Reflections based on Romans 8:18–30.

Romans is such a rich book isn’t it? Just before the passage we are concentrating on this week, Paul states that we are sons (and daughters) of God and, as such, inherit all that Jesus does. Isn’t that incredible? He also says that we should be living our lives by the Spirit of God, not our old sinful nature. But how does that work when we are facing difficulties? Well, verse 18 sums it up really. What we are suffering now is nothing compared to the fullness of what we will come into.

Paul states what we, as Christians, surely already experience. A sense of the world groaning and decaying, desperate for a saviour. This is the mystery of salvation. We have been saved, are being saved and are yet to come into the fullness of our salvation. That, I think, is what verses 23–25 are talking about. Yes, we have been saved, but we do not experience it all until the age to come. True hope remains steadfast and faithful even through what we don’t understand. As we looked at in a previous post, suffering produces perseverance and…hope. We have a great description of what hope is here. We don’t need to hope for things we already have. We wait for what we have yet to experience. This is future hope.

We don’t wait on our own though. The latter part of our reading reminds us that we have the Holy Spirit. Learning to lean into Him is an important part of learning to live in hope. As is believing that God is at work, ensuring His purposes come to pass.

For prayer and reflection: Lord, as Jeremiah 29:11 says, I know you have plans to give me a hope and a future. Whether I see what I hope to on this earth or not, please help me to live in the light of hope and trust You with my whole life.