Romans 8:19-22 “Balance?”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁹For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, ²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility (not willing[ly] but because of the one subjecting) upon hope ²¹that the creation itself will also be liberated from the bondage of decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, ²²for we know that the entire creation is groaning together and in agony together until the present.

I would like to record one more thought arising from this passage, and I’m not even sure where I’m going with it. Perhaps if I just start typing it will take shape. As related in the last post, it is shameful to realize just how true it is that we human beings are destroyers, that our presence in this world brings misery to the rest of creation. For me, it is grievous just to think about it. However, as we would try to honestly acknowledge that truth, I think there is some balance we should insert into the discussion.

This is where my thinking starts vacillating. Here I am, a person who loves the outdoors. On the whole I am extremely thankful that long ago we set apart state and national parks, that we have huge land areas where we’ve preserved nature in its beauty. I love to hunt and fish, but I’m glad we have laws to prevent people from driving any creature into extinction. Once again, my whole career has been about cleaning up the horrific pollution we’d caused in this world and I’m glad there was a Clean Water Act.

While all of that is true, I am thinking there needs to be a balance. For one thing, based on the Bible, and even this passage before us, we know that the entire creation, as we know it today, is completely temporary. No matter how much us humans mess it up, “the Day of the Lord will come” (II Pet. 3:10). As that passage in II Peter goes on to say, “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the fervent heat; but in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (3:12,13)

Somehow, even as we’re lamenting what destroyers we are, there also needs to be the realization that the entire rest of creation is, in a sense, temporary, and I’ll even be so reckless as to call it “disposable.” I said before, it is sad how, if us humans thought there was gold under a mountain, we wouldn’t hesitate to level the whole thing just to get it. That is a horrible thought to me, that where there was once a beautiful mountain, suddenly we could turn it into a plain and it would be gone forever. What I’m hesitant to say is, maybe it isn’t as big a deal as my heart makes it? Whether we do or we don’t level the beautiful mountain, the day is coming when the Lord will rebuild it – once again perfect just as it was originally created.

It is interesting to note there in II Peter, having stated that there is a new heaven and new earth coming, Peter’s application of that truth is to say, “So then, my dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him” (v.14). He doesn’t say anything about our attitude toward nature. This transitory quality of the created universe moves us to consider our relationship with God, not our attitudes toward conservation. From an eternal perspective, we should not be surprised to find the truly important issue to be our relationship with God, not nature

Even as I’m typing, I wonder if the reason “conservation” and “Save the Earth!” and PETA and all the other modern preoccupations with nature is not, in fact, the result of our lack of concern for the things of God? Paul said we believers “… fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (II Cor. 4:17). Somehow, the big concern ought to be first of all that which is eternal, and only then to consider all that around us which is not. In all of Jesus’ teaching recorded in the Gospels, there is little, if any mention of people’s relationship with nature. I believe it would be accurate to observe that Jesus’ emphasis clearly was to call us to consider first of all our relationship with God.

At the same time, if we do keep before us the priority of that which is eternal, it shouldn’t excuse our destructive presence. In other words, I want to assert it isn’t godly to be cruel. Prov. 12:10 says, “The righteous care for the needs of their animals…” When Balaam unjustly beat his donkey, the Lord finally gave her speech to call him down for it. In Hab. 2:17, the Lord says to Babylon, “The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you … you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.” Notice the Lord accosts them for their “destruction of animals.” I’ve also always liked how the Lord said to Jonah, “… Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (4:11). Notice the “many cattle.” The Lord cares about cattle. So should we.

So these thoughts of mine can’t lead to wantonly excusing our destructive presence. On the other hand, we clearly need to keep our focus on that which is eternal. Somehow, if we could keep our focus properly balanced, I wonder if we couldn’t do an admirable job of conservation without going hog wild over snowy owls and darter snails. I wonder if real godliness wouldn’t give us the wisdom to know how to take care of people while at the same time be good stewards of this world we’ve been given as a home.

