Romans 8:16-23 – Sons and Heirs

Verse 18 adds that present sufferings cannot compare to the glory that will be revealed in us. Verse 19 says creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.

We’re already sons by the Spirit, but our glory is not revealed yet. This whole passage teaches that the Spirit shows us who we are in Christ: sons of God, heirs of glory, waiting for our future manifestation.

Romans 8:16 returns to the truth of Romans 5—that we stand in grace by faith and rejoice in the hope of glory. Justification by faith gives peace with God, and access into the grace where we stand. Romans 8 revisits this hope, explaining it in the context of the Spirit’s work in us and our walk after the Spirit.

In Romans 5, the Spirit witnesses that we are children of God. Romans 5:5 says the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, who teaches us through Scripture what Christ has done and gives us the hope of glory.

Romans 8 expands on this witness, but it’s always the Spirit speaking through the Word, not mystical impressions. Separating the Spirit’s witness from Scripture opens the door to deception. False revelations arise when people trust inner voices or what others say “God told them” instead of trusting the written Word. The Spirit’s witness is the assuring truth from Scripture that we’re God’s children.

Not all people are children of God.

Before salvation, we were dead in sins, “children of disobedience” and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:2–3). Adam’s descendants bear his fallen image (Genesis 5:3). Only in Christ, the true image of God, are we restored. Even Gentiles in Jesus’ earthly ministry were “dogs,” not children, as we see from Matthew 15:26 in the incident with the Canaanite woman, and not all Israel were children of God either; only the children of promise are counted as the seed (Romans 9:7–8).

We become children of God by faith.

Ephesians 1:5 says God predestinated believers to adoption. Galatians 3:26 says,

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

And verse 27 says,

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

In Christ there is one body, and if we are His, we’re Abraham’s seed and heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29). Ephesians 3:6 reveals the mystery: Gentiles, once strangers, are now fellow‑heirs and partakers of God’s promise in Christ by the gospel.

Our sonship is part of the mystery of Christ.

Romans 8 describes the privileges of being sons and heirs, and Romans 9 will address what this means for Israel’s promises.

Romans 8 continues explaining how believers become children and sons of God by faith, according to the mystery. We’re not made sons by works, covenants, or the flesh, but by the Spirit who baptises us into one body, seals us, and gives us a standing in grace and the hope of eternal glory.

This is not water baptism, but the baptism explained in Romans 6:3-4, baptised into Christ’s death.

Romans 8:17 is part of Romans 8:16 and follows directly from it: if we are children, then we’re heirs. This applies to all who believe the gospel and have the Spirit dwelling in them. Galatians 3:26–29 teaches the same—children of God by faith, one body in Christ, and heirs according to promise.

As sons, we receive life and glory because of who we are in Christ, not what we do. Just as the firstborn son in Israel received the inheritance, Christ—the only begotten Son of John 3:16—inherits all things. Because Christ is in us and we are in Him, we share His inheritance.

Our heirship depends entirely on being one with Christ.

Galatians 4 explains this further. An heir under the law is like a servant under tutors and governors. Israel, though promised an inheritance, was under the law and bondage. But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made under the law, to redeem those under the law so that they might receive adoption.

Redemption and adoption come through Christ, not the law.

Because we’re sons, God sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying “Abba, Father.” We’re no longer servants but sons, and if sons, then heirs of God through Christ.

Our inheritance depends entirely on union with the Redeemer. Romans 8 shows the Father, Son, and Spirit working together: the Father holds the inheritance, the Son receives it, and the Spirit applies it to us by making us children of God. This is the fellowship of the mystery—Gentiles, once strangers, now made fellow‑heirs in Christ.

Our sonship and inheritance come only through Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s work, not through Israel’s covenants or our own efforts.

Hebrews 1:2 says God has spoken by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things. Christ is the only begotten Son, higher than angels, and the One who perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will.

He inherits everything because He accomplished what no one else could. Hebrews 2:8 adds that all things are put under His feet, though we don’t see this on earth at the moment.

Israel under the new covenant must wait for that kingdom inheritance, that kingdom promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which will be set up on earth one day.

