«　WEEK 12　DAY 5　»

　　Rom. 8:19-21 For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

　　[In Romans 8:19 “the revelation”] denotes the manifestation or the appearing of the sons of God. We all are the sons of God…. If we tell people on the street that we are sons of God, they will think that we are crazy. They will say, “Look at you and me. What is the difference between us? We are both human beings. You are not different from me. You are just another person. Why do you say that you are a son of God?” However, the day will come when the sons of God will be manifested. In that day there will be no need to make the declaration, “From now on we are the sons of God,” because we all shall be glorified. We shall be in glory, designated as sons by the glory of God. Then all other people will have to admit that we are the sons of God. They will say, “Look at these people. Who are these people so full of glory? They must be sons of God.”…The entire creation is waiting for this with watching eyes, for the creation eagerly expects the revelation of the sons of God. (Life-study of Romans, p. 226)

　　The entire creation is under vanity. Everything under the sun is vanity. The wise king Solomon said, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). Creation is subject to vanity.

　　We need to notice two…words [in Romans 8:21], “slavery” and “corruption.” In the entire universe there is nothing except vanity and corruption. This corruption is a kind of bondage, a slavery that binds the whole creation. Creation has been made subject to vanity in the hope that it will be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. One day the children of God will be glorified, brought into glory. With that glory there will be freedom, and that freedom will be a kingdom, sphere, or realm. The whole glory will be a kingdom, a sphere, into which we will be brought. When we are brought into that freedom or kingdom of glory, creation will be delivered from vanity, corruption, and slavery. This is the reason that the entire creation is awaiting that time. We have very much to do with the creation, for the future destiny of the creation rests upon us. If we mature slowly, the creation will blame us and murmur against us. It will say, “Dear children of God, you are growing too slowly. We are waiting for the time of your maturity, the time when you will enter into glory, the time when we will be freed from vanity, corruption, and slavery.” We must be faithful to the creation and not disappoint it.

　　Verse 22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together until now.”… Not only does the creation groan together, it also travails as in the pangs of childbirth.

　　Verse 23 follows, “And not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body.” Although we have been born through regeneration as the sons of God and have the Spirit as the firstfruits, we also groan because we are still in the body which is linked to the old creation…. Since our body belongs to the old creation and has not yet been redeemed, we are groaning in it as the creation does. However, while we are groaning we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. The firstfruits of the Spirit are for our enjoyment; they are a foretaste of the coming harvest. The firstfruits are the Holy Spirit as a sampling of the full taste of God as our enjoyment, of all that God is to us….The full taste will come in the day of glory. Nevertheless, before the full taste comes, God has given us a foretaste today. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 226-228)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msgs. 19, 21; CWWL, 1985, vol. 3, “Elders’ Training, Book 6: The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles,” ch. 2