Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
Earlier in the month we talked about the inheritance each of us have waiting for us. As believers, as followers of Jesus, we have been qualified to become part of the eternal family and have hope in the future that awaits us. Today’s verse continues that theme, showing us yet another glimpse at what is to come and what we have received already that tells us our future is real and truly going to happen.
This verse was written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Rome, both Jewish and Gentile alike. It described the present reality of believers – we live in a broken world, a physical world where people sin and make poor choices. But we have hope of what is to come!
We have a future glory awaiting us. We will receive a redeemed, perfect, holy body that is free of the things we experience here on earth. No longer will we have bodies that are aging, bodies breaking down, hurting, or unable to be used. We will be redeemed with a body that is glorified and beautiful, absolutely perfect and beyond our wildest imagination.
As we await this time, Paul said we groan inwardly. We long for this perfect body. We desire it more than anything. It is a sweet agony, knowing what is to come yet being unable to obtain it yet. We currently experience physical pain, weakness, grief, etc. We groan inwardly with each pain, spasm, or consequence of our present world because of what we experience. That doesn’t mean we are crying out lacking faith. It is simply our honest understanding that this world is not our home and we long for something better.
But notice what Paul called the hope we have – our adoption to sonship. Isn’t that exciting? Knowing that we will be fully adopted and made whole in the family of God. We will be in heaven, with Him, not as a follower but as His children. I want the perfect, unbroken body that is free of aches and pains, but I want to be His daughter more than that. If it came down to choosing between the redeemed, glorified body and full adoption into His family I’d go with adoption any day.
A side note before going on – As believers we are already spiritually adopted. We are already spiritually children of God. You can call yourself His son or His daughter now and it is true and cannot be denied. But the full legal adoption, the complete relational adoption is still TBD (to be determined). It is not yet achieved. It is in progress and will be complete when we are with Him in heaven.
And the hope we have that all of this will happen? For us to know that we are going to receive this, we have been given what Paul called the firstfruits. In agricultural terms, the firstfruits are exactly what they sound like – the first portion of the harvest that indicates what is to come. We have received the Holy Spirit now, long before our bodies are redeemed and renewed. The indwelling of the Spirit can be viewed as a foretaste of what we will experience and receive later.
Today let’s keep in mind this future promise we have. Salvation is not just about our soul or the afterlife. Paul pointed readers to the hope of a future physical resurrection. He reminded us that the final transformation of our mortal bodies, these structures that are plagued by pain and that are breaking down day after day, is yet to come. We have a body modeled after Christ Himself awaiting us. And that should bring you hope and joy today!
Prayer: Lord, I long to be with You, to experience the perfect, glorified, transformed body that awaits me. Help me to wait patiently in this body that is breaking down. Let Your promise of transformation bring me joy as I wait. Amen
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