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The Reign of the Servant Kings By Joseph C. Dillow A Review-Summary-Outline
Chapter 16—Life in the Spirit
In Romans, chapter 8, the apostle Paul turns from the struggle in chapter 7 and explains the source and method of living abundantly. It is by the Spirit of God and the use of certain spiritual weapons that the Christian experience can be characterized by “life and peace.” It is persistence in using the means of grace that will result not only in a vital Christian life, but will gain joint-heirship with the Messiah in the final destiny of man.
To obtain a proper view of the argument of the passage, it is necessary to begin in the middle:
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12, 13)
It seems obvious that it is possible for “brethren” to die. In some sense a true Christian can experience spiritual death. Earlier in the context he has defined death as the opposite of life and peace (Romans 8:6). It is therefore not to be equated with loss of salvation or hell but with emptiness, depression, and spiritual impoverishment.
Freedom from Sin’s Power (8:1-7)
In justification of this interpretation a comment on the flow of the argument of Romans 8:1-11 is necessary. In Romans 7:14-25 Paul has summarized his experience as a mature Christian—battling daily with the flesh. The message is that the flesh is weak and unable to win. How then can he be victorious in the daily struggle? In 7:25 he gives praise that God provides a means for practical victory, which is the subject of chapter 8.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
The word “condemnation” (Gk. katakrima) is best rendered “penal servitude” (i.e., freedom from the enslaving power of sin). It is quite unlikely that the reference is to justification, for that stage of the argument has already been reached in 3:21. Rather, the “therefore” casts the reader back to the preceding verse, “Thank God.” Paul thanks God that deliverance from the penal servitude to sin is available. He then explains how.
This deliverance comes by means of a new and higher principle that Paul calls the “law of the Spirit of life” (i.e., the regulating and actuating power of the Holy Spirit). This higher law has set him free from the lower one, the law of sin and death, which cannot refer to the law of Moses because that was holy (7:12) and spiritual (7:14), but to the “inward rule of the sin principle.” The problem was not with the law but with the flesh. It was too weak to obey. So God solved this problem by releasing the flesh from its sin master. This was the subject of Romans 6:1-11 and is now alluded to in chapter 8:
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:3, 4)
The condemnation of sin occurred while Christ was “in the flesh.” The condemnation in view is the judgment on the old man (Romans 6:6) that resulted in man being “freed from sin.” This freedom is a legal release from penal servitude to the “sin master” (i.e., the dominion of sin—the sin principle embodied in the flesh).
The Two Walks (Romans 8:1-4)
Christ condemned sin in the flesh so that the law might be fulfilled in man, but Paul clarifies who among Christians will experience the fulfillment of the law, i.e., those “who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” He therefore presents two possibilities for Christians: (1) to walk according to the flesh (like non-Christians; elsewhere he uses the phrase “as mere men”—1 Corinthians 3:3), or (2) according to the Spirit.
The phrase “who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” has been taken in several ways, but it is best to understand it as a condition whereby the requirement of the law can be fulfilled in the Christian’s walk:
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)
The apostle Paul develops this contrast in verses up through vs. 7, and then resumes the contrast in vss. 12-17. The following describes the two walks that a Christian may take:
Spiritual Christian Carnal Christian
8:4 walks according to the Spirit walks according to the flesh
8:5 sets mind on Spirit sets mind on flesh
8:6 life and peace death
8:7 hostile to God not subject to God unable to obey God
8:12 puts to death the deeds of the body lives according to the flesh
8:13 led by the Spirit of God walk according to the flesh
8:17 joint-heirs of Christ those who don’t suffer with Him
Paul summarizes the first twelve verses with the statement, “So then brethren we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh” (8:12). He saying it is possible for “brethren” to walk according to the flesh; but that it is also entirely possible (and preferable) to walk according to the Spirit—thus, abundant life is meant, and not regeneration.
That it is possible for these brethren not to put to death the deeds of the body is obvious because he says, “if.” A failure to do this results in the opposite: death, or walking according to the flesh. Paul’s picture here is of a battle, a battle between the flesh and the Holy Spirit. A Christian must choose life or death, fellowship with God or spiritual impoverishment. He evidently has his own struggle in Romans 7:14-25 in mind.
