Rom 8.18-30
Suffering, Seen Rightly
(Romans 8.18-30)
Eduardo Peres
NOTE: As all our elders are on vacation, we had to rely on Google Translate for today’s English manuscript—if anything feels “off” about the following text, give Eduardo the benefit of the doubt: it’s Google’s fault, not his.
I think we have had the opportunity to see in the last few weeks, or even months, how dense the letter to the Romans is. On each verse, we could spend hours there. And, in this particular passage, there are so many interesting and useful themes to explore that it can be difficult to step back and see all of what Paul is saying.
So it's useful that we take a little time to link this passage to what we saw the week last.
Last week, Jason spoke to us about verses 12 through 17, and he explained how these verses not only present us with encouragement for our Christian life, but also a set of weapons to fight against sin.
Jason told us about 5 weapons mentioned in this passage from verses 12 to 17. I won't mention them all
- I invite you, if you weren't there, to listen to Jason's message on the website of the 'church. But he ended the list with a weapon that may seem very surprising in the fight against sin: suffering.
It's amazing to see suffering mentioned as a weapon against sin. And perhaps it is for this reason that Paul zooms in on suffering here before returning to the theme of earlier chapters - the future glorification we expect as Christians.
Paul does not give us a complete theory of suffering. But he places it in this larger context, of God's work, of his plan for the future, of his decrees in the past and of his actions in the present.
This is not the major theme of this chapter - it is rather a "zoom" that serves to support the words that he has been developing for a few chapters already -> the fact that we have already received salvation of God in Christ but that the consummation of this salvation is still awaited.
He begins by saying that "he considers that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which is about to be revealed to us". This juxtaposition of suffering and glory repeats what he said just before: we suffer with Christ and we share in his glory.
And to better describe this experience of suffering, Paul will present it to us by speaking of three interactions:
First, the interaction between suffering and creation;
Second, the interaction between suffering and the
Spirit; And finally, the suffering and faithfulness of God in his plan for us.
Suffering and Creation
If Paul begins by contrasting the scale of our present suffering with future glory, he will amazingly show the size of that glory by speaking precisely of the scale of suffering.
Here's some good news: if you're hurting right now, you really aren't alone. Rather, you are in a big club, which is the whole creation. He says that the whole creation has been subject to fickleness, frustration, corruption; and this is a source of suffering.
We are not talking here about suffering that comes from persecution, but rather about the suffering that comes from living in this world subject to inconstancy, frustration and corruption. Creation is there, all that God created as originally good is there, but
things are not really as they should be...
Paul certainly has in mind, when he writes these words, the effect of the fall on creation. In the early chapters of the Bible the first human beings were appointed by God as stewards of creation. And as stewards of creation, when they sinned, when they decided to get out of alignment with the will of God, they brought the whole creation into that out of alignment.
Creation, from the fall, from the beginning of sin, is subject to mismanagement. Like human beings, the present nature of creation no longer clearly expresses the purpose for which God created it. And even she sometimes (or even very often) seems to run counter to why
God created it.
What are we talking about here, concretely? Paul is talking about all of creation, so we can say that inconstancy of creation encompasses everything that makes life tragic. Illnesses, accidents, natural disasters, or even more subtle things like the dysfunctions of our societies, the corruption of what seem like our best efforts to do good. It's the effect of the fall and of sin
in a very diffuse way.
This suffering can sometimes be experienced as meaningless. Confronted with an illness, an accident or a catastrophe, the ways in which we use to interpret suffering escape us. We sometimes tend to see suffering either as a consequence of something bad we have done, or as persecution, which would make us martyrs.
But here's something that's hard to swallow, sometimes: creation has been subject to corruption, so sometimes the suffering isn't really personal. It's "just" the whole creation not working as it should.
And if Paul presents this reality, it is not to encourage us to accept it. To say to yourself, faced with an illness, a disaster, "it's
life, creation is inconstant, that's how it is." No, on the contrary, he even mentions that creation itself does not accept this situation. She looks forward to when that will change.
