Our Groaning (2 of 5)
Series: From Groaning to Glory
Jonathan McLeod
Romans 8:23-25
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 (v. 23).
GROANING
The apostle Paul says that we (i.e., believers) ''groan inwardly'' (v. 23). Did you groan about something this past week?
- We groan about the never-ending tasks of life.
- We groan about our physical struggles (e.g., tiredness, weight gain, sickness, pain).
- We groan about our relational problems (e.g., failed marriages).
- We groan about our spiritual failures (e.g., not loving others as ourselves).
We don't groan because we have no hope. We groan because we do have hope. How can hope cause us to groan?
OUR HOPE
Paul writes, ''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'' (v. 23).
We ''have the firstfruits of the Spirit.'' The ''firstfruits'' are the beginning of the harvest, and they also cause the farmer to anticipate a greater harvest. Paul is saying that because we've received the Holy Spirit, we now look forward to even greater blessings. And since we are looking forward to a life that is so much better, we groan when we go through the struggles of this life.
An elderly person who was once a great athlete must inwardly groan when he struggles to walk up the stairs. He groans when he looks back. We groan when we look forward-not because we don't have hope, but because we do have hope.
When Paul talks about our ''hope,'' he's not talking about the normal kind of hope (i.e., wishful thinking)-''I hope I win a million dollars.'' Our hope isn't wishful thinking because it's guaranteed by the word and power of God.
What's our hope? ''We wait eagerly for adoption as sons.'' But didn't Paul say in verse 15 that we already children of ...
Series: From Groaning to Glory
Jonathan McLeod
Romans 8:23-25
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 (v. 23).
GROANING
The apostle Paul says that we (i.e., believers) ''groan inwardly'' (v. 23). Did you groan about something this past week?
- We groan about the never-ending tasks of life.
- We groan about our physical struggles (e.g., tiredness, weight gain, sickness, pain).
- We groan about our relational problems (e.g., failed marriages).
- We groan about our spiritual failures (e.g., not loving others as ourselves).
We don't groan because we have no hope. We groan because we do have hope. How can hope cause us to groan?
OUR HOPE
Paul writes, ''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'' (v. 23).
We ''have the firstfruits of the Spirit.'' The ''firstfruits'' are the beginning of the harvest, and they also cause the farmer to anticipate a greater harvest. Paul is saying that because we've received the Holy Spirit, we now look forward to even greater blessings. And since we are looking forward to a life that is so much better, we groan when we go through the struggles of this life.
An elderly person who was once a great athlete must inwardly groan when he struggles to walk up the stairs. He groans when he looks back. We groan when we look forward-not because we don't have hope, but because we do have hope.
When Paul talks about our ''hope,'' he's not talking about the normal kind of hope (i.e., wishful thinking)-''I hope I win a million dollars.'' Our hope isn't wishful thinking because it's guaranteed by the word and power of God.
What's our hope? ''We wait eagerly for adoption as sons.'' But didn't Paul say in verse 15 that we already children of ...
There are 4362 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
