Romani 8:22

22 Poiché sappiamo che fino ad ora tutta la creazione geme insieme ed è in travaglio;

Romani 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.)

Romani 8:22 In-Context

20 perché la creazione è stata sottoposta alla vanità, non di sua propria volontà, ma a cagion di colui che ve l’ha sottoposta,

21 non senza speranza però che la creazione stessa sarà anch’ella liberata dalla servitù della corruzione, per entrare nella libertà della gloria dei figliuoli di Dio.

22 Poiché sappiamo che fino ad ora tutta la creazione geme insieme ed è in travaglio;

23 non solo essa, ma anche noi, che abbiamo le primizie dello Spirito, anche noi stessi gemiamo in noi medesimi, aspettando l’adozione, la redenzione del nostro corpo.

24 Poiché noi siamo stati salvati in isperanza. Or la speranza di quel che si vede, non è speranza; difatti, quello che uno vede, perché lo spererebbe egli ancora?