Chapter # 8 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
April 9, 2017
Humble, Texas
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1769 Translation:
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 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.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].
1901 ASV Translation:
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for [our] adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.
24 For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth?
25 But if we hope for that which we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for it.
- I. The "Earnest Expectation".
- A. "Logos" defines this term as "strained expectancy".
- B. The term is only used in this text and in Philippians 1:20, where it is definitely not a "strained expectancy" in our typical sense of "strained" (hurtfully over extended). It is, rather, being attached at the hip to "hope", a strongly entrenched expectation; a firmly "believed" truth that will prove to be absolutely true at some point in the future. "Straining", in the sense of putting a great deal of effort into reaching toward an objective, is the sense involved here. The basic idea seems to be "a hope filled longing for a promised outcome".
- 1. Paul is clearly indicating that the creation has "known" for a very long time that God has a Great Plan to bring about what he calls "the revelation of the sons of The God".
- 2. This raises the question of where/how the "creation" got this knowledge and bought into it with such tenacity.
- 3. As early as Enoch, "the seventh from Adam", there was prophecy about this future (Jude 1:14).
- 4. As early as Seth, if Josephus is to be believed, there was a comprehensive understanding of the promises involved in The Promise that allowed him to build this understanding into his astronomy (known to us as the Zodiac).
- 5. In any case, the "creation" was informed from the beginning how things were going to come to pass to resolve Adam's descent into "the bondage of corruption".
- C. The term was coined as a three element combination word involving "apo" as a distance-inserting prefix, "kara" (which Strong ties to "the head"), and the verb "dokeo" as a focus upon a key function of the head (thinking). Whoever coined the term wanted to have the idea of a person using his/her "head" to "think" about something in the "somewhat distant" future. Interestingly, this "coinage" seems to fit Paul's meaning like a glove.
- 1. In Philippians 1:20, he is anticipating the future likelihood of facing inquisitors and he is thoughtfully seeking the Philippians' prayers regarding that likelihood because his own "head" is engaged with the scenario in light of the possibilities it contains.
- 2. In this Romans text, the creation is "eagerly waiting" for the anticipated future fulfillment of a long-developing reality.
- II. The "Creature"/"Creation".
- A. The Authorized Version, which translates this term as "creature" in four of the five uses in this paragraph, suddenly shifts to "creation" in the fifth use. Makes one wonder...
- B. The basic idea is a "created entity" (technically, a "creature"), but the paragraph is dealing with the whole of creation that has been affected by "vanity", not an individual "creature".
- C. The straightforward implication is that all of creation is somehow "aware" that God has a Great Plan in place which will eventually bring about a rather fantastic introduction into the glory of God as the resolution of the entire spiritual rebellion of all creatures who have participated in it. It will yet require a rather long and involved process that includes the reign of Jesus upon the earth for a millennium (indicating just how entrenched "sin" is), but the final outcome is the established hope of all "creation".
- III. "Waiting".
- A. The Authorized Version is inconsistent in the translation of the root of this word. It uses "wait" in four of the eight uses, and opts for synonyms in the other four.
- B. But it is more consistent in translating this combination-word with its intensifier prefix as "wait" in five of the seven uses in the New Testament and synonyms in the other two.
- C. The basic concept is "looking forward to the arrival of...". It includes "waiting", but it also has an emotional content that is happily expectant. There is, at least, an emotional "straining" toward something eagerly sought.
- IV. The "Revelation".
- A. In the previous verse, the "revelation" was of the coming glory and it will be given to believers.
- B. In this verse, the "revelation" is of the sons of The God.
- 1. This means that what the sons of The God are going to be like is going to be a "revelation".
- 2. There are echoes here of 1 John 3:2 where John declares that we do not yet grasp what our destiny is in light of our being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, but we shall be "like Him" (whatever that means).
- 3. The clear impression here is that the "revelation of the sons of The God" is going to be a fantastically good thing; a thing so good that the current creation is eagerly looking forward to it as the culmination of God's Great Plan for creation.
- 4. Verse 21 actually defines the terms for us: "the vanity" is identified as "the bondage of corruption"; and "the revelation of the sons" is identified as "the glorious liberty of the children of God".