Romans 8:18-8:21 - Subjected to Corruption

Calvin (11/8/01)

8:18: Here, Paul meets any complaint that might arise regarding present sufferings. It is added support for what he had said in v17. Given the coming glory that will be ours, of what consequence are these sufferings we deal with for the moment? It is not that Paul is comparing the suffering to the glory, but that he seeks to lighten the burden of the suffering by a reminder of the glory that is coming.
8:19: Paul looks to creation to find an example of patience amidst trial for us. There is no element to be found that does not long for its resurrection when trials distress it, nor is there any element that escapes these distresses. Indeed, not only does this model patience for us, but it also declares the magnitude of that coming glory, for all creation longs for it, not only those of reason. They await with great desire the coming of that time when we, God's children will know the fullness of our own glory. (1Jn 3:2 - Now we are God's children, yet we have not yet been made what we will be. For, when we see Him as He truly is at His coming, we will be just like Him.) When that fullness is come, creation will be enabled to know the full life that yet remains hidden to it.
8:20: Because creation's restoration cannot come until our own is complete, it waits with great longing for the coming kingdom. The futility they suffer is that of their short span of life. Corruption overtakes them all too quickly. Nature does not actually have a will, yet it is personified here, that we might better understand how unnatural is that corruption, and how foolish are we, who having the will that nature does not, yet willingly follow after corruption. What we witness in nature ought to cause our thoughts to seek higher things. Corruption ought to cause us to seek the incorruptible. Not only is patience to be found modeled in our world, but also obedience and hope. Knowing that nature does not by nature pursue the path of corruption, preferring survival to destruction, it becomes clear that nature obeys its Maker, even when His directives are counter to its desires. Here, too, is hope. For in their patience, in accepting the will of the Creator, they yet know Him good, and await His certain renovating move, when once the sons of God are made manifestly complete in Him.
8:21: Their subjection is clear in that there will come a time of freedom for them. [This is noted as being evidenced in Isaiah and Peter, but no reference is provided.] Here, then, there is still more for us to recognized, for in the very corruption of nature, itself innocent of any wrong, we see the full extent of our own sins. For our sins, all creation has been punished, and yet, to amplify the glory of our own redemption, all nature shall be redeemed alongside us! Not that nature will share the same glory that we will have, yet they will enter into a better state, as God restores the original, perfect state of creation. What their glory will be is beyond our proper speculation, it suffices us to recognize that the deformities and decay of nature will be at an end in that day.

Matthew Henry (11/9/01)

8:18: Paul helps us keep our perspective by noting that sufferings are part of the plan. He notes that these sufferings are only for a time, and that is the present time. They will not last beyond this short life. (2Co 4:17 - These momentary and light afflictions produce an eternal and weighty glory.) As we are, we neither enjoy nor comprehend that glory, but we shall. (1Co 2:9 - Even as was written, God has prepared such things as man has not seen, heard, nor even considered as a possibility, all for those who love Him. 1Jn 3:2 - We know we are presently children of God, yet not what we will be at His appearing. But we know we will be like Him, because we will see Him in truth.) As sweet as our present blessings may be, there remains a far greater blessing to be revealed in and to us: the kingdom of God. Still, the extent of that glory indicates that it is not a reward for suffering, but a gracious gift. Paul has thought long and hard on the matter, and only after such careful consideration has he declared that glory so surpassing in value. Our present trials amount to very little when set alongside the infinitude of the glory that will be ours in Christ. Where, then, is room or cause to fear suffering for Christ? It was not reason alone that led Paul to this conclusion, but experience as well. (2Co 11:23-28 - Many labors, imprisonments, beatings, lashings, stonings, shipwrecks, and the like I have suffered through. I have been endangered by nature, by thieves, by Jews and Gentiles, on the streets and in the country, on land and sea. I have been betrayed by false brothers, worked and suffered through sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, exposure. And if all this weren't enough, I carry my concerns for all the churches daily. 2Co 12:3-4 - Whether in body or spirit alone, I know I have been to Paradise, heard words I may not speak. Of this, I will boast, for such boasting is not foolishness, but truth. Yet even from this I refrain, so that none will think more of me than they ought to, hearing my words. Heb 11:26 - Consider Christ's reproach to be of greater worth than all the treasures of Egypt, and look to His reward.)
8:19: The heavenly expectations we hold to during suffering are assured, for the Holy Spirit would not cause such hopes to rise up in us and then disappoint them. (Ps 119:49 - Remember Your words to me, in which You have caused me to hope. Pr 13:12 - Hope that is delayed makes us heartsick, but fulfilled desires are as life to us.) God will establish all that He has declared to us. Our hope will not disappoint. How great that word of promise is can be seen in the fact that the whole of creation is said to be waiting for us to come into the promised glory.
8:20-8:21: When man sinned, the very ground was cursed, and with it all creatures. All became mortal. Every aspect of creation has been stained with impurities by our fall. In the flood, it was not just mankind that drowned, but all animals shared in the punishment. In that we often make these creatures tools in pursuit of our own sins, they are made unwilling captives to the same sin that captures us. Yet, in this, they did not sin of their own accord, as Adam did, they have come to sin as a part of God's judgment upon Adam's sin. Yet, they bear with this judgment in hope, knowing it will not always be thus. They will be delivered of their burden. Creation will be renewed, to create a new heaven, and a new earth. (2Pe 3:13 - We look to the new heavens and the new earth of righteousness, which He has promised. Rev 21:1 - The first heaven and earth passed away, and I saw the new heaven and earth, in which was no sea.) The animals shall know a glorified state, not the same as man's, yet proportional and fitting. "The fire at the last day shall be a refining, not a destroying annihilating fire." (Ps 96:10-13 - Declare to all nations that the LORD reigns. The world He has created is unshakable, and He judges the people righteously. The heavens are glad, the earth rejoices. The sea and all that is in it roar approval. The fields exult, and the trees sing for joy before HIM. For He is coming to judge the world with righteousness, and His people in faithfulness to them. Ps 98:7-9 - The sea and all within it, the world and all who live in it roar. The rivers clap and the mountains sing for joy before the LORD. He is coming to judge the world in righteousness, the people with equity.) At present, God's saints are largely hidden, the wheat largely indistinguishable from the tares, but at His coming, they will be manifestly evident. (1Jn 3:2 - Although presently children of God, we have yet to know what we will be at His coming, other than that we will be like Him, seeing Him as He is.) The redemption of creation awaits this revelation of God's children, for their redemption will be due to man's rebirth, just as their oppression was due to his fall. Knowing that the animals, too, will have their redemption ought to give us cause to treat them well.