The Two Minds (8:5-7)
Paul answers the question, “What does it mean to walk according to the flesh (Gk. kata sarka)?” The answer is that it means to set your mind on the things of the flesh. These two kinds of walks begin in the mind:
For to be carnally [according to the flesh] minded is death, but to be spiritually [according to the Spirit] minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
He explains the results of these differing “mind-sets.” A mind set upon the flesh is death. By death here he means the opposite of “life and peace.” Peace in Romans means either peace with God as a result of reconciliation (Romans 1:7; 5:1) or peace in the sense of wholeness, harmonious relations, and mental health (2:17; 14:17, 19; 15:13, 33; 16:20). The connection with “joy” and harmonious interpersonal relations (Romans 14:17, 19) fits well with the sanctification context of Romans 8 and is the meaning here.
“Life” (Gk. zoe) is often used of an abundant quality of life beyond regeneration, which is the possession of those who “persevere in doing good” (Romans 2:7). Not just a counterbalance to death is meant, i.e., regeneration, but an abundant life, a vibrant experience with Christ. It is “newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
Death, being the opposite of life and peace, is not final commitment to hell. It is the life of anxiety and emptiness that comes to any person who sets his mind on the wrong things.
Because the carnal mind [one that is set on the flesh] is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)
Here is the key to the seeming inability of many Christians to live consistent, powerful Christian lives. When a Christian sets his mind on the flesh, he is hostile to God and is cut off from the Holy Spirit [the Holy Spirit is quenched—1 Thessalonians 5:19, and grieved—Ephesians 4:30] and therefore unable to obey and submit to God and thereby experience an abundantly spiritual life.
To say that these verses refer to a contrast between Christians and non-Christians rather than between two kinds of Christians not only contradicts the facts of Christian experience but the rest of the New Testament as well. According to this view all Christians “walk according to the Spirit (8:4), have their minds “set upon . . . the things of the Spirit (8:5), and have their minds “set upon the Spirit” (8:6). This contradicts Paul’s teaching elsewhere, which is that walking in the Spirit is not automatic and inevitable (Galatians 5:16). In addition, it is refuted by the conditionality of this walk in the immediate context of Romans 8. In vs. 13 the possibility of a rich spiritual experience (“life”) is conditioned upon putting to death the deeds of the body. It is not the automatic possession of each Christian. Furthermore, what Christian since Pentecost has ever unconditionally experienced this abundant life, peace, and the fulfillment of the requirements of the law? To say these things are true of all Christians is a mockery of Christian experience.
Freedom from Sin’s Sphere (8:8-11)
In the Flesh (8:8)
So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)
The verse opens with the conjunction (Gk.) de, a flexible conjunction that is often used to express a contrast or a transition to a new subject. Here it appears that both a contrast and a transition to a different but related subject are intended. Having spoken of the inability of Christians to obey when their minds are set on the flesh, Paul now reminds them that, if they were unsaved (“in the flesh”), they would have no possibility of knowing the fulfillment of the law in them. But they ARE saved and therefore not only have the possibility of this experience but the obligation (8:12) to live on this new plane. The contrast of positions expressed in vss. 8-11 indicates that this passage is not a continuation and exposition of vs. 7; therefore, it seems contextually accurate to translate the introductory Greek conjunction de by “now,” or “now then” or “so then,” signifying a transition to a new thought or subject.
That a transition to a new subject is intended is further substantiated by Paul’s shift from “according to the flesh” (Gk. kata sarka) to “in the flesh” (Gk. en sarki) in vs. 8. Being “in the flesh” is a different concept than walking “according to the flesh” of 8:1-7. The New Testament avows that it is possible for true Christians to walk “as mere men” (Gk. kata anthropon)—1 Corinthians 3:3. It is possible for true Christians to make plans according to the flesh (Gk. kata sarka)—2 Corinthians 1:17. In an instructive non-ethical usage of “flesh” Paul draws a sharp distinction between being “in the flesh” (en sarki), i.e., in the sphere of bodily existence, and walking “according to the flesh” (kata sarka), i.e., walking according to a standard of weakness (2 Corinthians 10:2, 3).
