Text: Romans 8:18-25
When Everything Falls Apart
When the lives of human beings are out of control the question a Christian needs answered is, “Is God in control?” For if things are both out of our hands and the hands of God, all is lost. It is one thing to believe God is in control when we are also in control of things, but another to come to that conviction when everything is falling apart around you. As Paul suffered much in his ministry, it is reasonable to believe that he did not come to believe this question easily. We can imagine Paul, a man trained in the way of the Pharisees, not easily letting go of the idea that evil doers suffer, but not the one who follows God. But Paul had the prophets before him as witness to the suffering of the righteous and, in fact, the witness of Jesus’ own suffering and death. Paul’s first comfort in suffering is to keep things in perspective. He reasoned, we suffer in this life, but it does not compare in intensity with the glory of heaven where suffering is no more.
Hope for the World
Heaven’s coming will not only benefit the faithful, but all things. All creation awaits the coming of the Kingdom of God. The bond between mankind and this world is strong. We were originally made to live for this world with God, not for another. Eden is the world God made for mankind, and it was only because of sin that God brought about something better.
Hope in the Midst of Corruption
God’s redemption has affected not only people, but also all things created. Since the physical world has suffered the results of man’s sin, even inanimate things need redemption and in fact will receive it in Christ. All creation needed to be bought back from sin by God, and Paul spells out why. When Adam sinned this world became corrupt, but it remained the world God gave us in which to live. In the midst of corruption, God also gave hope. That hope is not just for escape from this world, but for courage and faithfulness to live in it. We may not be able to change the world much, but we can live faithful to our calling in it. In many things in life, we are not called to be successful in our efforts, but to be faithful in bearing responsibility for them.
Hope that Fortifies
In addition to man’s spiritual and creation’s physical need for redemption our bodies also need redeeming. From our Redeemer we learn that God values both our physical and spiritual need for redemption. Our sins and their forgiveness are connected to our relationship with God, but so are the effects of sin on the body. Abuse, neglect, and immoral indulgence are the choices we make that cause our bodies to fail us and become weak, sick, and die. Since there is no way anyone can avoid that outcome, our bodies also need redemption by the only one who can redeem them, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. Paul finds hope in God’s saving response to the groaning of this world in sin. It is a hope that lifts us up for heaven but also fortifies us for this life.
Hope in Christ
As Christians we are not in control of this life, neither the world’s nor ours. And yet we know that compared to the saving power of God, the absence of control in this life doesn’t matter. We don’t need to be in control, because God is in control. We know God is in control by the evidence of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. The cross of Christ and the crosses we bear in his name are not the last word. The last word is the new life in Christ, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.