Adam Clarke (11/9/01)

8:18: The glory we will know is the enjoyment of God. Compared to this, what possible worth can we put on the sufferings of this brief life?
8:19: Much debate surrounds the meaning of this passage. Is it to apply to creation, the Jews, the Gentiles, the spirits? The phrase 'the whole creation,' used in v22, is the same phrase used in Mk 16:15 to describe who we are to preach the gospel to. This is paralleled in Mt 28:19 as 'all the nations.' The same meaning can be taken here, indicating that all of the Gentile world awaits this revealing of the sons of God. That this is the case is also supported by the 'vanity' of v20. In Ro 1:21, Paul spoke of the vanity of their imaginations, the emptiness of their minds. This vanity, he also notes elsewhere. (Eph 4:17 - Cease from walking as the Gentiles do, following after their own futile thoughts. 1Co 3:20 - The Lord knows that the best reasonings of the wise are useless and empty.) Note also that throughout, Paul has made reference to Israel's bondage in Egypt, and their deliverance. In this, there is a comparison to be made to the Gentile church, which awaits the first-born to deliver them. They await the manifestation of which the prophets had written, the presence of sons of God within their midst. This, they anxiously wait for.
8:20: While the Gentile world may have become vain by their own will, their subjection to it remained an unwilling thing. The builders of Babel worked to a vain goal of idolatry. The undertaking of that task was done willingly, yet the subjection to further vanity that came of that act was a consequence they entered into unwillingly. It was God's just indignation visited upon them, and keeping them subject to paganism until the Gospel came some 2000 years later.
8:21: The corruption to which creation is enslaved is a matter of sin. (2Pe 1:4 - He has granted us His promises, so that we might share of the divine nature, escaping the corruption that lust has brought upon the world. 2Co 11:3 - I worry that just as the serpent deceived Eve with clever words, you, too, might be led astray from your pure and simple devotion to Christ. 1Co 15:33 - Bad company corrupts good morals.) So, here, the idea is that the Gentile world will eventually be freed from the bondage of sinful corruption, of lust and perversion, and brought into the liberty enjoyed by the sons of God.