Likewise, believers today—made sons of God by faith according to the mystery—are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2), but not glorified yet. We share His hope of glory because of our position in Him.

We’re sons of God not by covenant, or by our endurance, or the law, but by being in Christ.

As members of His body, what the Head receives, the whole body receives. This is the glory of God’s grace.

Colossians 1:27 describes this hope of glory as “Christ in you”. Everything Christ inherits, we inherit with Him because we’re His body. Nothing can separate Christ from the Father, and nothing can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8 teaches a certain, assured hope of glory: Romans 8:17 then goes on to add,

if so be that we suffer with him [Christ], that we may be also glorified together.

Romans 8:17 teaches a certain hope: if we suffer with Christ, we will be glorified together with Him.

Some teachers claim this verse shows two inheritances—one for all children of God, and a second, higher inheritance only for those who suffer in a special way. They argue that “joint‑heir with Christ” is conditional, and connect it to passages like 2 Timothy 2:12, which says,

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

or they point to Revelation’s promises to those who “overcome.”

This creates the idea that believers must endure certain trials to gain a superior inheritance or a kingly position.

But this view separates what Scripture keeps together.

The only way anyone receives anything from the Father is through Christ. No one can be an heir of God without being a joint‑heir with Christ. All inheritance comes through union with Him. Romans 8, Galatians 3–4, and Ephesians 3 all teach that believers are children of God by faith, placed into Christ, and therefore share what He inherits.

This latter part of Romans 8:17 does not divide believers into two classes; it explains that those who suffer in this present life will be glorified together with Christ, just as He suffered and was glorified.

Many people make assumptions about Romans 8:17 that are not in the context. Some define “glory” as reigning as kings, borrowing images from Revelation’s earthly kingdom. But Paul never speaks of believers reigning as kings. Others treat 2 Timothy 2:12 as a threat, and to recap this verse says,

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

But here Paul is simply encouraging Timothy that suffering does not remove the promise of reigning with Christ. For example, we can’t reverse the verse to say, “If you do not suffer, you will not reign.”

Romans 8 is not about ranking believers or earning positions. It’s about the free, unconditional inheritance given in Christ.

The whole chapter teaches life in the Spirit, assurance, sonship, and the certain hope of glory. To add conditions to what Christ freely purchased is to diminish grace and replace grace with our own efforts, and that, friends, is blasphemous.

The inheritance belongs to all who’re in Christ, and suffering in this present world only confirms that we’ll be glorified with Him. The “If so be” of this verse of Romans 8:17 assures us of the fact that the child of God will suffer with Him. It means the same as “since we suffer with Him.”

Paul’s not making heroic suffering a condition for salvation. Neither is he describing some elite inner circle of overcomers who have endured great afflictions. He sees all Christians as being both co-sufferers and glorified with Christ. Of course, some suffer more than others for the cause of Christ, and this will result in differing degrees of reward and glory. But all who acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour are seen here as bringing on to themselves the hostility of the world.

1 Corinthians 3 teaches the judgment seat of Christ, where every believer’s work is tested by fire. The fire reveals the sort of work, not the person. If the work abides, there is a reward; if it burns, the believer “suffers loss, but he himself shall be saved.” This judgment concerns service, not salvation. Romans 8 is not describing this judgment. Romans 8 deals with the Spirit’s work in us, our identity, and the hope of glory—not the evaluating of our works.

Many who argue that being a “joint‑heir” in Romans 8:17 is conditional would need to seriously change the grammar of the verse. They’d need to alter punctuation and redefine words like “and” or “if”. These folk wrongly treat Romans 8 as if Paul’s discussing the judgment seat, but Romans 8 never mentions works. It teaches walking after the Spirit, knowing who we are in Christ, and the glory that belongs to all sons of God.

Romans 8:14–16 already declares that all who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. There’s no division in the passage. If you’re a son, you’re a child, and if you’re a child, you’re an heir; it’s a done deal. There’s no higher position than being a son of God in Christ. Jesus is the only begotten Son, and believers are sons by adoption—sharing His inheritance because we’re in Him.