The fact that Paul distinguishes between en sarki and kata sarka in this non-ethical passage lends support to the distinction that is drawn here. It is one thing to be “in the flesh”—to be in that sphere of life with only those weak resources, to be unregenerate. It is another thing to walk “according to the flesh.” These terms are not synonymous in the New Testament. Christians can walk “according to the flesh,” but they are never described in the New Testament as being “in the flesh” in an ethical sense. They are “in the flesh” only in a physical sense. In vs. 13 Paul says that it is possible for true Christians to “live according to the flesh.” In that verse he returns to his use of the expression “according to the flesh” (kata sarka) after the parenthetical contrast between Christians and non-Christians in vss. 8-11. Even if it is possible for true Christians to walk “according to the flesh,” it is emphatically asserted here that true Christians cannot ever be “in the flesh”—a phrase used by Paul in Romans 7:5 to indicate non-Christians.
In the Spirit (8:9-11)
In sharp contrast to their former life “in the flesh,” Paul asserts they are no longer in that sphere. They are now in a new sphere and thus able to achieve victory due to the presence of the indwelling Spirit.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11)
The apostle is here teaching that not only does the indwelling Spirit revive and revitalize our spirit (8:10), but indeed, it will one day result in our physical resurrection.
Freedom to Really Live (8:12-17)
To this point Paul has taught the Romans that God has released them from their penal servitude to sin and has made that freedom experientially available to those who walk according to the Spirit (8:1-7). Then in a parenthetical aside he reminded them that they are no longer unsaved and living in the sphere of the flesh. Indeed, they have the promise that one day they will be done with it altogether in the resurrection (8:8-11).
Returning to his original topic, Paul concludes that they have therefore no obligation to live in accordance with the flesh (kata sarka). He introduces the kata sarka phrase again because he now returns to the subject of Christians walking “according to” either the flesh or the Spirit. Instead, Christians are now free to be as God intended them to be—free to experience true life.
The Two Obligations (8:12, 13)
In order to live abundantly, they must realize that they have no obligation to the sin principle anymore. Furthermore, they must accept their obligation to live according to the Spirit:
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12, 13)
If Christians (“brethren”) live kata sarka, they will experience death (from spiritual impoverishment to possibly even physical death). The life of this verse comes as a result of “putting to death the misdeeds of the body” as Christians live kata pneuma. Paul implies that true Christians are still subject to the “deeds, actions, and pursuits” of the sarx (flesh). Hence, he exhorts them to make use of the indwelling Spirit, which will result in abundant (spiritual) life.
Those who refuse to believe that a Christian can resort to a carnal state have great difficulty with this passage. In their system they have little choice but to conclude that “life” (understood only as “eternal life”) comes as a result of perseverance in works. But the plain words of the passage confute this. Nowhere in Romans does Paul suggest that heaven is obtained by means of putting to death the deeds of the body. That would, in fact, be contrary to the entire thrust of the epistle where he is trying to separate works as far as possible from the means of obtaining eternal life, which is by faith alone (Romans 4:5).
Death here (vs. 6) is the spiritual destitution and impoverishment that comes as an ingredient of divine discipline upon the sinning Christian—the opposite of “life and peace.” This is also the meaning for Paul’s pre-Christian experience of death and spiritual depression as a result of his attempts to find life by means of law (Romans 7:9-11). “Life” here is abundant life, and not regeneration or heaven.
When Paul says Christians are to put to death the deeds of the body, he says they are to do it “by the Spirit.” What does he mean? He means that Christians, in the context of spiritual warfare, are to use spiritual weapons to fight against the death-principle of the flesh. The emphasis in the New Testament is for the Christian to use the spiritual weapons with which God has equipped him.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
The “strongholds” are “arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” In order to fight this battle, Paul says the Christian is to destroy speculations and to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” which is the same as setting the mind on the things of the Spirit instead of the things of the flesh.
The Weapons the Christian’s Warfare
Romans gives the Christian three weapons for spiritual warfare, as follow:
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . . (Ephesians 3:16, 17)
These, then, are the Christian’s weapons: the new man, the new mind, and the new principle—the life of faith. These are powerful weapons. The use of them is what Paul means by putting to death the deeds of the flesh.
The Two Sons (8:14, 15)
Paul promises that if a Christian puts the deeds of the body to death, he will find true life. Now he proceeds to explain what he means by true life. He says it involves two things: (1) allowing oneself to be led by the Spirit of God (8:14, 15); and (2) being a joint-heir with the Messiah in the final destiny of man (8:16, 17).
