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23 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. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. ~ Romans 8:23-25
Today, we continue our study of Romans 8 which is all about the believer's relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit's responsibility to bring about the process of change that God desires to bring about in the soul of the believer. Sanctification is the changing of the mind, the will and the emotions of the believer in Christ.
In v.23 of today's passage we read, "Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."
Today's passage begins with the words, "Not only that..." With those words the Apostle referred us back to what he had written before which was about the fact that all of creation groans for its redemption. And, like all of creation, the believer groans for our redemption which has been provided but not fully realized.
Previous to today's passage, we learned that the believer in Christ has been adopted into the family of God, but the full reward of our adoption is a whole new resurrected body. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He justified us and He freed us from the penalty of our sin. He also freed us from the power of our sin which is sanctification. And He glorified us which is our deliverance from the presence of sin. This means that the believer in Christ has already been provided justification, sanctification and glorification. And this verse points us to that day when we will experience our glorification or our deliverance form the presence of sin.
Though we ourselves are totally redeemed in spirit, our bodies and souls are not yet totally redeemed. Along with all of creation we, too, are groaning. All through this paragraph there is a constant contrast between the groan and the glory; yet there is a link between the two. Nature groans; we groan. And yet the groan is producing glory.
In 2 Corinthians 4:17 we read, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
Our afflictions are working for us to prepare us for the glory that will be revealed at the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Every time we groan, it is a reminder to us of His promise of glory. I do not think anything will transform our sufferings more than remembering this fact. And, as we groan and anticipate, we bring Him glory because we believe in His promise of our glorification.
In v.23 the Apostle wrote of "the first fruits of the Spirit." This term first fruits is a concept taken from the Old Testament and is applied here to the Holy Spirit. The "first fruits" were the first fruit of the harvest, which God commanded be offered to Him. When this was done in obedience to God, He then guaranteed that the rest of the harvest would come in. In using this term "first fruits," Paul is telling us that the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer is God’s guarantee of the fullness of the harvest of redemption that will come at His second coming.
In v.24 of today's passage we read, "For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?"
When we trusted in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we were given justification, sanctification and glorification. Believers in Christ were saved in a state of hope or confidence in our future glorification. Being saved “in hope” is the guarantee of our full salvation including our justification, sanctification and glorification. Faith in Christ’s death effected our salvation and at that point we placed our hope in the idea that our mortal bodies will one day be liberated from decay and death. Hope does not save us, but our salvation is characterized by our hope.
Hope is always a confidence concerning the future. It’s a confidence, not a finger-crossing wish. In Romans 5:5 we read, “Hope does not put us to shame.” The hope the Lord Jesus has given us is rock-solid and sure. Biblical hope creates confidence in the believer. When we say that hope does not see what it hopes for, the reason it doesn’t see it is because it hasn’t happened yet. Our hope is always future-oriented and consists in a firm confidence of what we are hoping for; it is not just a wish.
The main distinction between Christian faith and Christian hope is that faith is in a substantial way a trusting relationship with a person. Faith says to Christ, “I trust you, not just your promises.” Faith and hope are related concepts as seen in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for.” Biblical hope is built on faith. Hope is the earnest expectation that comes with believing something good. Hope is a confident anticipation that naturally stems from faith.
Our lives consist of a great deal of groaning. But our groaning is done in hope. As nature groans in hope, so we groan in hope, too. For in this hope we were saved, in the anticipation that God has a plan for our bodies as well. Though our bodies are in pain and we struggle with suffering now, it all is useful to God as we continue in our sanctification. Even our pain and suffering is an important aspect of our lives. It is something that is part of the whole program and plan of God, part of the privilege committed to us as Christians.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance."
We are saved in hope, and by that hope we live. It is true that hope, by its very nature, is something yet in the future but hope that is seen is no hope at all. And, what makes it possible to wait in hope is that we already have the first fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us joy and peace and patience in the context of our pain and suffering. These are the first fruits of the Spirit, the power of God to make the believer in Christ at peace in the midst of our trials and our troubles. Instead of sight, which is the realization of our hope, we “hope for what we do not see.”