Romans 8:18 continues the same thought:

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The sufferings are not limited to persecution for Christ; they include all suffering in this present evil world. Romans 7 already described the believer’s struggle in the flesh as suffering. Romans 8 teaches that our present suffering contrasts with the certain glory we will receive because we’re sons and heirs.

2 Corinthians 4:17 says present suffering is temporary, but the “eternal weight of glory” is ours.

Romans 8:9–11 reminds us we’re in the Spirit, not the flesh, even while living in mortal bodies. Our hope is the glory to be revealed in us because Christ will deliver us from “the body of this death.”

This is the assurance that Paul’s teaching: suffering now, glory later—because we’re heirs of God and joint‑heirs with Christ.

Although “the body is dead because of sin” (verse10), believers have life through Christ, and the Spirit will one day quicken our mortal bodies (verse 11).

We all experience suffering in the flesh, just as Romans 7 describes, and Paul urges believers to “redeem the time” in Ephesians 5:16,  because the days are evil.  Redeeming the time means living lives according to God’s will and being able to minister words of help. It’s especially urgent because of the evil character of the days in which we live. They remind us that God won’t always strive with man; the day of grace will soon close, and the opportunities for worship, witness, and service on earth will soon be ended forever.

Suffering is not new in Romans.

Romans 5 says we “glory in tribulations,” because tribulation produces patience, experience, and hope, and hope does not make us ashamed because the Holy Ghost assures us of God’s love.

All believers will reign with Christ, whether or not they face specific persecution. Romans 5:21 says grace reigns “unto eternal life by Jesus Christ,” and Ephesians 2:6 says God has seated us “together with Christ in heavenly places”.

Grace gives every believer a position with Christ; reigning is not earned by special suffering. Rewards at the judgment seat of Christ differ, but Scripture doesn’t say that rewards relate to higher authority. All who are in Christ will be glorified with Him.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 says believers are called “to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:10 says salvation comes “with eternal glory.” Paul’s not separating salvation from glory; glory is the result of being saved.

Romans 8:18 teaches that suffering in this present evil world cannot compare to the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 5 first introduced the Holy Ghost, tribulation, patience, and the hope of glory; then Romans 8 explains how believers can glory in tribulations; with the Spirit dwelling in us, Christ is in us, and we being joint‑heirs with Christ.

Romans 7 showed Paul’s struggle as he cries out, “O wretched man that I am!” He could not perform righteousness in his flesh. Romans 8 answers that despair by teaching that the Spirit dwells in us, making us Christ’s, making us sons of God, and giving us the hope of glory. This is the first time Paul connects these doctrines.

Romans 8:18 explains the suffering in verse 17 as “the sufferings of this present time.”

These are not special sufferings for a select few; they are the sufferings all believers experience in a fallen world. Scripture shows at least three kinds:

1. Natural suffering from a cursed creation—death, sickness, tragedy.
2. Consequences of sin—bad choices, reaping what we sow, as Galatians 6 talks about.
3. Righteous suffering—persecution for doing right, as Christ suffered for others’ sins.

There’s also the inward conflict described in Galatians 5:17, where the flesh lusts against the Spirit. Before salvation, we walked after the flesh without struggle. Now, because the Spirit dwells in us, we feel the tension between our new identity and our mortal body. Galatians 6:14 says the world is crucified to us and we to the world, producing a kind of suffering when we refuse its temptations.

All these sufferings belong to “this present time.” Every believer knows them. Romans 8 teaches that none of them compares to the glory that shall be revealed in us—the glory promised because we’re in Christ, sons of God, heirs of God, and joint‑heirs with Christ.

All believers experience suffering in different ways—through sin’s consequences, physical weakness, loss, or the pressures of living in a fallen world. Galatians 1:4 says Christ delivers us from “this present evil world,” and Ephesians 5:16 calls the present days evil. Suffering is normal in a world ruled by the god of this world, especially for those who walk as children of light.

Paul suffered loss for Christ. In Philippians 3:7–8, he says the things that were gain to him he counted loss, and he “suffered the loss of all things” for the excellency of knowing Christ. He describes the “fellowship of his sufferings,” showing that suffering includes giving up worldly status, facing opposition, and enduring weakness in the flesh. We saw this inward struggle in Romans 7 where the flesh fights the Spirit, creating a kind of suffering every believer knows.