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:14-16)
Three questions follow:
Christians can be “sons of God” in two senses in the New Testament. It is, of course, true that all Christians are sons of God by faith in Christ—all a part of the family of God. But it is also true that the Greek word for son, huios, takes on a different emphasis depending on the context. In Matthew 5:45 Christians are to do the work of loving their enemies in order to become sons. In Matthew 5:9 they need to be peacemakers before they can be called sons of God. In the book of Revelation it is “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son” (21:7). It is obvious that these are not conditions for becoming sons of God in the sense of being saved.
Though one becomes a son by justification, he does not possess the filial state (“sons indeed”); he does not really enjoy adoption until he has become loyally submissive to the operation of the Spirit. This meaning fits well with the context of Romans 8. Some Christians allow themselves to be led by the Spirit of God, and some do not. Those who do are “sons indeed” [Editor’s note: a reference of similarity to “disciples indeed” in John 8:31]. They are the Christians who “put to death the things of the body” and as a result enjoy true (spiritually victorious) life.
That Paul has such a distinction in mind between being a son and behaving as a son is reinforced by the fact that he connects the sonship of vs. 15 with being an adopted son (Gk. huiothesia), which is different from being a son by birth.
The method of adoption intended by Paul may include one or both of the following:
Paul uses the word “adoption” in both senses depending upon what he wanted to emphasize—the Roman idea when he was emphasizing man’s release from the slavery of sin, and the Greek idea when he was emphasizing the relationships and gifts of sonship. In fact the argument for the Greek position is quite strong given the warm familial relationship with the words “Abba, Father” and the fact that the idea, like the word, is native Greek. The Greek view is also favored by the context referring to obedience, i.e, putting to death the deeds of the body.
All Christians are adopted sons by virtue of spiritual birth and the paid-up legal ransom (by Christ), but not all adopted sons fulfill the requirements of adoption even though God does His part. Adoption is of grace, and is a fact regardless of whether or not the requirements are fulfilled (Galatians 4:5), but only those who do fulfill them are worthy of the name “son” and will finally obtain the inheritance rights.
Only faithful Christians, those who allow themselves to be led by the Spirit of God, are “sons indeed.” They are the ones who are putting to death the deeds of the flesh and who as a result will truly live.
As to where this leading takes them, the preceding context makes it clear that it is to holiness. It finds its object in the putting to death the deeds of the body. Indeed, the verse is a kind of summary of deliverance from sin and to “life and peace” just described. When this ministry of the Holy Spirit is viewed with reference to the end of the whole process it is called sanctification [Editor’s note: Sanctification also refers to the process, not just the end.].
Verses 13 and 14 appear to be precisely parallel:
Putting to death the deeds of the body = Led by the Spirit
You will live = Being a Son of God
Galatians 5: 16, 18 provides a parallel to this passage in which the leading is into a holy life:
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. . . . But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16, 18)
The phrases are parallel and explain each other. The words “walk in” are the equivalent to “being led by.”
An examination of the word translated “led” (Gk. ago) suggest the manner in which these sons of God are being led. All the uses of the word in the New Testament involve the self-action of the object (person) being led. A person may lead a horse to water, but the horse must comply in the trip using his own energy. Had Paul wanted to teach that the leading of the Spirit involved only God’s work, he would have used the word “moved” (Gk. phero). Peter uses this word to explain how the prophets received their message: “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved (phero) by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (1 Peter 1:21). The word “moved” suggests that the power and the work are done completely by the Mover, not the will of the prophet. If Paul had wanted to imply that in the sanctification process Christians are taken up by God and carried to the goal of holiness with no effort or cooperation on our part, he would have used this word. But he passed over it and used “led” (ago). This suggests that the Holy Spirit determines the goal and the way of arriving there, but it is by the Christian’s willful cooperation (submission) that he will succeed.
It is for this reason that no prophet could be urged to work out his own message with fear and trembling. It was not left for him to work out. But the believer is commanded to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling because he knows that the Spirit is working in him both the willing and doing according to His own good pleasure (Philippians 2:12, 13).
We have then in these two verses (vss. 13, 14) God’s part and man’s part in the process of sanctification. In vs. 13 it is man’s part to “put to death the things of the body” and enjoy true life. In vs. 14 it is God’s part to lead Christians along the path of sanctification and that those who allow themselves to be so led are sons, or “sons indeed,” who enjoy true (abundantly spiritual) life.
