In essence, every Christian witness is always a witness to the Kingdom. This is hardly surprising: the chief task and central meaning of the Savior's earthly ministry was to bring the Kingdom into the world, while His chief work...
In essence, every Christian witness is always a witness to the Kingdom. This is hardly surprising: the chief task and central meaning of the Savior's earthly ministry was to bring the Kingdom into the world, while His chief work thereafter, today, and henceforth until His return in glory, became the nurturing of this Kingdom in our world, which is being transfigured but is not yet transfigured. Yet there are different ways of bearing witness to it, and one of the central forms is witness to the love that permeates it. This is only natural: the Savior Himself spoke of mutual love as a “new commandment.” What, one might ask, can be new about something as old as the world? And had little really been said about love before the Messiah came?
And yet there is something new and important in Jesus' words. Love, of course—at least in the sense in which the word is used in the books of the Bible—had always meant, first and foremost, a certain attitude toward one's neighbor: one in which a person wished them well. But Jesus speaks of something greater: He speaks of the Kingdom, where love becomes not merely an attitude but the very environment in which its inhabitants live, the spiritual environment without which there is no Kingdom. In a certain sense, love constitutes its foundation, its spiritual substance, just as natural substances form the environment of our untransfigured world.
And if a person has become a participant in the Kingdom, has become one of its inhabitants, and has immersed themselves completely in this spiritual environment, it is truly no longer possible to tear them away from it. For the Kingdom does not belong to our world or live by its laws; it enters our world, transfiguring it and changing its very nature, yet without becoming a part or an element of the former order of things that it is called to transform. It is hardly surprising that in the untransfigured world there is no power capable of affecting the bonds that connect a person with the Kingdom and with its inhabitants. What binds them is the love of which the Savior Himself gave His disciples an example, and which people of righteous life belonging to many different Christian confessions have manifested time and again: a love that no one can truly take away from a person unless that person betrays it.
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8:18 For I reckon - This verse gives the reason why he but now mentioned sufferings and glory. When that glory "shall be revealed in us," then the sons of God will be revealed also.
8:19 For the earnest expectation - The word denotes a lively hope of something drawing near, and a vehement longing after it.Of the creation - Of all visible creatures, believers excepted, who are spoken of apart; each kind, according as it is capable.All these have been sufferers through sin; and to all these (the finally impenitent excepted) shall refreshment redound from the glory of the children of God. Upright heathens are by no means to be excluded from this earnest expectation: nay, perhaps something of it may at some times be found even in the vainest of men; who (although in the hurry of life they mistake vanity for liberty, and partly stifle. partly dissemble, their groans, yet) in their sober, quiet, sleepless, afflicted hours, pour forth many sighs in the ear of God.
8:20 The creation was made subject to vanity - Abuse, misery, and corruption. By him who subjected it - Namely, God, Gen 3:17, Gen 5:29. Adam only made it liable to the sentence whichGod pronounced; yet not without hope.
8:21 The creation itself shall be delivered - Destruction is not deliverance: therefore whatsoever is destroyed, or ceases to be, is not delivered at all. Will, then, any part of the creation be destroyed? Into the glorious liberty - The excellent state wherein they were created.
8:22 For the whole creation groaneth together - With joint groans, as it were with one voice. And travaileth - Literally, is in the pains of childbirth, to be delivered of the burden of the curse. Until now - To this very hour; and so on till the time of deliverance.
8:23 And even we, who have the first - fruits of the Spirit - That is, the Spirit, who is the first - fruits of our inheritance.The adoption - Persons who had been privately adopted among the Romans were often brought forth into the forum, and there publicly owned as their sons by those who adopted them. So at the general resurrection, when the body itself is redeemed from death, the sons of God shall be publicly owned by him in the great assembly of men and angels. The redemption of our body - From corruption to glory and immortality.
8:24 For we are saved by hope - Our salvation is now only in hope. We do not yet possess this full salvation.
