News: ACT is over!!!! SAT still to come.... I want to post some pictures one of these days... just because I enjoy seeing them on other blogs :-).
Nugget: Whew! It's been awhile since I've posted about my study of Romans 8. I ended here with verse 20, so that is where I will begin. Surprisingly enough, I'm only on v26 now; I'm not exactly certain why... but anyway, here goes (as always, let me know if anything needs clarifying!):
v21- Bondage of corruption vs. glorious liberty of God's children is the central contrast of this verse. Yet we are God's children and still enslaved to corruption so far as I can see. ...not so! For although it still has power over our bodies, yet its sting and victory is gone! And we are in no way bound to corruption in our spirits! (drawn, but not bound) We can improve! Grow! Change! PTL!
v23, 24-Interesting to note that creation groans, while we groan *and* eagerly wait - we're not so trapped in the present; we can see some of the future and long for it. Yet apparently even creation has more understanding than most men- only we who have the Spirit groan. Apparently, everyone else is more or less oblivious. May I groan also - longing for what is better, not caught up in today.
v26- Interesting that we should know what to pray for, but don't - and the passage offers us no clear help toward improving our prayer. Could it have something to do with us not feeling our need enough? Notice the Spirit intercedes with groanings inutterable. There's such depth of feeling, of passion, there that I at least never reach. The only other hint in the passage is the trifold groanings (v. 22, 23, 26). Groaning seems to have something to do with being heavenly-minded (longing for the consummation of redemption: glorification). Maybe that's the problem, to some extent: how often we pray for stuff of earth rather than stuff of Heaven! Then too, how often we pray in our own strength. Instead we ought to pray in the Spirit. The emphasis of the entire passage is 'don't walk in the flesh, walk in the Spirit.' Even moreso in prayer, where we don't know what to pray for, and He does - and He will gladly teach us!
v28-This gives me a picture of all the events in our lives with their hands up like eager preschoolers: "pick me!" "I want to be used for good!" and then working together - like coworkers - to produce good in us. The word for good, 'agathos,' is interesting. Unlike 'kalos,' the other option for 'good' in Greek, 'agathos' implies intrinsic worth or goodness. What all things work together for is good - in itself. What is this? I think the next verse, which was probably intended as an explanation anyway (given the use of 'for') gives us the answer: 'good' is "conformed to the image of His Son." What could be better?
2 comments:
Pictures, pictures! ^_^
Praying for your doing well in the SAT(along with Emily and Aly and whoever else ^_^)
--Josiah C
v21) Praise the Lord, that we are not subject to our corruption! As it says in 1 Cor. 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (NIV)
And He is faithful! "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."(Philippians 1:6 ESV)
v23,24) John Piper, in his book A Hunger For God, says: "The Bridegroom has gone away. . . .As Paul said,"While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord." And His absence is painful. . . .We long for Him to come again and take up His throne and reign in our midst and vindicate his people and his truth and his glory." He goes on to say:
"What was this cry? What was the cry of the early church? The cry of the early church was, "Come, Lord Jesus!" It is no mere coincidence that the last words of the Bible are the first words of the Lord, "Yes, I am coming quickly," and then the response of the church: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." This is the cry that the whole Bible is meant to have on the hearts of the elect."
Let that be our cry--come, Lord Jesus! For we do long for His kingdom to be established, for Him to return for His bride, the church.
v26) I was talking to Mr. Thomas(do you know him?--he was my care group leader), and he mentioned that when he prayed scripture(as in the prayers and promises and other such of the Bible), he often found that he became more focused on the things of God. I found this rather interesting, but it makes sense: if you are praying God's words, not only are we praying truth, but we are also praying for the things of Heaven.
v28) Thank God that all things work according to our good! "For those He foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,"(Romans 8:29 ESV) And we are being conformed: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Cor. 3:18 ESV)
Praise the Lord!
--Josiah C.
Post a Comment