Why We Groan...Romans 8

http://billrandles.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/why-we-groan-romans-8/ ^ | 01-04-11 | Bill Randles

[pastorbillrandles]

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.(Romans 8:22-23)

We have already seen that Christians are those who live between two Ages. We are currently in this present age, which is marked by death, corruption, sin and alienation from God. But through a new birth,we have been fitted for the Age to come,the Age of Righteousness, the day of the Lord.

We don’t belong here, and deep down inside we know it, therefore as Romans 8 tells us, we groan. We aren’t the only ones who currently groan, for Creation itself is groaning, and so is the Holy Spirit of God!

Creation has a sense that something is wrong with it, it perceives it’s own sad condition, and would shake it off, if it could, or would purge itself if it could. Of course the purging and renewal of creation is going to be something God does to it, it will be a deliverance.

What do we mean by “groaning”? A groan is a deep, inarticulate expression, an inner sigh,which expresses internal pain,sorrow,grief,frustration and even incompletion. It also involves inexpressable yearning.

The creation groans because as we have seen, it has been subjected to bondage, a bondage of corruption and vanity. God did this when man fell, He tied up the fate of creation with the fate of man,that when man is finally delivered, so too shall creation be liberated.

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.(Romans 8:21)

The true Christian groans because though he has been delivered from sin’s penalty, and absolute rule, sin and corruption are still present within his body. All true christians long to be finally done with all that is evil and corrupt.

There is a sense in which the groaning of Creation and the believer is the groaning of a woman on the verge of labor. She has little contractions that increase with intensity as she comes closer to the birth of the baby, which in this case is the New Age of Righteousness.

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (Romans 8:22)

Jesus himself likened the end times to the birth of a baby,

…for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.All these are the beginning of sorrows(Matthew 24:7-8)

The expression ‘beginning of sorrows’ means the beginning of birth pangs.

The coming of the Lord is going to be as a woman laboring with child. There will be contractions, groanings, a transition, the desire not to go through with it, blood,water, tears and just when it seems as bad as it can get, a new day will dawn upon the earth.

Christians are like that very pregnant woman, groaning as we get closer to the deliverance.

Ezekiel 9 also helps explain why we Christians groan. This is a vision of the mission of Angels from heaven to bring judgment to Judah, starting at the house of God.

But before the Slaying Angels are loosed, a clerical angel is assigned to mark those of the remnant of true God fearing worshippers, whose characteristic, was that they were grieved over the dishonor of God’s name and over the sin of the land.

And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.(Ezekiel 9:4)

We groan because we are grieved by the increasing godlessness of this world, the daily blasphemy, the coarsening and debauchery of our society. The patriot in me mourns for what has come of our once great(good) nation.

We are increasingly possessed of the notion that there is nothing in this world order that we can relate to, and we realise that almost every institution is being revealed as increasingly anti-christ! We look for a better city, and country.

It has been striking me lately, I don’t want to live in a world where marriage is ignored, or worse redefined into a perverted spectacle. Where homosexuals ,and murderers(Abortion) are honored and exalted, I groan, because I can’t make a life here anymore!

We are furthermore groaning because we long to see people become christians, and for those who have begun, that Christ be formed in them.

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,(Galatians 4:19)

We are groaning because the evangelical church itself is in part apostasizing from Him who called them out of the world, seeing this happen is breaking our hearts, we can but groan, for words come short!

Jesus groaned in the Spirit, when he walked on this earth as a man(John 11:33,38). The Holy Spirit of God, groans with us also, bearing our burden with us, and grieving the effect of sin, unbelief, corruption of this age.

The Holy Spirit actually articulates these deep groanings , helping us particularly in the infirmity of not being able to know exactly what to pray as we ought.

The Spirit gives utterance to those deep groanings which can’t be uttered in articulate speech.I beleive this is one of the diverse uses of glossolalia, speaking in tongues. The Spirit giving us an expression of these groanings causing us to pray according to the perfect will of God.

Our deep groaning, is in accord with creation .It is in part a groaning of sorrow, frustration, and incompletion. We want to be delivered, we want our salvation to be completed.

We know that there is something better for us,we can’t wait for the new Creation. It is also a groaning of labor pains, and of intercession. We groan in longing, and anticipation.

And finally, the Holy Spirit of God, who is going to bring these aspirations to pass, in the meantime, groans with us as well.

[Finny]

Thanks for the good post, Pastor Bill. You must be tuned in to my mind as of late: " ... helping us particularly in the infirmity of not being able to know exactly what to pray as we ought.

Thanks again for your good, thought-provoking post.