So, to recap, Romans 8:18 defines the suffering that verse 17 says is “the sufferings of this present time.” These include natural tragedies, consequences of sin, persecution for doing right, and the inward conflict between flesh and Spirit (Galatians 5:17). All believers are aware of these sufferings because they belong to this present time.

Paul’s point is not to focus on suffering but on glory. The sufferings of this present time “are not worthy to be compared” with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Suffering is the result of sin and the vanity of this world; glory is the certain future given by God’s grace. The world’s glory—wealth, status, fame—is temporary and ends in shame, as Philippians 3:18–19 points out. But the glory God gives is eternal.

Ephesians 2:4–7 explains this hope. Though we once walked according to the world, God, rich in mercy, has “quickened us together with Christ,” raised us up, and seated us with Him in heavenly places. In the ages to come He’ll show “the exceeding riches of his grace” toward us. This is the glory Romans 8 speaks of—the guaranteed future for all who are in Christ.

Romans 8 teaches how to think and walk while surrounded by suffering: rejoice in the Lord, set our hope on the glory to come, and live by the Spirit’s words.

It teaches us the mind of Christ: to see suffering through the lens of resurrection and future glory.

Christ suffered knowing He’d be exalted. Believers should walk after the Spirit with the same hope. We can’t judge our sonship by what we see in the flesh; we know by faith that we’re sons, heirs of God, and joint‑heirs with Christ.

The hope of glory—Christ in us as Colossians 1:27 says—is the mystery now revealed. It strengthens the inner man so believers can endure suffering and live by the Spirit in this present evil world.

Nothing in this world compares to the glory that will be revealed in us.

Paul shows that there is a purpose for why believers remain on earth.

Philippians 4:19 says God supplies our need “according to his riches in glory,” not by removing present suffering. The supply comes in glory, just as Romans 8 speaks of glory revealed later, not now.

1 Corinthians 15 explains the same thing, saying that if our hope in Christ were only for this life, we would be “most miserable.” Strength and joy come from the future glory promised through Christ’s resurrection. The Corinthians doubted resurrection because they expected immediate visible change. Paul answers in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 that Christ is risen as the firstfruits, and believers will be made alive “in his own order”—Christ first, then those who are His at His coming. Glory is certain, but it’s future.

This pattern differs from Israel’s prophetic promises. Isaiah 46:13 says God will place salvation and glory in Zion, visible on earth. Under prophecy, salvation and glory arrive together. But Paul teaches something new: believers have salvation now, yet glory comes later. We walk by faith, not sight. Salvation is present; glory is future.

Romans 8 builds this mindset.

Present sufferings are real, but they are “not worthy to be compared” with the glory that will be revealed in us. The hope of glory—Christ in us (Colossians 1:27)—is the mystery now revealed. It strengthens the inner man so believers can endure suffering without expecting immediate deliverance or visible glory.

Colossians 1:24 describes Paul’s ministry, which was carried out in an atmosphere of suffering. He was writing from prison, and he says he now rejoices in his sufferings for the saints, or, on their account.

As a servant of the Lord, he was called on to endure untold hardships, persecutions, and afflictions. He explains that these to him were a privilege, or, to quote him, fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.

What on earth does Paul mean by this?

It can’t refer to the atoning sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Those were finished once and for all, and no man could ever share in them. But there is a way in which the Lord still shares in our sufferings.

When Saul of Tarsus was struck to the ground on the road to Damascus, he heard a voice from heaven saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” But Saul had not been consciously persecuting the Lord—he’d been persecuting the believers. But he learned that in persecuting believers, he was persecuting their Saviour. The Head in heaven feels the sufferings of His Body on earth.

So Paul looks on all the suffering that Christians are required to go through for the sake of the Lord Jesus as being part of the sufferings of Christ, which are still a reality. They include suffering for righteousness’ sake, suffering for His sake, or bearing His reproach, and for the gospel’s sake.

But the afflictions of Christ don’t only refer to sufferings for Christ; they also describe the same kind of sufferings that the Saviour endured when He was here, even though to a much smaller extent.

The afflictions endured by Paul in his flesh were for the sake of Christ’s body, the church.