Barnes' Notes (11/10/01)

8:18: From here to v25, Paul considers the sustaining power of the Gospel message amidst the trials of this present life. In this, he expands upon what he has previously said. (Ro 5:3-5 - We rejoice in our tribulations, because we know they build perseverance, faithfulness, and a hope that won't disappoint. This we know, because God has poured out His love upon us in the Holy Spirit He has given to us.) Considering the trials of the early church, this was a topic likely to be considered often, and the encouragements provided here were greatly needed. Not only those things specific to the Christian condition at that time, but general matters of health and conflict are in view here, but the specific trials of the time are noted in particular. The happiness and honor that our ours in heaven are so great that all these trials are as nothing by comparison. Knowing that the glory and splendor of heaven will be ours is sufficient to sustain us in current crises. (Rev 21:10 - He took me and showed me the holy city coming down out of heaven from God. Rev 21:23-24 - That city needed no sun or moon for light, because God is its light, the Lamb is its lamp, and all the nations will walk by that light, bringing glory into the city. Rev 22:5 - Night will be no longer. There will be no use for lamps or sunlight, because God Himself will illuminate them.) This ought to sustain us, for compared to this, what are the afflictions we suffer at the moment? (2Co 4:17 - These momentary, light afflictions are producing an eternal, weighty glory which is beyond all possible comparison.) Suffering is for a moment, glory is eternal, forever increasing and expanding.
8:19: The earnest expectation spoken of here is only used as a term in one other location (Php 1:20 - It is my earnest expectation and hope that Christ will now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death, and either way with boldness.) This is an expectation that causes one's head to be thrust forward in hopeful anticipation. It is an intense and ardent wish for the awaited. Such ought be our expectation of our inheritance. This being a pretty controversial passage, the attempt here will be to allow its context to guide our understanding. That context is all to do with the sustaining power of the gospel amidst trials. To illustrate that point, 'creature' is used to speak of the Christian's renewed nature, and he is shown to be awaiting his future glory as a child of God. While he awaits, he is subject to much trial, and little comfort, which is not his heart's desire, but is according to God's wise plans. In his present trials, there is the hope of deliverance. Yet, in this present state, the Christian is not alone, for his condition is common to the world, which groans under its trials as much as he. Thus, he should see that his trials are not that special. What is unique to the Christian is the hope of deliverance, of a final rescue, for which he waits. Footnote: The more common view is that Paul here speaks of the whole of creation, and thereby shows just how marvelous our inheritance truly is. It is so grand that even the dumbest creatures in creation wait to see the Son, to see His kingdom manifest. This, even the animals await, for in that manifestation, the curse will be lifted from them, as well, which curse came upon them because of man's sin. The term 'creation' is used in a number of places in the NT with varied meaning. (Ro 1:20 - Since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes have been understandable through what He made. {the act of creation} Mk 10:6 - From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. Mk 13:19 - In those days, there will be a tribulation such has not been known since the beginning of creation, and such as shall never be known again. 2Pe 3:4 - Where, then is His coming? Nothing has changed since the days of the fathers. It all continues just as it has from the beginning of creation. Ro 1:25 - They worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. Ro 8:39 - There is no height or depth sufficient to separate us from God's love, nor can any created thing come between that love and us. {that which is created, the universe} Mk 16:15 - Go, and preach the gospel to all creation. Col 1:23 - Continue firm and established in your faith, not moved from the hope of the gospel that was proclaimed in all creation under heaven. 1Pe 2:13 - Submit yourselves for the sake of the Lord to every human authority. {mankind} Col 1:15 - He is the image of God, the first-born of all creation. Rev 3:14 - To Laodicea write that the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of God's creation declares this. {the Church, or the new creation}). In this passage, that last meaning seems to be the one indicated by the context. No other meaning appears to make a proper connection with Paul's present topic. Further, this is the meaning Paul often gives the term in other locations. (2Co 5:17 - In Christ, every man is a new creature for whom the old things are gone and new things come. Gal 6:15 - Neither circumcision nor its lack are meaningful. Only the new creation matters. Eph 2:10 - We are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works. Eph 2:15 - He has abolished the natural enmity, so as to join both Jew and Gentile into one new man, and so establish peace. Eph 4:24 - Put on the new self, which, in God's likeness, has been created in righteousness and holiness.) It was natural for the writers of the NT to think of the Christian as a new creation, for great is the power of God in their conversion. In this, they took the imagery of the OT forward into the New. (Dt 32:6c - Your Father has bought you. He has made you and established you. Is 43:6-7 - I will say to the ends of the earth to return My sons and daughters, all who are called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I have made. Is 43:21 - The people I made for Myself will declare My praise.) This glory, we await with great interest, for it is not yet our possession. We have some evidence of our adoption at present, yet we await its full benefit, freedom from all the trials we currently suffer, and admission into the full enjoyment of the Most High God. This completion will not come until Judgment Day, when we shall be acknowledged by Him as His children. (1Co 1:7 - Be lacking in no gift, and eagerly await the revelation of our Lord. 2Th 3:5 - May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love, and into Christ's steadfastness. Gal 5:5 - Through the Spirit, we are waiting by faith for the hope of righteousness. 1Th 1:10 - We wait for His Son, whom He raised from the dead, to deliver us from the coming wrath.)
8:20: Because we, as Christians, are yet subjected to this current condition against our desire, we long for the full benefit of adoption. It is by Another's orders that we remain in this frail and dying state of exposure. This was not our choice, for we would prefer to be in perfection of holiness. It is this frustration of the present that Paul expresses in the latter half of chapter 7. But He, in His wise purpose, has chosen this present situation for us. Note that Christian instincts lead us to desire a pure and happy world. (Php 1:23 - I am hard pressed, for I long to depart and be with Christ, knowing it is far better there.) We long for our deliverance from this current life. Yet, we know it to be His wisdom that has appointed us to this life, though we are not given to understand why. We do know that part of this subjection is so as to allow us to help other sinners by leading them to our Savior. We know that our presence serves as a witness to the power of the Gospel to overcome our sins. We know it works to develop character in us, and so is proper training for our eventual life in heaven, for the characteristics it develops are those of the Christian. We know it is fitting that we serve Him here who has saved us here. Hope ever looks to the future, and expects what it looks to. (Ro 5:4 - Perseverance build character, and that proven character gives us hope.)
8:21: The ground of our hope sustains us, for knowing God has promised our deliverance, we know it will come in His time. It is the same man, body and soul, who will be redeemed, and yet, he will be freed of the corruptions of this present condition. (1Co 15:35-38 - With what body will the dead be raised? Well, we know that the seed that is sown must die, if life is to come, and what is sown is but a grain to which God will give whatever body He desires, and each seed has its own body. 1Co 15:42-44 - Thus, the resurrection body, which was sown as a perishable thing, will be raised as imperishable. Its seed was sown in dishonor, but it will be raised in glory. It was sown a weak thing, but will be raised in power. It is sown natural, but raised spiritual. 2Pe 3:13 - We look forward to a new heaven and earth, in which righteousness lives, for this He has promised.) The 'bondage' of this verse reflects the 'futility' of the last verse. This present condition, leading to sin and temptation as it does, is not what we will for ourselves, for it destroys our peace, and limits our happiness. It weakens our faith and our Christian love. But we know we will be liberated. We will be freed from the bonds of this corruption, of all that binds us, which is all that is not in perfect accord with Him. This is a glorious liberty, surrounded with majesty and honor, that all God's children will enjoy.