8:26 Likewise the Spirit - Nay, not only the universe, not only the children of God, but the Spirit of God also himself, as it were, groaneth, while he helpeth our infirmities, or weaknesses.Our understandings are weak, particularly in the things of God our desires are weak; our prayers are weak. We know not - Many times.What we should pray for - Much less are we able to pray for it as we ought: but the Spirit maketh intercession for us - In our hearts, even as Christ does in heaven. With groanings - The matter of which is from ourselves, but the Spirit forms them; and they are frequently inexpressible, even by the faithful themselves.
8:27 But he who searcheth the hearts - Wherein the Spirit dwells and intercedes. Knoweth - Though man cannot utter it.What is the mind of the Spirit, for he maketh intercession for the saints - Who are near to God. According to God - According to his will, as is worthy of God. and acceptable to him.
8:28 And we know - This in general; though we do not always know particularly what to pray for. That all things - Ease or pain, poverty or riches, and the ten thousand changes of life. Work together for good - Strongly and sweetly for spiritual and eternal good. To them that are called according to his purpose - His gracious design of saving a lost world by the death of his Son.This is a new proposition. St. Paul, being about to recapitulate the whole blessing contained in justification, (termed "glorification," Rom 8:30,) first goes back to the purpose ordecree of God, which is frequently mentioned in holy writ.
little more at large: - When a man has a work of time and importance before him, he pauses, consults, and contrives; and when he has laid a plan, resolves or decrees to proceed accordingly. Having observed this in ourselves, we are ready to apply it to God also; and he, in condescension to us has applied it to himself.
The works of providence and redemption are vast and stupendous,and therefore we are apt to conceive of God as deliberating and consulting on them, and then decreeing to act according to "the counsel of his own will;" as if, long before the world was made, he had been concerting measures both as to the making and governing of it, and had then writ down his decrees, which altered not, any more than the laws of the Medes and Persians. Whereas, to take this consulting and decreeing in a literal sense, would be the same absurdity as to ascribe a real human body and human passions to the ever - blessed God.
This is only a popular representation of his infallible knowledgeand unchangeable wisdom; that is, he does all things as wisely as a man can possibly do, after the deepest consultation, and as steadily pursues the most proper method as one can do who has laid a scheme beforehand. But then, though the effects be such as would argue consultation and consequent decrees in man, yet what need of a moment's consultation in Him who sees all things at one view?
Nor had God any more occasion to pause and deliberate, and laydown rules for his own conduct from all eternity, than he has now.What was there any fear of his mistaking afterwards, if he had not beforehand prepared decrees, to direct him what he was to do? Will any man say, he was wiser before the creation than since? or had he then more leisure, that he should take that opportunity to settle his affairs, and make rules (or himself, from which he was never to vary?
He has doubtless the same wisdom and all other perfections at thisday which he had from eternity; and is now as capable of making decrees, or rather has no more occasion for them now than formerly: his understanding being always equally clear and bright, his wisdom equally infallible.
8:29 Whom he foreknew, he also predestinated conformable to the image of his Son - Here the apostle declares who those are whom he foreknew and predestinated to glory; namely, those who are conformable to the image of his Son. This is the mark of those who are foreknown and will be glorified, Ti2 2:19. Php 3:10, Php 3:21.
8:30 Them he - In due time. Called - By his gospel and his Spirit. And whom he called - When obedient to the heavenly calling, Act 26:19.He also justified - Forgave and accepted. And whom he justified - Provided they "continued in his goodness," Rom 11:22,he in the end glorified - St. Paul does not affirm, either here or in any other part of his writings. that precisely the same number of men are called, justified, and glorified. He does not deny that a believer may fall away and be cut off between his special calling and his glorification, Rom 11:22.Neither does he deny that many are called who never are justified.He only affirms that this is the method whereby God leads us step by step toward heaven. He glorified - He speaks as one looking back from the goal, upon the race of faith. Indeed grace, as it is glory begun, is both an earnest and a foretaste of eternal glory.