Finally, Paul says that Christian’s “have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again” (8:15). Here he means that the Holy Spirit is not a Spirit of bondage but of adoption. An adopted [Editor’s note: Wuest translates “adult”] son knows he is in the family. He is secure forever. The fear of exclusion from the family of God and the experience of bondage to sin are no longer necessary to those who are “in Christ” (i.e., “in the Spirit”).
The Two Heirships (8:16, 17)
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16, 17)
Paul then introduces the theme of inheritance, which calls to mind a parallel passage in Galatians:
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:7)
The passage in Romans, in agreement with Galatians 4:7, says Christians are all heirs of God by virtue of the fact that they are God’s children through faith in Christ. But it states something else. It says Christians are also joint-heirs if they share in His sufferings that they may be glorified together. Placing the comma in a different place (an often arbitrary exercise by translators) brings this out clearly: “then heirs—heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” The second heirship mentioned in this verse is conditional upon joining with Christ in His sufferings. Being an heir of God is unconditional, but being a joint-heir of the kingdom is conditioned upon spiritual perseverance.
The conditional Greek particle eiper regularly takes the meaning “if indeed,” which then emphasizes the conditional nature of joint-heirship. In favor of this translation (“if indeed”) and the placement of the comma after the phrase, “heirs of God,” is the entire flow of the immediate context (Romans 8:12-14).
Verse 17 in fact introduces two types of inheritance. If Christians are sons of God, i.e., children, they are heirs of God; and may also be joint-heirs with Christ, if they suffer with Him. Certainly, being an heir in the sense of final deliverance from hell is not based upon sharing in His sufferings. Otherwise salvation is earned and based on works. Contextual considerations suggest that two kinds of Christians are in view, and thus two kinds of inheritances are implied. The joint-heirship with Christ that results in a rich life now and an abundant life in the kingdom, a reward, is based upon a work: putting to death by means of the Spirit the deeds of the body and succeeding in victorious perseverance in suffering with Christ.
That two contrasting heirships are being discussed seems to be suggested by Paul’s use of the Greek particles “men . . . de.” Not readily translatable in English, the sense is something like this, “On the one hand (men . . .) heirs of God, and on the other hand (de) joint-heirs of Christ.” These particles, when coupling two phrases together, are normally disjunctive and imply a contrast between the items compared, not an equality. In fact, in every usage of these particles in this way in Romans, they are “always” contrastive and “never” conjunctive. This suggests that the disjunction comes after the word “God” and not after the word “Christ.” In other words, we are all heirs of God, and we will be joint-heirs with Christ if we suffer with Him.
In addition to the immediate context and the normal meaning of eiper, the broader context of the New Testament supports the dual heirship view of Romans 8:17. The inheritance is usually conditioned upon obedience, and salvation from hell is always by faith alone. In order to become a joint-heir with Christ, one of His metochoi, the Christian must faithfully endure to the end:
This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
As in Romans 8:17, reigning with Christ seems to be conditioned upon endurance. The converse, those who “deny Him,” will result in His denying them when He rewards His church according to the things done in the body, “good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The possibility of being “denied” does not refer to loss of salvation, because the apostle clarifies that, even when Christians are “faithless,” God will remain faithful to them. But it does mean that they may be “disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27) and will stand ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28).
The purpose for which Christians suffer is “in order that they may be glorified with Christ.” What does it mean to be glorified with Christ? Some have made the mistake of equating it to the glorification referred to in vs. 30, which is a glorification that happens to all Christians. In vs. 17, however, it is the “glory of the Messiah” that is in view and the possibility that Christians might share in it. In vs. 30, the “Christian’s glorification” is in view, which appears to refer to the perfect conformity to the image of Christ referred to in 8:29. To be glorified with Christ is to be awarded a share in His glory. The passage is speaking in messianic terms. Paul has mentioned that Christians can “suffer with,” “inherit with,” and “be honored with” the Messiah. “To glorify” is commonly understood as “to honor.” It is the Messiah’s sufferings, inheritance, and honor in which Christians may possibly share.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. (Matthew 25:31)
They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." (Mark 10:37)
Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality . . . but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 2:7, 10)
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:14)
It is not insignificant that Paul uses the contrasting Greek words of “children” (tekna—“born ones”) and “sons” (huioi—“adult or mature sons”). Thus, all Christians are “born ones,” children of God. The Spirit of God testifies to the hearts of all that they are His offspring. But not all Christians are adult sons in the sense of those who go on to maturity, who maintain a close relationship with Christ, who suffer with Him, and as a result will one day share in His inheritance-kingdom, being honored with Him there.
