefore setting up a new paragraph, but possibly forming a logical connection to v17, "for", REB. The "for" is repeated in the following verses to establish logical steps in the argument.

logizomai "I consider" - I think, calculate, reckon. Underlining "strong assurance and not doubt", TH.

tou nun kairou "present [sufferings]" - of the present time. "Present age", rather than "present moment", Morris.

axia adj. "worth" - worthy ...... balance, offset

proV + acc. "comparing with" - Rare usage, "in comparison with", BDF.

mellousan (mellw) "will ....." - coming, about to be, destined, inevitable. "For I think that the sufferings of the present time in no way offset (lit. balance) the coming glory destined to be revealed in us."

eiV hJmaV "to us" - toward us, indicating who will be transformed, but possibly something more, in the sense of transformed both outwardly and inwardly. RV "to us-ward", "for us", REB. close, but not strong enough, while the AV "in us", is too strong.

apokaradokia (a) "eager expectation" - patient concentrated waiting for a sure event. "In eager longing", "on tiptoe", Phillips.

krisewV (krisiV) "creation" - human, sub human, nature, inc. heavenly powers, angels... The creation leans toward the culmination of all things, but is it the whole of creation?. Probably just nature.

twn uiJwn tou qeou "sons of God" - although already God's children, believers have yet to experience what this means. At the moment, it is by faith, not by sight.

thn apokaluyin (iV ewV) "to be revealed" - the unveiling. Probably the second coming.

mataiothti "frustration" - vanity, aimlessness, futility, the absurdity of things..... Ref. Ecc. Possibly also "ineffective". Nature was rendered ineffective because sinful humanity used its God-given freedom irrationally. The natural order now does not function as designed.

uJpatagh (uJpatassw) aor. pas. "was subjected" - Aorist possibly indicating a single act, eg. the fall.

dia + acc. "by" - because of. Here used "to denote the efficient cause" BAGD.

ton uJpataxanta (uJpatassw) aor. part. "the one who subjected it" - Possibly Satan, or Adam is intended, but it is more likely God, "God made it this way", CEV.

elpida (iV idoV) "hope" - Possibly "hope" goes with v21, so NIV, but also possibly "the one who subjected it (creation) in hope." It is an interesting notion that creation has a future hope, ie. shares in eternity with us, finds its ultimate purpose in eternity.

dioti "that" - wherefore. Variant reading

oJti "that" - Of course, this conjunction may only serve to introduce an explanation of the "hope", thus, a noun clause, rather than serve to introduce a causal clause, "because".

eleuqerwqhsetai (eleuqerow) fut. pas. "will be liberated" - will be freed, set free, liberated, released. The future tense indicates that the "glorious freedom" is future, probably the day of glory. Again indicating that nature will be transformed in that day, rather than destroyed.

thV fqoraV (a) "[bondage] to decay" - [slavery] of corruption, decay. A genitive of quality = death, "servitude to death's decay", Barclay; "shackles of mortality", NEB.

eiV "brought into" - into, to, for. The preposition is rendered as a verb in the NIV. Note also, "enjoy", JB; "will obtain", NRSV

thV doxhV (a) "the glorious [freedom]" - [the freedom] of the glory. The NIV takes the attributive (descriptive) use of the genitive, but possibly "freedom and glory", JB; "liberty and splendor", NEB.

pasa "whole [creation]" - all. "We know", ie. all observant humans can acknowledge that "the totality of" creation is out of whack.

sustenazei (sustenazw) "has been groaning" - groans together. The creation has been groaning and travailing together in one accord - all in the mess together, "the entire creation sighs and throbs in pain", Moffatt.

sunwdinei (sunwdinw) "in the pains of childbirth" - travail in pain together. The root verb is "suffer birth-pangs", the prefix "with" may be rendered "in all its part [groans as if in the pangs of childbirth]", NEB. The "groaning" is given a positive spin (the ultimate end is positive) with the use of this verb

ou monon de alla "not only so" - and not only but. The modifiers must be supplied, "not only creation, but also believers." "And not only the creation", NRSV.

aparchn "firstfruits" - The first picking of the harvest which serves to guarantee the quality and quantity of the harvest.

tou pneumatoV (a atoV) "of the Spirit" - The genitive may be partitive (wholeative) where "firstfruits" means that we possess part of the gift of the Spirit in the present, or epexegetic, serving to explain that the Spirit is a foretaste, a down payment of what is to come, "the Spirit is given as firstfruits", REB. "We have received in the Spirit a foretaste of what the new life will be like", Barclay

stenazomen (stenazw) "groan" - travail, sigh.

en eJautoiV "inwardly" - in ourselves [we travail]. "Within" [inwardly] is better than "among" the Christian fellowship.

uiJoqesian (a) "adoption as sons" - adoption. "To be declared God's sons", NEB.

apolutrwsin (iV) "redemption" - deliverance, release. Probably in the sense of the resurrection of the body.