8:31 What shall we say then to these things - Related in the third, fifth, and eighth chapters? As if he had said, We cannot go, think, or wish anything farther. If God be for us - Here follow four periods, one general and three particular. Each begins with glorying in the grace of God, which is followed by a question suitable to it, challenging all opponents to all which, "I am persuaded," etc , is a general answer. The general period is, If God be for us, who can be against us? The first particular period, relating to the past time, is, He that spared not his own Son, how shall he not freely give us all things? The second, relating to the present, is, It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? The third, relating to the future, is, It is Christ that died - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
8:32 He that - This period contains four sentences: He spared not his own Son; therefore he will freely give us all things. He delivered him up for us all; therefore, none can lay anything to our charge. Freely - For all that follows justification is a free gift also. All things - Needful or profitable for us.
8:33 God's elect - The above - cited author observes, that long before the coming of Christ the heathen world revolted from the true God, and were therefore reprobated, or rejected.
But the nation of the Jews were chosen to be the people of God,and were therefore styled,
And these titles were given to all the nation of Israel, including both good and bad.
Now the gospel having the most strict connexion with the Booksof the Old Testament, where these phrases frequently occur; and our Lord and his apostles being native Jews, and beginning to preach in the land of Israel, the language in which they preached would of course abound with the phrases of the Jewish nation.And hence it is easy to see why such of them as would not receive him were styled reprobated. For they no longer continued to be the people of God; whereas this and those other honourable titles were continued to all such Jews as embraced Christianity. And the same appellations which once belonged to the Jewish nation were now given to the gentile Christians also together with which they were invested with all the privileges of "the chosen people of God;" and nothing could cut them off from these but their own wilful apostasy.
It does not appear that even good men were ever termed God's electtill above two thousand years from the creation. God's electing or choosing the nation of Israel, and separating them from the other nations, who were sunk in idolatry and all wickedness, gave the first occasion to this sort of language. And as the separating the Christians from the Jews was a like event, no wonder it was expressed in like words and phrases only with this difference, the term elect was of old applied to all the members of the visible church; whereas in the New Testament it is applied only to the members of the invisible.
8:34 Yea rather, that is risen - Our faith should not stop at his death, but be exercised farther on his resurrection, kingdom, second coming. Who maketh intercession for us - Presenting there his obedience, his sufferings, his prayers, and our prayers sanctified through him.
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ - Toward us? Shall affliction or distress - He proceeds in order, from less troubles to greater: can any of these separate us from his protection in it ; and, if he sees good, deliverance from it?
8:36 All the day - That is, every day, continually.We are accounted - By our enemies; by ourselves. Psa 44:22.
8:37 We more than conquer - We are not only no losers, but abundant gainers, by all these trials. This period seems to describe the full assurance of hope.
8:38 I am persuaded - This is inferred from the thirty - fourth verse, in an admirable order: - Neither death" shall hurt us; For "Christ is dead:" "Nor life;" 'is risen" Nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers; nor things pre - sent, nor things to come;" "is at the right hand of God:" "Nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature;" "maketh intercession for us."Neither death - Terrible as it is to natural men; a violent death in particular, Rom 8:36.Nor life - With all the affliction and distress it can bring, Rom 8:35; or a long, easy life; or all living men.Nor angels - Whether good (if it were possible they should attempt it) or bad, with all their wisdom and strength. Nor principalities, nor powers - Not even those of the highest rank, or the most eminent power. Nor things present - Which may befal us during our pilgrimage; or the whole world, till it passeth away. Nor things to come - Which may occur either when our time on earth is past, or when time itself is at an end, as the final judgment, the general conflagration, the everlasting fire. Nor height, nor depth - The former sentence respected the differences of times; this, the differences of places. How many great and various things are contained in these words, we do not, need not, cannot know yet. The height - In St. Paul's sublime style, is put for heaven. The depth - For the great abyss: that is, neither the heights, I will not say of walls, mountains, seas, but, of heaven itself, can move us; nor the abyss itself, the very thought of which might astonish the boldest creature. Nor any creature - Nothing beneath the Almighty; visible enemies he does not even deign to name. Shall be able - Either by force, Rom 8:35; or by any legal claim, Rom 8:33, etc To separate us from the love of God in Christ - Which will surely save, protect, deliver us who believe in, and through, and from, them all.