The sufferings of unsaved people are, in a way, of no purpose. There’s nothing noble or meaningful in those sufferings. They’re only a foretaste of the hell to be endured forever. But that’s not so for the sufferings of Christians. When we suffer for Christ, Christ suffers with us.

Romans 8 teaches believers to set their minds on this hope, to walk by the Spirit, and to endure present suffering knowing that glory will be revealed in us.

We move on to Romans 8:19 now; however, we can’t really do this verse justice by taking it completely in isolation. Because of Paul’s “For” and “Because” introductions to the next seven verses, we know they’re all part of one complete thought and taking them each in isolation weakens the context. Verse 18 is also part of this same thought. So let’s read this next passage as it was intended when it was written by Paul, as one complete thought, and then we’ll break it down as far as verse 23 and revisit the rest of the passage next episode.

Romans  8:18-25,

 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

We already dealt at length with verse 18 and suffering, so verse 19 goes from there to,

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Here Paul labels the whole creation as “the creature” and then describes how that creature is waiting “for the manifestation of the sons of God.” It’s like the whole of Creation is covered in a thick mist today, hiding what it really is, but when we, the sons of God, have removed the outward covering of this mortal flesh, that mist that conceals the hidden wonders of creation also will be cleared. What a glorious day that will be!

This earnest expectation means a sure, confident hope.

The “sons of God” are all who have the Spirit—those saved, indwelt, and led by Him.

We’re already sons by faith, but the world can’t see it.

Manifestation means our sonship will one day be visible, revealed in glory. Right now we know it by faith; but then it’ll be seen in our glorified bodies.

This expectation exists only because Christ is in us. Ephesians 1:13–14 says that after believing the gospel, we’re sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, “the earnest of our inheritance.” The Spirit is God’s down payment guaranteeing future redemption. We can’t see this sealing with our eyes, or feel it, yet we know it because Scripture says so. The Spirit in us proves that God will give us everything He promised—life, glory, and inheritance.

When we believed and trusted Christ, we became a new creature, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The new creature is created in righteousness, with a new identity and a new destiny. Our bodies are still mortal and corruptible, but they belong to Christ.

Romans 6–8 has been explaining how God deals with our body: it’s dead because of sin, it’s weak, but it’s indwelt by the Spirit and destined for glory.

We wait and long for the day when our corruptible body is changed to incorruption.

This is why Paul says the glory will be “revealed in us.” That’s not just in our soul, but in our whole redeemed being. We’re members of Christ’s body, and what the Head has already received—resurrection and glory—the body, us, will also receive in due time.

We live in weakness now, but with a sure expectation of future glory. This is the hope that shapes our walk in Romans 8.

Scripture teaches that salvation comes now, at the moment we heard and believed the gospel, but glory comes later. The believer doesn’t wait for salvation, but for glory, for the day when our mortal body will be changed into incorruption and immortality, when the glory promised in Christ is openly revealed.

Tribulation produces patience, experience, and hope as Romans 5 tells us. Hope only exists where the thing hoped for isn’t seen yet. God allows suffering so believers can live by hope and communicate hope to the lost. If glory were present now, hope would disappear, simply because you don’t hope for what you already have (Romans 8:24).

So Romans 8:18–25 teaches that suffering belongs to this present time, but glory belongs to the future.

2 Corinthians 5 explains this further. Our present body is an “earthly tabernacle,” and we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our heavenly body. We want to be clothed with immortality so that mortality is swallowed up by life. God has prepared us for this and given the Spirit as the earnest, the guarantee—exactly what Romans 8 teaches. Therefore we walk by faith, not sight, because the glory is not visible yet.

Then Romans 8:20 says,

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

This doesn’t just refer to trees or animals, but to humanity in its mortal condition. In Christ we’re a new creature, yet still living in a vain, temporal body. Our present condition is weakness and vanity, but our future is glory. Even the greatest achievements of mortal man are vanity, as David shows in Psalm 39, but the glory God will reveal in us is eternal.

Even great discoveries collapse into nothing. Man heaps up riches not knowing who’ll gather them. Our days are a shadow. God sees all human glory as vanity.

