The anxious longing of the creation
[Romans 8:19-22]
Look at Romans 8:19-22: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
First, let us think about “the creation” which the Apostle Paul is talking about.
All but the Triune God are creatures. The Triune God created everything in the universe (Gen. chaps. 1-2). God, who created the heavens and the earth in the beginning (1:1), created everything that he had created so that it was very good (v. 31). So, what kind of creation is “the creation” in Romans 8:19? In the heavens there are angels, creatures created by God; in the heavens there are all creations, such as the sun, moon, and stars; and on earth, all animals, trees, and people. Then what kind of the creation is “the creation” in Romans 8:19? That creation does not include angels in heaven or people on earth. In other words, the creation that is capable of expressing his thought and the like were excluded from “the creation.” Here, “the creation” refers to creatures that cannot think for themselves and cannot speak (e.g. trees, fish, etc.).
The Apostle Paul says, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope” (v. 20). What does “willingly” mean here? Since the creation that cannot think and express themselves are thoughtless and meaningless, what does this mean? The “willingly” means that creatures do not voluntarily yield to futility. God, who is the only one who submits, made his creatures submit to futility, so that through it he might reveal to us the glory that will be revealed (v. 18). The “glory that is to be revealed in us” here cannot be compared with the present sufferings (v. 18; cf. 2 Cor. 4:17). There is no comparison in time. The present suffering is temporary, but the future glory is eternal glory (2 Cor. 4:17). The weight doesn't even compare. The present sufferings are light sufferings, while the eternal weight of glory is far beyond all comparison (v. 17). Not only should we regard it as a gift of God's grace that we suffer for the name of Jesus in this world (Phil. 1:29), but we must bear in mind that we are blessed people (1 Pet. 4:14). The reason is because the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of glory, abides in us (v. 14). So, what is “subjected to” that the Apostle Paul refers to in Romans 8:20? How can the creation (Rom. 8:19) that was created to be exceedingly good in the sight of God (Gen. 1:31) can be subjected to futility (v. 20)? The reason is found in Genesis 3:17-18: “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field.’” This is because Adam disobeyed God’s command, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (2:17) and ate the fruit of the tree, and the ground was cursed because of him (3: 17).
The Apostle Paul said, “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (Rom. 8:22). Because of the sin of one man, Adam, the entire creation has been groaning and suffering together until now. Therefore, the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God (v. 19). This is the anticipation of the future glory of the creation (v. 18). The God of the covenant cursed the creation because of Adam's sin, yet gave him hope. The hope is that the sons of God will be revealed in the future (v. 19).
Second and last, let us think about “the revealing of the sons of God” that the Apostle Paul is talking about.
Look again Romans 8:19 – “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” Here, “the sons of God” can be divided into two major groups based on 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17: (1) The first group is “those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). “Those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (v. 14) refer to “the dead in Christ” (v. 16). These saints died believing in Jesus. Their souls have already gone to heaven, and their bodies have returned to dust. (2) The second group is believers who believe in Jesus, who is still alive. In other words, the living believers in Jesus are “the sons of God.” Since we have a regenerated soul in us, when we die, our souls will go to heaven like “those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” or “the dead in Christ.” The creation eagerly waits for the revealing of these two groups of the sons of God, for the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18-19). When Jesus returns, “the dead in Christ” (1 Thess. 4:16) or “those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (v. 14) will be resurrected first (v. 16). In other words, when Jesus comes back to this world, the dead in Christ will be resurrected with strong, spiritual and glorious bodies that will no longer be corrupted and will no longer be reviled, united with their bodies that are dead on the ground and their souls in heaven (1 Cor. 15:52-53). Also, when Jesus returns, all of us who are alive until then (1 Thess. 4:17) will be suddenly transformed (1 Cor. 15:51). At the last trumpet, there will be a sudden change in an instant, and this perishable will put on the incorruptible, and this mortal will put on the immortal (vv. 52-53). Look at Philippians 3:20-21: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” When Jesus returns to this world, the body of our humble state, our rotten, dishonorable, weak, and bodily bodies, will be transformed into the resurrected and glorious body of Jesus Christ. And we will be caught up in the clouds together with the dead in Christ who rose first to meet the Lord in the air, so that we will be with the Lord in heaven forever (1 Thess. 4:16-17). At that time, the creation will also enter the glory that is to be revealed (Rom. 8:18-19).
Look at Revelation 5:13-14: “And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’ And the four living creatures kept saying, ‘Amen.’ And the elders fell down and worshiped.” There is a Triune God who is seated on a throne in heaven, and on the twenty-four seats in front of God are the twenty-four elders, wearing white robes and wearing gold crowns (4:4), and there are also four living creatures (4:8; 5:8; 19:4), there are the sons of God and also all creation. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, each holding a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, the prayers of the saints, fell down before the Lamb (5:8) and worshiped God who sat on the throne and said “Amen. Hallelujah!” (19:4) Also, the sons of God, who were the final victors who overcame the antichrist of Satan, the beast, and endured all persecutions and tribulations to the end through faith in Jesus, were like a sea of glass mixed with fire, standing on the shore of the glass, holding God's harp (15:15) and will sing “the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, the song of the Lamb” (v. 3). The sons of God who will triumph in the future will sing the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, that is, the song of victory and the song of salvation before God's throne in heaven (v. 3). “And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever’” (5:13).
Therefore, we must look forward (Rom. 8:19) to the glory that will be revealed to us in the future (v. 18), which cannot be compared with the present sufferings. Just as a deer longs for a brook (Ps. 42:1), so our soul must yearn for the glory that will be revealed to us in the future. As we all eagerly anticipate the Second Coming of the Lord and prepare to meet the Lord, I hope and pray that we will see the Lord in glory and praise and worship the Lord forever in heaven.