Wycliffe (11/11/01)

8:18: When we consider our present sufferings, we should always bear in mind the glory that is to come, a glory incomparable.
8:19: All creation, all that is sub-human in life, awaits our redemption. Why? Because creation has been involved in our sin and its punishment.
8:20: Such natural disasters as tornadoes and earthquakes show that creation is in a reduced state. This, God did according to His wise plan, but not without leaving an assured hope that the situation would end in time.
8:21: Indeed, even the decay and deterioration that is present in the world will end in the day of His return. All of creation will come into that glorious freedom that is manifest in His children.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (11/11/01)

8:18: There is no doubt expressed here, but a certainty that the very transitory trials we presently suffer are nothing compared to the glory we will experience during an eternity in God's presence.
8:19: Paul is overtaken by the glory he contemplates in this passage, and so he presents it more fully, showing that the whole of creation is caught up in our present condition, and is involved in our eventual redemption. There is a continuous watching, a strenuous pursuit of this redemption in creation; an eager anticipation of its arrival on the scene. (Ro 8:23 - We, too, knowing the first fruits of this redemption, groan within because we eagerly wait for the complete adoption, the redemption of our body. Ro 8:25 - If we hope for things unseen, it gives us perseverance to wait eagerly for it. 1Co 1:7 - We pray that you will be lacking in no gift, that you will be found eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus. Php 3:20 - We are citizens of heaven, eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Savior from thence. Heb 9:28 - Christ, who was offered up once so as to bear the sins of many, will re-appear for salvation without sin, to those who eagerly await Him.) The manifestation of the sons lies in the redemption of their bodies [the soul having already been redeemed.] (Ro 8:23 - Thus, we who have already the first-fruits groan with longing for the completion of our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Lk 20:36 - The resurrected can no longer die, for they are like angels, being sons of God. Rev 21:7 - He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be His God, and he will be My son.)
8:20: The principle of decay is not natural, but was imposed from without. Nature submits to this unnatural condition in obedience to its Creator, a condition imposed on account of man's failures.
8:21: Creation will be freed from decay, sharing in a liberty akin to that which the children of God will enjoy.

