THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT, PREPARING US FOR GLORY:
5) Guaranteeing a glorious future.
"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 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? but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. " Romans 8v22-25
The apostle acknowledges the tremendous struggles of the material creation , under the curse of God. Those who study biology and geography etc. tells us of the great strain of the material world to constantly produce the goods, sometimes against all odds. This is the lot of all who live in this world, groaning, travailing in pain; no one alive today has ever seen the pristine glory of the earth as created by God, but many will see it. In the present time however, the pain goes on. What is true of creation is true also of human beings upon it, and particularly this groaning applies to believers in Christ whose eyes and hearts have been illuminated to see a future better day. Since the expectation has been raised, it is certain that the pain and the groaning of this present experience becomes all the more evident. Paul sums it up when writing to the Corinthians when he says "for in this we groan."
Just as previously we saw that the creation was expecting a better day, so Christians are waiting expectantly for something better "we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. There is a day coming, when these bodies wracked with pain, and invaded by illness, as a result of the Fall, will be changed. Elsewhere Paul says " Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. " 1st Corinthians 15v51-53 Again writing to the Corinthians Paul says this "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." 2nd Corinthians 5v1-2 Again Paul says "our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change the body of our humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." Philippians 3 v 20 - 21
That is the hope of the Christian. That is what Paul means when he says "we are saved by hope." We hope for something that is better, that is not seen as yet. This is no forlorn hope, this is the promise of God to all believers, and we can all agree that it is worth waiting for.
What we have now says Paul are "the firstfruits of the Spirit." This imagery goes back to the time of harvest (Leviticus 16) when a single sheaf of the corn field was taken and waved before the Lord. This ritual acknowledged that the harvest belonged to God, but secondly the existence of a single sheaf bearing corn was the foretaste of the great harvest to come. The firstfruits of the harvest was the evidence that the entire harvest would be reaped. Paul uses this wonderful illustration to tell us that in all the present fruits of the Spirit within us, as previously discussed, is God's pledge to the believer that the whole of His work of salvation will be completed, and that what we are experiencing now is but the foretaste. In Ephesians chapter 1 Paul uses the word "pledge" "the Holy Spirit of promises which is the "pledge" of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." Ephesians 1v14 The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is God's guarantee, His pledge, His down payment of a greater inheritance to come. We all know today the idea of making a deposit when paying for goods; this is a down payment that carries the promise that the full price will be paid. Spiritually speaking the Holy Spirit is God's deposit guaranteeing our future glory.
This is worth waiting for - isn't it?
"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 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? but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. " Romans 8v22-25
The apostle acknowledges the tremendous struggles of the material creation , under the curse of God. Those who study biology and geography etc. tells us of the great strain of the material world to constantly produce the goods, sometimes against all odds. This is the lot of all who live in this world, groaning, travailing in pain; no one alive today has ever seen the pristine glory of the earth as created by God, but many will see it. In the present time however, the pain goes on. What is true of creation is true also of human beings upon it, and particularly this groaning applies to believers in Christ whose eyes and hearts have been illuminated to see a future better day. Since the expectation has been raised, it is certain that the pain and the groaning of this present experience becomes all the more evident. Paul sums it up when writing to the Corinthians when he says "for in this we groan."
Just as previously we saw that the creation was expecting a better day, so Christians are waiting expectantly for something better "we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. There is a day coming, when these bodies wracked with pain, and invaded by illness, as a result of the Fall, will be changed. Elsewhere Paul says " Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. " 1st Corinthians 15v51-53 Again writing to the Corinthians Paul says this "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." 2nd Corinthians 5v1-2 Again Paul says "our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change the body of our humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." Philippians 3 v 20 - 21
That is the hope of the Christian. That is what Paul means when he says "we are saved by hope." We hope for something that is better, that is not seen as yet. This is no forlorn hope, this is the promise of God to all believers, and we can all agree that it is worth waiting for.
What we have now says Paul are "the firstfruits of the Spirit." This imagery goes back to the time of harvest (Leviticus 16) when a single sheaf of the corn field was taken and waved before the Lord. This ritual acknowledged that the harvest belonged to God, but secondly the existence of a single sheaf bearing corn was the foretaste of the great harvest to come. The firstfruits of the harvest was the evidence that the entire harvest would be reaped. Paul uses this wonderful illustration to tell us that in all the present fruits of the Spirit within us, as previously discussed, is God's pledge to the believer that the whole of His work of salvation will be completed, and that what we are experiencing now is but the foretaste. In Ephesians chapter 1 Paul uses the word "pledge" "the Holy Spirit of promises which is the "pledge" of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." Ephesians 1v14 The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is God's guarantee, His pledge, His down payment of a greater inheritance to come. We all know today the idea of making a deposit when paying for goods; this is a down payment that carries the promise that the full price will be paid. Spiritually speaking the Holy Spirit is God's deposit guaranteeing our future glory.
This is worth waiting for - isn't it?
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