This moment is described as "the revealing of the sons of God". The time when those who have put their trust in Christ
will have their bodies renewed, just as Jesus was resurrected. At that time the sons of God will have "glorious freedom" - they will be free from the corruption that still dwells their bodies, and they will also be free to fully follow the will of God. We are talking about a perfect harmony between our actions, our wills and the will of God.
That is when creation will be freed from corruption, when it will be under new stewardship - not under the stewardship of human beings who inherit the sin of their ancestors, but under the stewardship of the sons of God, fully free from corruption.
It is at this moment. But we are not there yet. We are still in "the sufferings of this present time", and creation too. See, this shows us the scale of glory that awaits us: it is not only awaited by us, with our personal, individual problems, but by the whole creation. If, when you suffer, you are in a big club, when you wait with hope for the renewal of our body, you are in such a big club, and you are in very good company. The whole creation looks forward to that moment.
So creation suffers and waits. And we, too, suffer and wait. And one thing seems to be impossible to be dissociated from the other: we wait for a future reality, we wait because it is not there yet, and since it is not
there yet, we suffer, because the current reality is not what we expect. The two things are linked, waiting and suffering.
And I think that there are few images that better express this inseparability of waiting and suffering than the image of the pains of childbirth. Paul says that the creation "sighs and suffers the pains of childbirth". Sighs - or moans, depending on the translation - and pains. Elements extremely present in a maternity ward.
And I'm perhaps the least qualified person in this room to talk about childbirth - personally, I only attended one birth, when I was born, and I can't remember.
But women who are mothers can testify to this mixture of suffering and expectation, a strange mixture where sometimes the suffering is so intense and so present that we cannot think of anything else - and yet, objectively, we know that cries and sighs announce the arrival of a baby, announce the arrival of a new life that we have been waiting for for a long time.
An interesting detail is that it was precisely at the moment of the fall, when for the first time creation was subjected to inconstancy and corruption, that God declared that woman was going to suffer in the
'childbirth. "I will multiply the suffering of your pregnancies. It is in pain that you will give birth to
children." (Genesis 3:16) And right after, "the ground is cursed because of you." - God said to man. (Genesis 3:17)
When creation was cursed because of man's sin, God placed in childbirth a very close link between suffering and the expectation of a new life. No image is stronger, more universal, more appropriate to express the situation of creation, which is suffering and waiting. This suffering is not an end in itself, it is a sign of a process that has already begun.
In verse 23 of our passage, Paul says that "it is not {the creation} alone that groans, but we also have the firstfruits of the Spirit" - and he starts talking about another interaction of suffering - the interaction between suffering and the Holy Spirit.
Suffering and the Holy Spirit
It may seem strange. Paul had said, we saw last week, that those who believe in Jesus have received a spirit of adoption, which bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God. One would expect that within the framework of this adoption, the suffering would not be present, or at least, reduced.
But Paul says that it is precisely because we have received the Spirit that we sigh. "we sigh within ourselves waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." It is precisely because we have received a foretaste of the work of the Spirit in us that we await the culmination of this work. Again, we see the link between waiting and sighing, a suffering that announces the arrival of a new life.
This Spirit, who testifies about our adoption, cannot make us indifferent or insensitive to the suffering, caused by the state of inconstancy and corruption of creation and our body. On the contrary, it makes us more sensitive, more aware that our nature does not quite express our adoption - at least not yet.
The foretaste of the work of the Spirit, the testimony that he gives us, the sanctification that the Spirit brings about in us, adds to this duality of expectation and suffering. We know better what we expect, but we also know better that it is not there yet. We receive a deep hope, but as Paul remarks in verses 24 and 25, hope is precisely the fact of waiting for something absent.
In good French, this expression "avant-gout" or "premiers fruits" could be read as "l'apéritif" - something
that announces the arrival of the main meal, but which is not the main meal. The appetizer gives us something to eat, but it serves to stimulate our appetite, rather than to satisfy it.
