The glory that is to be revealed (Romans 8:18-25)
- Romans 8:18 – This is quite a contrast from the first three chapters of Romans. Before there was condemnation, but now we see hope.
- Romans 8:19 - Compare Psalm 148. How do the sun or moon praise God? When things do what God created Him, they praise Him in a figurative sense.
- Romans 8:20-21 – “Subjected to futility” could be the curse upon Adam and Eve, but that doesn’t seem to match up with later verses. See II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15. Is “creation” used the same way here? It could mean Christians as the new creation waiting for the end.
- Romans 8:22-25 – See Philippians 3:20-21; I Corinthians 15:42-44. Christians eagerly await the end. The word “hope” here is used in the sense of confident expectations. It’s not just an idle wish.
- Romans 8:26-27 – When we pray, God gets the message! We know that Jesus is the one who intercedes for us. See Hebrews 7:25; I Timothy 2:1-2; Numbers 21:7; I Timothy 2:5-6. People can also pray for other people, though, not at the same level that Jesus can. God is also called our savior. See I Timothy 1:1; 2:3; Titus 3:4-6. The Spirit here could be referring to the Holy Spirit. See I Corinthians 2:11.
- Romans 8:28 – God has provided for us a path to redemption. We can be His children. He has given us all the blessings in this context. These blessings work together for the best for us. If we try to take this to mean that absolutely all things work together for good, we get illogical results, such as trying to make good come from sin.
- Romans 8:29-30 – See II Thessalonians 2:14. God knew that those who loved Him would conform themselves to the image of Jesus. This is not teaching the Calvinistic idea of predestination, in which God selects individual people to be saved, regardless of their actions.
- Romans 8:31-32 – God has done everything for us.
- Romans 8:35-39 – Nothing external can take us away from God. Only we can turn ourselves from God.