How the creation teaches us to hope (Rom. 8:18-25)
Image from Pixabay We ended our last message on Romans 8 with a consideration of the words, “if so be that we suffer with him [with Christ] that we may be also glorified together [with him]” (17). Paul has just expounded the pinnacle of Christian blessing and privilege in terms of our adoption into his family and the fact that that makes us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. But then Paul reminds us that along with the future glory is present sufferings and that the two inevitable go together. And in these verses we are considering today, the apostle goes on to flesh this idea out. I point you once again to the string of “fors” in these verses. Verses 18,19,20, and 22 all begin with the word “for,” and indicate a logical sequence of thought. The apostle is making an argument here, and it is incumbent upon us to work it out. What is the argument he is making? Verse 18 says, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to...
