that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
10 sermons cite this verse
… but by the will of the one who subjected it, and hope that the creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, we ourselves have the first fruits of the Spirit. We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons of redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that's seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for it? He already has. But if we hope what we don't yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don't know what to pray for sometimes. The Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words can't even express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accord with God's will. And we know that in all things, in all things, in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called. …
… You won't even compare them to the glory that awaits you. Or Romans 8.21, that creation is longing to obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Now, that's going to be a good sermon, I hope, someday. Creation. Don't think God's going to renew all creation. I'm a part of creation, so I'm going to follow in the train of creation. God's going to give a new creation. I'm part of that. Paul's logic is just the opposite. It says all of creation is looking on the mountains and the rivers and the oceans and the eagles and the bears and the lions and tigers and everything, oh my, all of that splendor and glory. They look at Christians and say, if only I could have the glory that awaits them. Creation wants to obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. You and I will have the glory that all of creation, It's not us in the train of creation's glory. It's creation following up in the train of our glory what God does as his children, foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified. …
… For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself would be set free from its bondage to decay, and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. These words ring true for us with Noah. If you have had a pet that has grown old or you've had to say goodbye, they've come home to you as well. Suffering, groaning, decay, futility. They run throughout all of creation. A wildfire runs through a habitat, teeming with life. Plants die. And what was living there either dies or is left homeless. Last year in St. Louis, a tornado tore through the city. Those strong winds made the trees groan. Branches fell down, other trees had to be cut down, and they began to decay. When I was young, I enjoyed watching westerns on TV. Occasionally, a rider would be going through a desert area, and you would see the skull of a steer horn sticking up from the sandy soil. …
… And that's what Isaac Watts is singing about. Romans 8 says, the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected 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. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. So creation is singing, but it's also waiting. and groaning and straining. It's in bondage, Paul says. This psalm, it looks back and it celebrates past deliverance. God has saved us. His right hand and his holy arm, they've rescued us. And it's preparing for a final deliverance. When even the seas and the hills and the rivers are finally set free with us. Jesus is going to come again and he's gonna save us, City's Church. And that means that we can sing even now while we're waiting for justice and deliverance as a people. Can we sing songs like this during hard days? …
… you will appear with him in glory. The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. A lot of people make a very big deal today out of the new heavens and the new earth, and they chastise. Evangelicals and fundamentalists because we believe in heaven. as if that were not possible to believe in both. And I want to stress the opposite. Remember, persons are the pinnacle of his creation, not galaxies. Persons are the pinnacle of his glory, not nature, not new heavens, not new earth. The son will have a beautiful bride, not mainly a beautiful estate. That's huge, brothers. Don't get this out of whack. Don't under or overemphasize the new heavens and the new earth. The new heavens and the new earth, according to Romans 8, is a footnote to your glory. That's what it says. The creation is waiting for the revealing of the freedom of the glory of the children. …
And the whole earth, it says in Romans 8, 21, the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. And now in the fullest, complete sense, he inherits everything perfect. And it will be as it ought to be as his inheritance. That's coming. And it's coming in the way he planned for it to come, through the purification of sins. Now, at the end of verse 2, the writer goes back from the end, where he's the heir of all things, to the beginning. and says that God through him created the ages, literally ages. This is world, time and space are created by God through Jesus. created through Jesus. God is the creator, it says, whom, through whom, through Jesus, he created the world. This statement that Christ was the agent of God in creation gives unfathomable depth to the statement in chapter 13, verse 8, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. …
… Verse 21. The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain what? The freedom of the glory of the children of God. takes your breath away. We don't inherit the glory of the new creation. It inherits ours. It's a peanut. It's a peanut. And you shine like the sun in the glory of your father. if you have a close personal enjoyment of Jesus in all his supremacies. So what's the main point of that Romans 8 section? What's the main point? The main point is that the new heavens and the new earth are designed to celebrate the glory of the children of God. That's why the universe exists. The universe exists to celebrate the glory of the children. of God. What is that glory? It is the glory of Christ. Because you have been brought into it and glorified with his glory. And why do you share that glory? It's a good reason to give in 1 Peter 3.15. Why do you share that glory? …
… because let me go on verse 21 because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God for we know that the whole creation groaneth there's that word again groaneth and prevaileth in pain together, together, together together, you ain't the only one You think you're the only one? If you get up and start talking your deepest, darkest secret Your deepest pain, your deepest heartache Your deepest disappointment, your deepest shame Somebody in this room is going to connect with you Because we are going through this together Together Fellowship of his suffering Fellowship of his suffering For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but we ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. That's the difference between church folks and the world. We groan within ourselves. We don't want nobody to see it. we groan within ourselves. …
Yeah, Romans chapter 8, verse 18 through 28. When you have it, say amen. Paul says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to even be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. I could stay there all day. I could just put up a tent and camp out in my backyard and stay on that text all day. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, anybody got some sufferings? The suffering of your present time is not worthy to even be compared. Don't even put it in the same sentence. It's not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. The whole earth is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, for you to peel back your flesh and show who you really are. Come on, talk to me, somebody. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly. …
… you. In Romans 8, it says, creation itself waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. And we ourselves, who await, have the first fruits of the Spirit, we groan inwardly and we eagerly await for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our That's a puzzling passage because it says all of nature is groaning in bondage to decay and can't wait for us to be adopted. And then Paul says, and we ourselves await the adoption, the glorious liberty of the children of God. And how can Paul say here we're already adopted and then just a little bit later here in Romans 8 say we're awaiting our adoption? Ah. Because, you see, when you become a Christian, you're legally adopted. And the greatest thing about adopting a child is you want to treat that child as if that child is your biological and natural child. …