This verse is somewhat confused by the compacting of "hope". Phillips unpacks it well, partly by turning the rhetorical question into a positive statement. "Let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we do not yet possess."

th/ elpidi (iV idoV) "in [this] hope" - Most regard the dative as locative, "in", but an instrumental sense, "by", seems more acceptable, given that the word "hope" is close to "faith". Our hope (faith) in the promise of eternity in the future through the saving work of Christ in the past, saves us now. "by hope", or a softer, "with this hope ahead", Moffatt.

eswqhmen (swzw) aor. pas. "we were saved" - The aorist underlines a single act of saving, but not necessarily past tense, so possibly a dramatic aorist, "we are saved", JB note.

uJpomonhV (h hV) "patiently" - with patience, patient endurance. The word takes the sense of: a capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances*. "Perseverance", NASB. We wait expectantly for our hope to be realized. "When we hope for something we cannot see, then we must persevere with our hope."

The groaning (longing expectation, yearning) of the Spirit has often been interpreted as a reference to speaking in tongues, cf. Kasemann. This is very unlikely. It is the Spirit who groans, groans because he knows our heart (v27), is aware of our weakness, our failings, our total inability to eradicate indwelling sin. In the face of our weakness, our troubles, unable to express, even explain our corruption, the Spirit makes the stuff of our life his own and brings our brokenness before the throne of grace.

wJsautwV adv. "in the same way" - likewise. Linking these verses to the previous section.

sunantilambanetai (sunantilambanomai) pres. "helps" - assists, helps. A complex compound word: "The Holy Spirit lays hold of our weakness along with (sun) us and carries his part of the burden facing us (anti) as if two men were carrying a log, one at each end", Robertson.

th/ asqeneia/ (a) "in [our] weakness" - Some argue that "weakness" refers to a shallow prayer life, cf. Dodd, but the word often takes an ethical sense. Possibly just human frailty. "Joins us in our struggle against our weakness", Junkins.

ouk oidamen "we do not know" - "We don't know what to pray."

to "-" - The article here serves to introduce a noun clause, object of "we don't know." Not an overly common construction, Wallace 237.

ti "what" - "What to pray", not "how to pray", cf. NJB, Sanday and Headlam. The issue is over content, not method.

kaqo dei "ought" - [what we should pray] as is necessary. "According to what is necessary", Chamberlain. The what is necessary is probably "God's will", v27, a prayer that aligns with divine truth.

proseuxwmeqa (proseucomai) aor. subj. "we [ought] to pray for" - [what] we should pray. The subjunctive is deliberative. Is it "what to pray", ie. we are unsure of the content, or is it "what to pray for", ie. we are unsure what to ask for.

to pneuma (a atoV) "the Spirit" - Obviously the Holy Spirit, but some argue for the human spirit.

uJperentugcanei (uJperentugcanw) pres. "intercedes" - A strong word for pleading the cause of another.

stenagmoiV alalhtoiV "with groans that words cannot express" - with groanings unexpressed. Hapax legomenon, once only use in NT. Either "unspoken", or "inexpressible / unutterable", Denney. The NIV takes the line that the Spirit's groanings are "ineffable" to us, "sighs too deep for words", Berkeley, but it is reasonable to hold that they are "unspoken" in that the Spirit does not need to utter them to the Father, since the Father knows the mind of the Spirit, v27.

de "and" - but, and. Possibly adversative, "but". We don't know our own mind, let alone the mind of God, but God knows our mind and the mind of the Spirit who speaks for us, cf. Godet.

oJ eraunwn (eraunaw) pres. part. "he who searches" - the one searching. Participle as a substantive. "The searcher of hearts", Cassirer.

oiden (oida) perf. "knows" - A dramatic perfect tense treated as a present tense.

ti "-" - [knows] what (is in?)[the mind of the spirit]. "All our thoughts are known to God", CEV.

tou pneumatoV (a atoV) "the Spirit" - As noted above, the human spirit may be intended, but it is more likely the Holy Spirit.

oJti "because" - that. Possibly introducing a causal clause, "because", as NIV, but also possibly introducing a noun clause, dependent statement of thinking, "knows that the Spirit intercedes", "God knows the intention of the Spirit is to intercede for us in accordance with the divine will", Black.

entugcanei (entugcanw) pres. "intercedes" - plead. "The Spirit pleads", Barclay.

uJper + gen. "for" - for, on behalf of / concerning, about. For the benefit of = "on behalf of."

aJgiwn (oV) "the saints" - saints. There is no article, so the prayer is for believers rather than the church. "He intercedes on behalf of those consecrated to God", Cassirer.