So no, the Holy Spirit that is given to the Christian does not come to remove the tension, the tension between the present time and “the glory that will be revealed to us”. It adds tension.
And in this tension, we who already have the Spirit but who are not yet transformed, we do not always manage to live it in full awareness of the glory that awaits us. We suffer, while waiting for a better reality, but sometimes in the midst of suffering the expectation fades away or shifts. An image of this: if we go back to childbirth, sometimes the woman who gives birth will have the thought empty of any other thought except "it hurts, it hurts, I want it to stop".
In our weakness, we can lose perspective of what lies ahead and find it difficult to express our hope. In a time when tragedy, disaster, accident, or disease befalls us, who can keep 100% focus on future glory? This glory where, with our renewed nature, we will be immune to tragedy, disaster, accident, disease?
In those moments when through weakness we lose perspective, Paul reminds us that the Spirit comes to our aid. He, who gave us expectation, helps us to keep it. He sighs with us and, above all, for us, to express our suffering to God and ask for the fulfillment of our hope, even when we are too weak and tired to do so ourselves.
In the moments when we just manage to express "it hurts, it hurts, I want it to stop", the Spirit intercedes for us, asking God to give us strength during childbirth, and that the baby can be born healthy. It expresses what we really need, even if we are incapable of knowing it or asking for it. And since what the Spirit asks is in accordance with the will of God, this intercession is always effective and sure.
It is the effectiveness of this intersecting prayer that allows Paul to say that "everything works for the good of those who love God". And with affirmation goes into our last section: the interaction between suffering and God's faithfulness to us.
Suffering and Faithfulness of God
"Everything works for the good of those who love God" - this is one of the very often quoted verses, often out of context, but it is found here in the middle of a text which speaks of the "sufferings of the present time". So, we must conclude that this "everything" also includes the sufferings, the difficulties, that we go through in life, even if it may seem strange that these things can contribute to our good.
See - the text says that the Spirit intercedes for us, he asks for what we need, even when we don't know what we need. And God grants what the Spirit asks. The fact that the events of our life are tools that God uses for our good, to make us grow, is God's answer to the prayer of the Spirit.
"The good of those who love God" - those who love God, that is, those who have received the Holy Spirit. And this "good", Paul then mentions it in verse 29, is "to become conformed to the image of his Son".
Become like Jesus, in his obedience to his Father's will, but also in the glory of his resurrection. Become conformed to the image of Jesus, and already begin this conformity in our conformity to suffering - we saw in verse 17.
Become conformed to the image of Jesus... See, Jesus didn't just suffer on the cross. To live in a fallen world, in the midst of corrupt creation and humanity, is also to constantly submit to suffering. And Jesus lived that, even as a Son, it was part of his ministry. In conformity with Jesus, we too, who are declared sons, adopted by God, live with a fallen nature, we take part in the suffering of this world we inhabit to bear witness about our Father.
So the promise to become conformed to the image of Jesus speaks of the future good, "the glory that will be revealed to us", conform mentioned at the beginning of the text, but also the present sanctification and perseverance which prepares us for this future glory. Once again, we see both the present taste, the aperitif, and the fulfillment of God's plan in the future, the continuation of the meal.
This sequence of these last two verses, "those he predestined, those he called, those he declared righteous, those to whom he gave glory" - this sequence confirms that God is faithful to his plan for all whom he has called and is sure to accomplish.
The events of our life, even the sufferings, are not challenges that could interrupt this plan of God,
but rather tools that he uses to fulfill and continue this plan. This plan is not endangered by our weaknesses, this plan is not endangered by not knowing how to pray correctly, this plan is not endangered by our sufferings. No, this plan is certain, as certain as the Spirit's prayer for us and God's answer to that prayer.
Applications
So, even if these last verses are very encouraging, it is worth taking a step back from this entire text to see what concretely we can be encouraged. In my daily life, in my life during the week, what is the use of knowing better the interaction between suffering and creation, the interaction between suffering and the Holy Spirit and the interaction between suffering and the faithfulness of God? How can this change my behavior, or at least my outlook on things?
