Romans 8

Christians have two kinds of crosses.⁵¹ One cross is the cross on which our old self was crucified (Romans 6:6). The other “cross” is the suffering and persecution that comes as a result of following Christ. The first cross Jesus carried for us. The second cross we must carry for Him. If we want to be co-heirs with Christ and reign with Him, then we must carry this second cross (see Mark 8:34 and comment).

18 Few men have endured more hardship and suffering than Paul endured (2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 11:23-28). Even so, compared with the glory that was to come, the suffering he endured wasn’t worth taking into account (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul mentions here the glory that will be revealed in us. Whose glory will be revealed in us? Christ’s glory. When we are raised with Christ, we shall receive His glory; we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2). For those who are being led by the Spirit, this glory has already begun here on earth (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 and comment).

19 The word creation in this verse means all living things, both animals and plants. The whole creation is waiting for the sons of God (believers in Christ) to be revealed (glorified). When will they be revealed? Except for God, no one knows. But according to the teaching of the Bible, they will be revealed at the end of the world, when Christ will come again to reign with glory (see Mark 13:23-27,31-32; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-4). The whole creation is waiting for that day, because on that day not only will believers be revealed (glorified), but also the whole creation itself will in some way be made new.

20 When we look at the world, its situation in some ways seems futile; all of its activities seem to be in vain. Everything lives only for a moment; then it gets sick and dies. What is the point of life when it ends so quickly?

The creation was not like that in the beginning. After God created the world, He looked at it and saw that it was good (Genesis 1:31). Everything made by God was good and beautiful, but then God’s creation was ruined by the sin of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-6). God said to them: “Cursed is the ground because of you” (Genesis 3:17-18). Thus in some way, because of man’s sin, not only mankind but the entire creation was subjected to frustration—that is, subjected to death and decay. The one who subjected it was God.

But God did not plan that His creation should remain forever in such a “frustrated” condition. He subjected creation not only to frustration but also in hope. This hope was that at some future time the creation itself [would] be liberated from its bondage to decay, sickness, and death (verse 21).

21 When this present heaven and earth end, the whole creation will then in some way be resurrected and made new, and there will be no more decay and death. Paul calls this new resurrected condition the glorious freedom of the children of God—or, simply, eternal life. It is for this glorious freedom, this eternal life, that the whole creation waits in eager expectation (verse 19).

22 The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth. We know from our own experience that this is true. In this world toil, strif e, sorrow, sickness, and death are ever present in the lives of all of us.

But all of these troubles are like the pains of childbirth. The pain of childbirth is a sign that a new life is about to be born. Without the pain of childbirth, there can be no new life. In the same way, the pain that this creation is now enduring will in the end result in liberation from its bondage to decay (verse 21); it will result in a new birth, a new life, a new creation!

23 We believers are the children of God; we are led by the Spirit of God. Nevertheless, we also groan inwardly in this life. Our bodies, too, are in bondage to decay. Even though we already have the firstfruits of the Spirit—that is, new life in Christ—we still have not received our full inheritance, which is stored up for us in heaven (see 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14 and comments). That inheritance is eternal life—the glorious freedom from decay and death (verse 21).

Believers in Christ are already “adopted children” of God (verse 15). But we have not yet come of age; we are not yet old enough to receive the full privileges of our ADOPTION as sons. We will receive the full privileges of our adoption, our full inheritance, on that day when the redemption of our bodies takes place—the day when our bodies are resurrected. On that day we will receive the full benefits of our redemption, of our salvation. We also, together with the whole creation, wait eagerly for that day! (see Ephesians 4:30).

24-25 For Christians hope is a very important thing. In this world we do not obtain our complete inheritance, our complete salvation; we obtain only an “advance” or deposit on our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). Our complete inheritance, our complete salvation—the redemption of our bodies—will come later. Therefore, we hope for what is still to come.

For in this hope we are saved (verse 24). “This hope” is the hope of the redemption of our bodies (verse 23). Paul’s meaning is that in this hope through faith we are saved. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). Hope arises from faith. We have faith that God will fulfill His promises; therefore, we have hope that we will receive what He has promised.

26 One of the many things the Holy Spirit does for us is to help us pray. Sometimes we don’t know what to pray for. We are like a small child who, not knowing better, asks his father for something unsuitable or even harmful. We do not always know what is best either for ourselves or for others.

Therefore, let us be thankful that the Holy Spirit is always ready to help us in our prayers. Just as Christ intercedes for us in heaven (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25), so the Holy Spirit dwelling within us intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Some Christians pray in other tongues, that is, in a spiritual language.⁵² Other Christians, with few words, simply cry out to God, laying their prayer burden entirely on Him.

If we ourselves do not make an effort to pray, the Holy Spirit certainly isn’t going to help us! We must pray as best we can; that means we must spend time in prayer. There is a saying: Without God, we can’t do anything; without us, God won’t do anything. This saying is not only true for our prayer life; it’s true for the rest of our life as well.