New Thoughts (11/12/01-11/13/01)

What a lesson God prepares for us in the nature He has created! How much we still have to learn from it. I am overwhelmed by the realization that it is not just man that suffers for man's sin, but creation also has been punished. The ground itself was cursed. Surely, as we recognize this we ought to be driven to strive after that salvation that will save not only us, but creation as well. However, the greater inspiration we can draw from nature is to notice how creation accepts the will of its Creator. No complaint. No chasing after other, more pleasing masters. No. They accept the will of God, because they know that He is good, even if their present condition is one of suffering. Certainly the suffering they must go through is no desire of their own will, yet they go through, knowing that a good God must have good reason even for this.

As Calvin points out, this just shows all the more clearly what foolishness we toil under. Here are we, owners of a will and an ability to act on that will which nature has not, and what do we do? Do we work to get out from under the corruption that they long to be freed from? No! We go plunging right on, following after that which corrupts, seeking it out to play with. How sad we are! Even as we come to know the Creator, as we see the offer of freedom extended to us, yet we all too often turn and chase after our lethal ways.

Lord, how our fall has left us dumber than the beasts. What will it take, oh God, for me to hold fast to the knowledge that You have chosen our present situation? How can I find cause to complain, knowing that You, my Father, have chosen this? I know You are good, yet I grumble at Your choice. Help me, Lord, to seek to understand what You are aiming towards, when trials come my way. Help me to remember that Your promises are sure, that I can rest peacefully in the knowledge that You will establish all that You have declared to me.

Do I often fear the trials that must come? Absolutely. One cannot look at a fire he must pass through, and not know fear. But what an assurance Matthew Henry gives us, as we look to that time! "The fire at the last day shall be a refining, not a destroying annihilating fire." Yes, Lord! Yet, I cannot let this go without a bit of conditioning. For us, the redeemed, this is indeed a truth to rejoice in. Yet, for those who have refused the offered salvation, this fire will not be so.

Part of the refining process is to burn away the impurities. If, at the end of the process, nothing pure has been found, what will remain? Nothing. And the fire of refining is intense and hot. It takes an awful lot of heat to make metal run liquid. It takes an awful lot of heat to burn away the dross. It takes an awful lot to get us to let go of our fleshly ways. It shouldn't be that way, but there it is. We, like the Jews before us, are a stubborn and stiff necked people. We're no great improvement, just an additional burden our Father was willing to take on.

Am I willing to enter that fire? Not always. There are times when I can honestly call upon You, Lord, and say "whatever it takes. Do what You must to make me like You." But there are also those times when I would just as soon stay as I am. It hurts too much. I lose site of who You are, of Your goodness, of Your mercy. I forget that You have assured me that You will stand with me in the flames. I forget that, because of the work You have already done in me, I can be sure that there is something pure that will remain when we're done.

It's another one of those interesting 'coincidences' that tonight in home group we'll be looking at perseverance. And here, there is a powerful call to persevere. Trials and comforts are both ours abundantly in You. The trials to purify, the comforts to fortify. Like the vitamins that get added to our breakfast foods, You come with Your promises, adding the assurances of Your truth to us each day, that we might stand in the face of trials, and prevail by Your power.

Yet, I would not end this study on note of trial, but on notes of triumph. And these too, You provide in abundance! You have promised us a glory to come, and that glory is the very enjoyment of Yourself! We will enjoy You, God. We will inherit You! How can we not shout our praises to the One who has promised us such a great thing? You have given us a citizenship in heaven (Php 3:20). This is the home You have made for us. How can we not await this with eager anticipation? How can our hearts not be filled with longing to see our Savior coming to bring us home? Oh, how I long to see Him! How I long to see my husband come at last to take me to our chambers.

We are a people made by our God. We are made with a purpose. We were saved with a purpose. We know that we were saved so as to do those good works He has prepared. As Mr. Barnes has noted, it is only fitting that we serve Him here, in this life; for He saved us here, in this life. It is only fitting that we give obedience to Him who has so saved us. But He made us for more than labor. There is one good work that excels all others, to declare His praises. This is the call of Isaiah 43:21. God has made for Himself a people that will declare His praise!

Are we that people? Will we stand and declare His praise? Come out from your walls, oh Jerusalem, and shout to the nations of the glory of your God! He who has been kind and merciful to you calls on you to praise Him. He has placed each one of us amidst the family of Levi; each one declared a priest, each one fit to sing forth of His glories in the temple He has chosen. Let your life so sing!