So the creature, including the believer in a mortal body, waits with sure expectation for the day when the sons of God will be manifested in glory.

Why is it that, if we’re now sons of God with eternal life as Romans 5 and Romans 8:14–17 say we are, are we still living in weakness and corruption?

Because, as Romans 8:20 says, the creature was “made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected it in hope.”

The creation was subjected to futility, frustration, and disorder, not by its own choice, but by the decree of God because of the disobedience of man’s first federal head, Adam. But God never took away hope. Hope was always there from the day creation fell.

If it was up to us, we’d choose immediate glory—no sickness, no weakness, no hardship—but God has a wiser purpose. He subjects us to vanity and gives us hope. The same God who leaves us in mortal flesh also gives us the sure promise of future glory. It’s that hope that we cling to that we can minister to a hopeless world.

Without resurrection, faith and preaching are vain, says 1 Corinthians 15:14–17. But Christ is risen, so our labour is “not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Galatians 5:24 says those who are Christ’s crucify the flesh because they have hope. God wants us to walk by faith, not sight, and to rejoice in hope now.

2 Corinthians 4:7-8 says we have the treasure of the glorious gospel “in earthen vessels,” so the power is clearly of God, not us. We’re troubled, perplexed, persecuted, yet not destroyed, because hope sustains us.

We carry Christ’s light in broken vessels so that people trust Him, not our appearance.

Romans 8:21 continues with,

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  

Creation looks back to the ideal conditions that existed in the garden of Eden. Then it sees the havoc that was caused by the entrance of sin. But there’s always been the hope of a return to an idyllic state, when creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption to enjoy the freedom of that golden era when we as God’s children will be revealed in glory.

The creature itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

God will change even our body into immortality.

Romans 8: 22 goes on to explain,

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Right now the whole creation groans and longs to be released from the blight of death on every living thing. But this hope helps us understand suffering. We know glory is certain, but not revealed yet.

This shared suffering allows us to minister to others, because everyone in the world feels pain.

If Christians had glory now, we couldn’t sympathise with anyone. The world already rejects messages from Christians promising “a better life now,” because they see that Christians still suffer. The true message is hope—Christ suffered, died, rose again, and glory will come later. When Christians preach glory now, they remove hope and preach a lie.

Suffering comes from sin and corruption, not from God. Christ Himself put on humanity, suffered, wept, and died. Now His body—the church—remains on earth to face suffering, not in vain, but so we can comfort others with the hope of glory. Everyone suffers, but only believers can preach hope.

Revelation promises that one day God will wipe away all tears, but that’s future. Today we preach hope based on Christ’s finished work.

Romans 8:23 goes on to say,

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Not only creation, but “ourselves also” groan, showing how even saved people suffer in this present time. The difference is that we have “the firstfruits of the Spirit,” the seal of our inheritance, and we wait for “the adoption, the redemption of our body.” We’re not waiting for destruction; we’re waiting for glory.

Just as a handful of seed is a pledge that the seed will grow into fruit when sown and watered, so the Holy Spirit is the earnest, the pledge, the guarantee that the full inheritance will be ours (Ephesians 1:14).

So we wait, walk by faith, and endure vanity with the sure expectation of the glory that’ll one day be revealed in us.

We’ve already been adopted; Romans makes that clear. We’ve been placed into God’s family as sons. But that adoption will be complete when we receive our glorified bodies, the redemption of our bodies. Our spirits and souls have already been redeemed, and our bodies will be redeemed at the Rapture (1Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Ephesians 4:30 says the Spirit seals us unto the day of redemption. We grieve Him when we walk by sight instead of hope. Even in suffering, God uses us to minister to those who have no hope.

1 Corinthians 15:51–54 explains the mystery: our corruptible body will be changed into incorruption and immortality at Christ’s coming. Death will be swallowed up in victory. Romans 8:23 calls this waiting “the redemption of our body”—this is hope. Hope is truth revealed by the Spirit, not seen yet, but certain by faith.

So Romans 8:16–23 teaches the consequence of being a new creature in Christ: we groan now, but we wait in sure hope for glory.

Until next time, may God instil in us the certainty of our destiny in Him.