Romans 8:22

22 For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth.

Romans 8:22 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 8:22

For we know that the whole creation groaneth
As a woman with child, ready to bring forth: for it is added,

and travaileth in pain together until now;
regeneration is owing to the grace of God, which is compared to "seed", of which men are born again; the means of conveying it is the Gospel, and ministers are the instruments of begetting souls to Christ, and who travail in birth till Christ be formed in them: now the Gospel being carried by the apostles into the Gentile world, and being succeeded there, it was like a woman big with child, ready to bring forth many sons to God; for as it was prophesied, so it came to pass, that "more are the children of the desolate, than the children of the married wife", ( Isaiah 54:1 ) ; and these births were attended with pain. The apostles preached the word with much contention, and the Gentiles received it in much affliction, though with the joy of the Holy Ghost; as a woman rejoices when a man child is brought forth, though the birth has been attended with pain and labour. This was an united groan, and travail of all the converted Gentiles in the several parts of the world, together with the ministers of the Gospel, earnestly desiring more instances of conversion among them; and this vehement desire had appeared "until now", from the first time of the preaching of the Gospel among the Gentiles, to the writing of this epistle; and supposes, that though there were many spiritual births, there were more to come; as there has been, and will be more abundantly, in the latter day: and moreover, this painful labour, and these united groans for spiritual births, the apostles were well acquainted with, and therefore could say, "we know" by their preaching among them, in whom they could easily observe, and do in their writings take notice, how eagerly desirous they were of having the Gospel preached unto them.

(The whole creation was brought under a curse because of Adam's sin. This curse will be removed in the eternal state when Christ will restore the creation to the way it was in the beginning. Editor.)

Romans 8:22 In-Context

20 For creation was condemned to lose its purpose, not of its own will, but because God willed it to be so. Yet there was the hope

21 that creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22 For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth.

23 But it is not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God's gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his children and set our whole being free.

24 For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. For who of us hopes for something we see?