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Discussion Notes
Romans Study 6 (Romans 8:18-30)
The Holy Spirit
I consider that the sufferings of today are
incomparable with the glory about to be revealed in us. For
the creation is on tip toe, longing for the children of God
to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility,
not of its own will but by the will of the One who subjected
it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from
its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory
of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has
been groaning in labour pains until now, and not only the
creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption
of our bodies. For we were saved in hope. Now hope that is
seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we
hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very
Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God,
who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to
the will of God.
But we know that all things work together
for good for those who love God, who are called according
to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he
might be the firstborn with a large family. And those whom
he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he
also justified, and those he justified he also glorified.
It’s everything I wish I didn’t
know,
But you give me something I can feel.
1 – Creation
Christians living in Rome are a minority
religious sect, on the one hand believing in an all powerful
God, but on the other – subject to the awesome power
of the Roman Empire and its ‘in-your-face’ religion.
The claims of Christ might have seemed distant from the reality
in which these Christians lived. This is why Paul has been
careful to state at the outset, that he is not ashamed of
the Gospel.
In this section of his letter, he points
out that it is not only Christians who are subjected to the
sinful powers of the age, but the whole of the created order
is subject to the same ‘frustration’ felt by Christians
themselves. The ultimate source of disintegration in the universe
is not the Empire of Rome but the sin of humanity. The whole
of the created order is affected by human sin – and
what Paul believed twenty centuries ago, has been proven right
by the ecological crisis we now face.
Paul’s solution however, is not to
give in to despair and consign the creation to climate chaos,
waiting nervously for Armageddon to finish it off altogether.
The same Spirit who hovered over the waters of the deep in
Genesis 1, is the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and
the Spirit in the lives of Christians today. Being filled
with this Spirit means being agents of God’s justice
in the world today.
2 – Praying
But what are Christians to do? We do not
know what to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes with inarticulate
groans. These groans are not simply the mystical sound of
silence, or the miraculous prayers of tongues – as though
these methods were the way to go. Rather, they show the Spirit’s
identification with our frustration. We see a disintegrating
world on the one hand, and we believe in a powerful God of
creation on the other! Part of the problem of evil is that
it makes no sense, and will always defy our understanding.
So living with frustration, and not knowing what to pray lead
to prayers which are inarticulate groans. (For instance, we
might see clearly enough that governments fail to curb carbon
emissions, often helplessly prone to the enormous power of
commerce, that would be hampered if serious action were taken
on climate change. So, in addition to fighting impossible
odds – what can Christians pray that does not sound
ridiculous?)
3 - Predestination
This passage is frequently used to prove
predestination, that individuals’ eternal fate is decided
before any evangelism or personal choice can occur. But clearly
here – as is usually the case in Paul – predestination
refers rather to the community of God’s people as a
whole. It is a people, predestined with a purpose. For Christians
living in Rome, the Gospel was not some new idea, predated
by the power of Rome. Rather, the God of all creation is also
the God who had called a people who were predestined to share
in the very suffering that brought ridicule and shame, after
the pattern of Jesus himself. And it is this people who are
God’s agents of true justice in the world (justified),
and who are also predestined to achieve that justice (glorified).
Paul has painted here a picture of a world desperately waiting
for grace, and the Holy Spirit is the one who brings grace
to life among the people of God.
Discussion Questions:
1: If it is the ‘revelation of the
sons of God’ that will liberate creation from its bondage
to decay – what do you think such revelation means for
us today? What does it mean for us to be ‘revealed’
as children of God?
2: Has God designed the universe so that
it favours Christians? (v28)
3: "The Lord God Almighty killed [the
people who died on 9/11], looked at them in the face, laughed
and mocked at each one of them as he cast each one of them
into hell".
So said the minister of the infamous Westboro
Baptist Church. This fellowship of 150 is probably the most
hated Baptist church in human history, and regards those who
respond negatively to its ‘God hates fags’ campaign,
as persecuting them. They are convinced that they are suffering
for Christ’s sake!
In what ways might Roman Christians have
suffered as a result of their faith. In what ways today do
we suffer because of our faith?
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