The Christian’s Final Assurance (8:18-30)
Paul continues:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)
The glories of the reign of the Messiah are still in view. The “for” refers back to the salvation and glory of the messianic kingdom. The verse explains why Christians should suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with Him. It is because the blessings of the messianic era are beyond description. What a tragedy it would be not to have a share in all of them!
These glories are to be revealed “to us” and not “in us” as some translations read. The Greek is clear, eis hemas (a phrase that is used nine times in the New Testament: Acts 3:4; Romans 5:8; 8:18; 2 Corinthians 1:5, 11; Ephesians 1:8, 9; Hebrews 2:3. In each instance the meaning is “toward, to, or upon us.” It never means “in” in the sense of “within.”). The wonders of the great future will be revealed to all, but they will be shared in (inherited) only by those who persevere in suffering. The Christian’s resurrection, while certainly included in this glory, is probably not yet specifically in view here. The apostle would have used en hemin, “in us,” had he intended this.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)
The “sons of God” are properly those who have allowed themselves to be led by the Spirit, who have walked by means of the Spirit, and who have set their minds on the things of the Spirit. They are the “sons indeed” referred to in vs. 14. Not all Christians are sons of God (Gk. huioi) in this sense, but all are children of God (Gk. tekna). The “revealing of the sons of God” is then the making known to all creation these faithful Christians. It refers to their installation as the joint-heirs and joint-rulers with the Messiah in the final destiny of man. The entire creation longs for the future reign of the servant kings.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:20, 21)
This verse explains why the creation longs for this future reign of Christ’s servant kings. When that future reign dawns, it will include a physical transformation of the creation itself. The creation has endured a subjection to futility for many ages. This subjection creates within itself a sense of hope for something better. That “something better” is a transformation similar to that which will occur to all Christians, “the glorious liberty of the children of God.” This glorious liberty is part of, but not equal to, the “glory that is to be revealed to us” (vs. 18). The former is a general term for the glories of the messianic era. The latter is the glory of a transformed body that all Christians will share in the day of resurrection.
The creation does not share in all aspects of the future glory. It will never be set free to rule with Christ, the revealing of the sons of God. No inanimate thing can share in the reign of Christ’s servants. But the creation will share in an aspect of the future glory common to all the children of God, physical transformation. For this reason Paul changes from “sons” (vs. 19) to “children” of God in vs. 21. All children of God will be transformed, but only the “son” will rule with Christ.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22, 23)
Verse 23 refers to the completion of the adoption, which consists of the reception of the resurrection body.
That two different aspects of the one future glorification are in view seems probable due to the contextual contrasts between them. In vs. 17 the glorification is conditional and only for those who suffer with Christ, but in vs. 30 it is unconditional and is for all who are justified. In vs. 17 it is a sharing in the glory of Messiah, but in vs. 30 it refers to the Christian’s own glorification. In vs. 17 the verb is “be glorified with,” and vs. 30 the verb is “glorified.” In vs. 17 it refers to the wonders of the messianic era, but in vs. 30 it refers to the Christian’s ultimate conformity into the image of Christ at the resurrection of the body. In vs. 17 the verb is in a purpose clause implying intent and not necessarily certainty. But in vs. 30 it is an indicative implying the certainty of a presently achieved fact. Verse 17 is in a context that stresses exhortation. It is a challenge to persevere in order that we might share in Christ’s glory. But vs. 30 is a statement of fact that we have already, in a prolepic and anticipatory sense, entered into that glory.
Conclusion
Chapter 8 of Romans is a magnificent presentation of the life that is led by the Spirit and of the final outcome of such a life in sharing with the Messiah in the final destiny of man. It is a challenge to true Christians to live that life by putting to death the deeds of the body by the use of their God-supplied spiritual weapons. It contrasts two kinds of Christians; it does not contrast the Christian and the non-Christian.
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