Title: THE GLORY THAT IS TO BE REVEALED

Focus: The road of life is marked with potholes of suffering; we navigate these potholes, keeping in view the glory that is to come.

Function: To encourage the people to see and endure sufferings—in all its forms—as birth pains leading to eternal life when the glory of God will be revealed in us.

Text: Romans 8:18-27

Sometimes, it’s better to remain silent rather than to speak. For example, it would be foolish for me to give you advice about taxes or about hunting. I have no expertise in tax laws nor have I ever hunted moose or deer. Those of you who are “in the know” as avid hunters, for instance, would see right “through me,” and realize that I don’t know what I am talking about. In such cases, then, it’s better to remain silent rather than to speak on matters of taxes and hunting.

I sometimes feel the same way about preaching on difficult subject matters in the Bible. But as a minister of the gospel, I do not always have the luxury to be silent. And that’s the case tonight. The Bible introduces us to the subjects of present-day sufferings and to glory that is come. Who am I to speak with authority on the subject of suffering? Or what do I know about future, divine glory that you don’t know about? I’ve seen and entered moments of great suffering and pain in the lives of many people. That comes with the territory of being a pastor. But I certainly cannot and will not pretend that I am an expert on human suffering. Neither do I have insight knowledge as to what we may expect to see and experience in the future when God reveals to us his divine glory in all its fullness.

Yet, as a pastor and teacher of the Scripture I must speak tonight about suffering and glory. I will do so, then, as a fellow pilgrim on the road of faith and life. And I will try to say only those things that can be gleaned from the text, and that can be verified by you as true and as part of your own experience.

This is what I want to say in a nutshell: The road of life is marked with potholes of suffering. Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must navigate these potholes by keeping in view the glory that is to come. Today, the Scriptures encourage us to see and endure sufferings—in all its forms—as birth pains leading to a glorious new life—the life we may live eternally with God in our midst.

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In order for us to hear God speaking to us directly, let’s first observe a few key words from the text: For example, in vs. 18 the apostle Paul says that “…our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Here we learn that God will manifest something—his glory. And God will make clear or reveal his glory in us. That is, we (body and souls) are the objects of God’s glory.

In vs. 19 Paul uses that same word “revealed” again. Listen: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” Now, however, we learn that what the whole creation is waiting for is that the children (sons and daughters) of God will be manifested or revealed. So, in one breath (so to speak), Paul tells us that God will show his glory in us, and that the creation is waiting for the children of God to be openly manifested or revealed.

Thus my question: is Paul talking about two different things? Or is he talking about one and the same thing? Or is Paul talking about the glory of God to be revealed in a very comprehensive sense—in a sense that includes the created order as well as human beings?

Another thing to observe from the text is the term “the sons of God” (in vs. 19) and the term “the children of God” (in vs. 21). Paul seems to use these terms synonymously, and he defines these terms especially in vs. 23 as “…we who have the first fruits of the Spirit….” These terms, then, seem to point to followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, through faith, and by the grace and Spirit of God, are now part of the family or church of God.

And that leads us to the key terms in vs. 23, where Paul says that we “…wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” For now we observe that the glory of God that is to be revealed to all creation and especially to all God’s people is a glory that focuses especially on our adoption as sons, which includes the redemption of our bodies.

And as we make these observations from the text, I will say it again: The road of life is marked with potholes of suffering. Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must navigate these potholes by keeping in view the glory that is to come.

Paul’s references in this passage to sufferings and glory to be revealed find their context in vs. 17, where Paul says “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” The themes of suffering and glory, then, go back to the previous passage.

But as Paul picks up on these themes, he want us to think of them in terms of a picture or analogy: Paul holds before us the picture of a woman in labor; she is pregnant; she is looking forward to the end of her pregnancy, when she may take hold of that precious new life that has begun in her womb nine months ago. Now she is enduring the inescapable labor pains, which lead to the new life she anticipates holding in her arms very soon.

The analogy is simple: just as labor pains come first, and then the new life, so God will manifest or reveal his glory, the new life in all its fullness after we have endured the labor pains or sufferings in life. That’s why I say: The road of life is marked with potholes of suffering. We navigate these potholes by keeping in view the glory that is to come. The road to the glory of Christ is marked with sufferings. I don’t know “why?” I can’t explain suffering. All I can do is testify to the Scripture’s teaching: to share in Christ’s glorious resurrection and gift of eternal life calls for momentary, present day suffering.

Here’s another observation from the passage: Jesus identifies with our sufferings. The sufferings we endure are (Jesus’) sufferings (cf. vs. 17). That may sound strange. After all, is not Christ’s suffering over? Isn’t his atoning work on the cross and in the tomb completed? Must we now conclude that there was something lacking in Christ’s atoning work and suffering?

No! Christ’s suffering and atoning sacrifice is “once for all.” And it perfectly satisfies God’s justice. Yet, Jesus and his followers are united; we are one in him. As such, we share in Jesus’ death and resurrection, and yes, also in his glory that is to be revealed in us. Likewise, Jesus shares in us and lives in us and with us and through us, and thus he participates in our lives. And thus our present-day sufferings—in all its forms—are also his.

As Christ identifies with us, so we identify with him. That’s why Paul can say in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” In other words, our sufferings are Christ’s sufferings.

But we must not forget Paul’s emphasis in this text: The road of life is marked with potholes of suffering. Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must navigate these potholes by keeping in view the glory that is to come. Listen: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Here Paul calls us to hold before us the future glory of Christ as we travel on the road of life that is filled with potholes of suffering. We travel with hope. We keep in view the glory that is to come.

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What can we say about that glory? There are two terms that may help us: Paul says, “…we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” The term “adoption as sons or children” points to a relationship. It points to our identity within the universe and within the relationships that God has with all of his creation. At the moment, many people consider Christians in negative terms: hypocrites, bigots, out of touch with reality, for example. Many governments treat Christians with threats and persecutions. Just ask the Voice of Martyrs organization.

But, says Paul, there will come a day when the whole world will wake up. For God will reveal his people’s rightful place in creation. God will make clear that Christians make up the family of God. Then the whole world shall clearly know and see the church for what it is: the people of God, adopted by his Spirit and mercy, to reflect his image and glory in the world.

The term “redemption of our bodies” points not so much to our relationship with God, but rather to our physical bodies or restored condition as human beings. Our sufferings and physical frailty remind us daily that we are subject to the law or power of death. We are mortal indeed.

However, redemption refers to the act of being set free, of having been bought or redeemed from the slavery to sin and death. Redemption of our bodies means that our bodies will no longer be subject to death. Our bodies will be raised from the dead; they will become incorruptible; they will be glorified. Just as Jesus’ body was raised from the dead and glorified, so our bodies will be raised from the dead. No longer being subject to death, we shall be glorified.

This is what we eagerly wait for, especially when we endure sufferings of any and every kind. The road of life is marked with potholes of suffering; we navigate these potholes by keeping in view the glory that is to come.

This is the gospel hope that encourages us to persevere in our Christian pilgrimage in life. Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and always shall be: world without end. Amen!