In 1 John 5:14, John writes: … if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. It is the Holy Spirit who shows us what God’s will is, so that we can then pray according to his will.

27 And he (God) who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit. The Spirit is God’s own Holy Spirit. Therefore, God will surely “know the mind” of His own Spirit. And because He is God’s own Spirit, the Holy Spirit will always intercede for us according to God’s will.

God can see into the very bottom of our hearts. He knows what we want before we even ask for it. God knows whether we are praying from our hearts, or only with our lips. Let it not be said of us that we worshiped God only with our lips! (Mark 7:6).

28 This verse surely ranks as one of the greatest verses in the New Testament. Millions of Christians over the centuries have drawn great comfort and hope from this verse. In all things God works for our good. The expression all things includes not only the pleasant and happy things in life, but the unpleasant and unhappy things as well. It includes evil, sickness, and death. God even uses the “bad” things in our lives to work for our good.

At those times when we are happy and things are going well, it is very easy to agree with this verse. But in times of trouble, this verse is hard to understand and still harder to believe. We must never treat this verse lightly—even in good times.

Here a question arises: if in all things God works for our good, does the term “all things” include Satan? Does God use Satan for our good? This is an important question. One could argue that if Satan’s work can be used for our good, then Satan is not our enemy—he’s our friend!

However, the Bible clearly teaches us that Satan is indeed our enemy—a powerful and terrible enemy. In this world Satan’s work is not for our good but for our harm. For the thousands of Christians who have spent their lives in jail, or who have been killed—burned to death, crucified, fed to lions—how can we say that all things have been for their good in this world? We cannot.

Then how are we to understand this verse? We must understand it this way: All the things that happen to us here on earth God will work for our good in heaven. In verses 18-25, Paul has talked about our future hope and future glory. Therefore, in this verse the good that Paul is talking about is heavenly good, not earthly good. On earth Satan’s power is great; but in heaven he has no power at all. In heaven all of Satan’s earthly evil will be turned to our good.

But having said that, it is also true that God is concerned for our welfare in this life. He cares about our bodies, our health, even our food and clothing. Jesus said: “… seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, etc.) will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). When God allows trouble to come into our lives, He usually uses that trouble to bring about some good result in our lives right here on earth (see Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-4 and comments). It is through troubles that our faith is tested and made strong (1 Peter 1:6-7). Through various kinds of trouble God disciplines us, so that we might become more righteous (Hebrews 12:7,10-11). We must also remember that, even though Satan’s power is great, God’s power is much greater; Satan cannot alter God’s ultimate plan for our lives.

The most important thing to remember about this verse, however, is that the promise given here is given only to those who love [God], who have been called according to his purpose. If we love God and are called according to His purpose, then we can fully trust Him to work for our good in all things. Our hope is in God; He is faithful and able to fulfill all He has promised (Hebrews 10:23).

If we do not love God and are not called according to His purpose, then the promise of this verse is not for us.

29 Here we see God’s main purpose in working for our good in all things. His ultimate purpose for all of us who believe is that we might be conformed to the likeness of his Son. God foreknew each of us from before the creation of the world (see Ephesians 1:4-5 and comment). Before the world was even made, God had a plan for each of us; and that plan was that we should be conformed to the likeness of his Son—that is, that we should become like His Son Jesus. God’s work of making us like Jesus begins when we first believe, and it is finished when our bodies are resurrected in heaven. If we love God and are called according to His purpose, then everything that happens to us on this earth—no matter how bad—will ultimately work toward this one great end of making us like Jesus.

When we are conformed to the likeness of Jesus, we become Jesus’ brothers. And God desires that Jesus be the firstborn among many brothers. Paul is speaking here of the church, because the church is made up of many brothers (and sisters), among whom Jesus is the eldest.

30 God has had His eyes on us from before the creation of the world. His eternal purpose for us cannot be blocked. Even before we were born, He foreknew us (verse 29). Before we were born, He predestined us and called us. We heard God’s call, and believed in Christ. Through faith we obtained Christ’s righteousness, and God justified us. Then God glorified⁵³ us by making us His children—brothers and sisters of Jesus. And when we get to heaven, He will fully glorify us by resurrecting our bodies and making us fully conformed to the likeness of his Son. Thus in heaven our glory will be complete (see verse 18).

All of this that God has done and is doing for us is His great work of salvation. In verses 29-30, Paul has described the steps of salvation. From before the creation of the world, God’s plan and purpose for us was that we might receive salvation and eternal life. How can we compare the troubles of this short life with such a great salvation! (verse 18).

31 If God is for us, who can be against us? Satan can be against us. But in the end, Satan cannot prevail against a true believer (see John 16:33 and comment).

32 God has given us many wonderful gifts—grace, love, joy, forgiveness, salvation, an inheritance in heaven—but the greatest gift of all is His Son Jesus Christ. If when we were still God’s enemies He gave us His own beloved Son, now that we are His children will He not give us all these lesser gifts as well?