1. No suffering is meaningless
A first conclusion that can be drawn from this text is that for the Christian no suffering is devoid of meaning. As I said, it can be difficult to find meaning in certain sufferings, sufferings that are not consequences of something that we have done. A suffering that is neither a punishment, nor a consequence of our personal actions, nor an unjust persecution against us.
This text invites us to take a step back and contemplate suffering outside the individual scale. The whole creation is subject to it, and this reality is well integrated into the great story of the Bible.
A story that presents the creation that is created as good, that is corrupted by sin and that will be renewed at the end of time.
So if you are suffering with something in particular right now, an illness, a loss, loneliness, anxiety, etc., it can be useful to see this suffering as part of this big story, especially when you have to hard to find a personal, individual meaning to this suffering.
And even if we are not individually the cause of suffering, that does not mean that God is not going to use it to benefit us personally, individually. Paul's statement in verse 28, “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,” is a statement for each individual Christian.
For a Christian, no suffering is meaningless, no suffering is useless. It is a reality that I must preach to myself first, but I think it flows from this text.
2. God's plan does not depend on our ability to pray well
Another conclusion that can be drawn from this text is that God's plan does not depend on our ability to pray well. It does not depend on our ability to choose well what we ask, as if we could miss the point and ask for things that will not lead us to spiritual ruin.
It's not that we're not able to ask for things that aren't good for our spiritual life – we all do it and I can testify: I think I've done it multiple times. But God is not the genie of the sadistic lamp who will give us what we ask for even when we ask for bad things. He is also not the genie of the lamp who will remain inactive when we do not know what
ask.
No, the same Spirit that bears witness to us that God is our Father, who actively wants our good, this same Spirit helps us and prays for us, even when we do not know what to ask for. Especially during a time of suffering, when we feel lost, we don't need to add to our suffering the pressure of knowing what to pray, what exactly to ask.
Personally, this reality even encourages me to pray, because I know that I can approach God, express my sighs, and not have to know exactly what to ask for. Think how terrifying it would be if it was up to us to ask for what we need? If it rested on us, on our knowledge?
See, that's part of two things that this text doesn't ask us to do:
he does not ask us not to suffer, not to sigh, to ignore or build a shell of indifference in the face of suffering
and he does not ask us to know exactly how to solve our suffering, to know exactly how to make it useful for our spiritual life
So if you have put this pressure on yourself, either to become impassive in the face of suffering, or to have
to know precisely what to ask God without being allowed to make mistakes, this text frees you from this pressure. If you have put this pressure on yourself, whether consciously or unconsciously, you can rest in the fact
that the Spirit groans with you, and that in our weakness, the Spirit asks God for exactly what we need.
3. Our sufferings are not an obstacle to God's plan for us.
The third and last conclusion, I have already mentioned it and I think most of you are already well aware of it, but it is always good to remember it: our sufferings are not an obstacle to God's plan for us.
Because in the face of suffering, we can wonder if we are not missing out, losing our chance, if we have not arrived at an impasse. Whether it is the feeling of having "failed life", or the feeling that a catastrophe has missed our life for us, the underlying assumption of these thoughts is that God could not carry out his plan for us. . He wanted to, but... there's something that's spoiled the deal.
But this text tells us no, that these sufferings are not a sign that God could not carry out his plan for us. His plan is certain, stupid in advance, and it's already underway. He is already working with our sufferings to mold us into the image of his son.
So if you have the impression that to your suffering was added an impression, conscious or unconscious, that God would be prevented from doing his plan for you, this text gives you the right to get rid of this impression quickly.
Next week's text will talk more about this theme, about the impossibility of God not accomplishing his plan for us. And I invite you to be there, because it is among the most beautiful texts in the Bible.
But until then, I invite us to meditate on what we have read today, and to pray so that we can have a more accurate vision of the place of suffering in the history of our salvation. .
I invite you to pray with me.