kata + acc. "in accordance with" - according to [God]. As aligned to the divine standard. v28

oidamen (oida) perf. "we know" - Paul includes his readers in this knowledge. It is general knowledge.

toiV agapwsin (agapaw) part. "those who love" - to the ones loving. Participle as a substantive. Here lit. "the loving ones", those who love God. Calvin says that such love includes the whole of true religion, but it probably means trust in God, relying on him, accepting his promises.

panta (paV pasa pan) "all things" - everything. NIV "all things work together" has the word as a subject. There are other possibilities. "God works all things", "God works with regard toward all things." The "all things" most likely refer to the "present sufferings" of v18, which are more likely the "groan inwardly" sort of sufferings, rather than outward persecution. So, taken as an accusative of respect, "in everything God works for good", RSV.

sunergei (sunergew) "works" - work together with, assist one another. Yet assist, help or profit, may be closer to the mark. Paul's point then is that "all things", in the sense of the struggles of our Christian walk, are profitable for those who love God. The variant reading for "God" causes some problems. Are the "all things/everything" working together for those who love God, or is it God who is working in the "all things/everything" for those who love him? We are certainly strongly influenced by "all things work together for good", AV, but it is better read as "in everything God works for good with those who love him", RSV (although not NRSV).

agaqon adj. "good" - good. Here in the sense of advantageous, beneficial. The inward struggle over indwelling sin, doubts, fears, .... is beneficial when it serves to prepare us, strengthen us..... for eternity. So the good is not worldly welfare, but rather ultimate salvation and all that this entails.

proqesin (iV ewV) "purpose" - plan, intention, purpose, setting forth. Here, the intention/purpose may be God's, but it can also be ours. That human intention prompts inclusion in God's saving invitation, is an interpretation with a long history, but was opposed by Augustine and later by those of a reformed persuasion. Interestingly, Augustine later argued that God's sovereign choice of the elect was controlled by a foreknowledge of a person's spiritual intentions. This is a two-way-bet and not a sound argument. Better to view the elect, the called out ones, the children of God, Israel, God's son, the servant of God ...... as a people incorporated with the one obedient son of God, namely, Christ. They are incorporated by way of their intentions - a hearing and accepting of the gospel. The forming of a called out people is by way of God's sovereign will. Inclusion in this called out people is by way of a person's intentions, namely, repentance and faith.

klhtoiV adj. "called" - called, invited, summoned. Reformed believers argue for an "effectual call" of individuals. Yet, it is likely that God's effectual call (a setting apart, an election) is of a people to be with him for eternity, rather than of individuals. This called-out people, this "chosen nation", this new "Israel", this "elect", is made up of those who freely respond in faith to the offer of God's grace in the gospel. By identification with Christ, the elect son of God, they become God's elect.

ouJV "those" - whom. It is not "what" he foreordained, but rather persons.
      proegnw "foreknew" - Gen.18:19, Jer.1:5, Amos.3:2. God's special knowledge of his people that proceeds even the creation of the world. cf. Eph.1:4, 2Tim.1:9.

prowrisen (proorizw) aor. ind. act. "predestined" - he predestined, foreordained. To mark, limit or define something beforehand. Here, as an aorist, it is a completed act. It amounts to God's gracious decision, on behalf of the elect, to achieve a predetermined goal.

summorfouV adj. "conformed" - share the likeness, a substantial conformity to something, not superficial. To be conformed to the likeness of his Son" - Jesus is the likeness/image of God and it was the original purpose of God that we should be conformed into that likeness - take on divinity/sonship: i) For the present, suffering and obedience, through the power of the indwelling Spirit, furthers sanctification (conformity toward Christ-likeness); ii) The final glorification achieves fully that conformity.

prwtotokon adj. "firstborn" - the privileged one who is greatly loved. "That he might be the firstborn of many brothers" - It was God's purpose, in foreordaining his elect to be conformed into the image of his Son, that Christ might not be alone in the privileges of Sonship, but that such privileges might be shared by a great multitude of brothers and sisters.

ekalesen (kalew) aor. "called" - summon, invite. The forming, or gathering together, of the righteous remnant in Christ by means of an open invitation. See above for a reformed perspective.

edikaiwsen (dikaiow) aor. "justified" - set/judged right in the sight of God. "Judged right" is preferred by some, although "set right" is to be preferred in that what God declares so is so. Justification involves a divine act of grace whereby the elect are set right with God, which state prompts a "being what we are" (always imperfectly).

edoxasen (doxazw) aor. ind. act. "glorified" - he glorified. Aorist indicating a completed event. Obviously in this case it is completed in the mind of God. We are glorified, because God intends to glorify us. Our glorification is a foreordained gift which has yet to come, but also there is a sense where it is a present reality in Christ who has already been glorified. The righteous reign of God, his setting all things right, ultimately realizes our glorification.

Romans Introduction.

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