All these other gifts, in fact, are given to us in Christ. Every spiritual blessing is found in Christ (see Ephesians 1:3 and comment). And do we have to pay for any of these spiritual blessings? No. To those who believe in Christ, all these blessings are given free!

Paul says that God gave him (Christ) up for us all—that is, for all who love God and have been called according to His purpose (verse 28).

God did not spare his own Son. God has held nothing back from us. He has given us His most precious gift (His Son), and included in that gift He has given us all other spiritual blessings as well. Since God has held nothing back from us, He expects that we will hold nothing back from Him. As He gave Christ up for us, so we must give ourselves up for Him—ourselves and everything we have.

This essential truth is illustated by one of the most important events described in the Old Testament—Abraham’s offering up of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14). Abraham had waited many years to have a son; he was one hundred years old when Isaac was finally born! Then God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice—to kill this son for whom he had waited so long! Yet Abraham obeyed God, and prepared to sacrifice Isaac. Then, just as Abraham was about to kill his son, God stopped him and provided a ram in Isaac’s place. God said to Abraham, “Now I know you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). Thus God’s purpose in commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son was to test Abraham’s faith and obedience.

Afterwards, God told Abraham: “… because you have done this and have not withheld your son … I will surely bless you” (Genesis 22:15-18).

Let us examine ourselves. Have we held anything back from God? Is there anything which we love or which is precious to us that we have not offered to God? Is there anything which we love more than God—such as our wealth, our family, our reputation? God has held nothing back from us. Let us, taking Abraham’s example, hold nothing back from God (see Hebrews 11:17-19 and comment).

What happens when we offer up to God the things we love most? Very of ten God will give them back to us! Once God has seen that we are indeed willing to give them up, He of ten lets us keep them, just as He let Abraham keep Isaac.

33 Satan can bring any charge against us, but he can’t condemn us. … there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ (verse 1). True, in this world men can condemn us; but for those who are in Christ that condemnation will be erased in heaven. When Paul says that there is now no condemnation, he is talking about heaven, not earth.

34 Who is he that condemns? Ultimately, no one. Because God will not listen to Satan’s charges against us. God will listen only to Jesus Christ, our advocate, who is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (see Ephesians 1:2023).

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? No one! Except for sin (see verses 38-39 and comment), there is no other circumstance in this life that can separate believers in Christ from God’s love. Paul is not saying in this verse that troubles and persecution won’t come upon us in this life. He is simply saying that these things will not separate us from God’s love.

36 Here Paul quotes from Psalm 44:22. Just as Christ died for our sake, so we also must be ready to face death all day long for His sake (see 1 Corinthians 15:31; 2 Corinthians 4:8-12,16-17 and comments). Even death cannot separate us from God’s love. Just as Christ offered up His body for us as a sheep to be slaughtered, so we also must offer up our bodies to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Whether we live or whether we die, we will remain in God’s love.

37 Jesus Christ overcame the world (John 16:33). He overcame hostility, persecution, even death itself (2 Timothy 1:10). We, too, in all these things … are more than conquerors—not by our own strength but through him who loved us, that is, Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:57 and comment).

38-39 From Paul’s day to ours, these verses have given countless Christians tremendous comfort, encouragement, and hope. And these verses are completely true: There is nothing in all creation [that] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nevertheless, as Christians repeat these wonderful verses over and over, they tend to forget that there is, in fact, one thing—a thing which God did not create—that certainly can separate them from God’s love. And that one thing is sin.

If we continue knowingly in some sin and refuse to repent of it, that sin will most definitely separate us from God’s love and bring upon us God’s terrible wrath andjudg-ment. Before we were Christians, we were separated from God because of sin.⁵⁴ We were God’s enemies (Romans 5:10). Then, after repenting of our sins and believing in Christ, we were reconciled to God. But if we fall back into sin and continue in it knowingly without repenting, we are in danger of again becoming separated from God (see Hebrews 10:26-27 and comment). And on the day of judgment, that separation will become permanent.

Of all the promises in the Bible, the promise of verses 38-39 is one of the greatest. But we must not think about a promise without also thinking about the conditions of that promise. It is good to remember the promises of the Bible—but we must not forget the warnings!

As we look back over this great Chapter 8 of Romans—a chapter which many would say is the greatest single chapter in the entire Bible—we see laid out before us the full and glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see how we were once condemned, but now are justified. We see how we were once in bondage, but now are free. We see how we were once dead, but now are alive. We see that a new and victorious life is now possible for us through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. We see that if we are led by that Spirit, we shall be accepted into God’s family and be called His children and heirs. And finally, we see our eternal destiny—planned by God from before the creation of the world. And that destiny is summed up in the words of verse 29: our destiny is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son Jesus Christ forever.

Friends, let this be the one great burning passion of our lives: to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. There is no higher calling; there is no greater glory.