Even as I sit here, I’m not sure I know what to do with any of this, but at least I wrote it down. Sometimes, having acknowledged things like this, I find that later on, as I (hopefully) grow in my knowledge of God, it might all fall together into a much clearer understanding. Guess I’ll just shoot up a prayer and see where He takes me!

Romans 8:19-22 “Destroyers or Redeemers?”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁹For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, ²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility (not willing[ly] but because of the one subjecting) upon hope ²¹that the creation itself will also be liberated from the bondage of decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, ²²for we know that the entire creation is groaning together and in agony together until the present.

Another thought that amazes me from the studying this passage is to consider the impact we humans have on the rest of creation. I may be accused here of profound negativity, but, in order to see the hope, I maintain we must first thoroughly embrace what is, in fact, a horrid negativity. Just as with the Gospel itself, as someone once said, “It is good news, but, before you can appreciate it, you need to understand the bad news!” The Good News of the Gospel is only good news because there is first of all really bad news!

Just to begin with, what do these verses tell us? That the entire material creation is suffering, and why? Because of man’s sin. Every plant, every animal, every rock, the water, the air, every planet and star in the universe is reduced to “futility” and “the bondage of decay” because we sinned. The passage even makes the point that all of this has come on creation “not willingly but because of the one subjecting.” Not willingly. As the NIV translates, “not by its own choice."

What happened? God created a perfect world that He himself could say was all “very good.” Even the sun, moon, and stars were created with purpose: “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years’” (Gen. 1:14). It was a universe of purpose and life. Adam was appointed to rule over it all. But when he sinned, he took it all down with him. God had warned him that the wages of sin was death and that is exactly what his sin brought into this world – death, and that death not only claimed him but also the entire created world. Instead of a universe of life, we became a universe of death. Entropy. Decay. Corruption.

Even the animals were first created as herbivores: “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth … they will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it -- I give every green plant for food’” (1:29,30). If they were all herbivores, then they weren’t all killing and eating each other. Adam sinned and now the violence of the animal kingdom is shocking for anyone who sees it in reality (not in Disney movies). People today naively imagine animals “running free,” but the fact is the animal kingdom basically lives for two things: to eat, and not to be eaten. The sad reality is their world is a world of constant death. And once again, why? Because we sinned!

I should inject here that someone may say, “Hey! That’s not fair! Why should animals suffer because of man?” To that I would respond, “Really?” It is a fact of reality that when anyone is put in charge of anything, their decisions have major impacts on those they are supposed to be leading. Kings get their people into wars. Presidents enact foolish programs that utterly destroy their nation’s economy. Executives drive their companies into bankruptcy and people lose their jobs. Parents abuse and neglect their children and leave them struggling with the consequences even as adults. A child neglects to feed his dog and the dog goes hungry. The plain, simple fact is that Adam was placed in charge of creation. He should have realized his choices would affect not only himself, but also his wife, his children to come, and in fact, the entire creation under him. In my humble opinion, to call that unfair is simply to deny reality. You’re in charge? You’re responsible. That’s reality.

So Adam sinned and this became a world of death, not life. And why death? Well, first of all, because that is what God warned him it would be. But, in the much larger scheme of things, the problem is that God is the Author of life. To push Him away is to push away His world of life and to plunge instead into the kingdom of His enemy Satan. Who? Satan? “He was a murderer from the beginning. He is a liar and the father of lies.” His is a kingdom of death. When Adam pushed away God’s kingdom of life, there was nothing left but to fall into Satan’s kingdom of death. And once again, he took the entire creation with him. Here again, the entire universe is suffering because of us.

The negativity didn’t just end in the Garden of Eden that day. It goes on. Even today, what is our effect on creation? Everywhere we go, we pollute the water and air, we contaminate the soil, we destroy the animals’ habitat. I don’t know what it would be like for cows in God’s perfect world, but basically now they exist only so we can kill them and turn them into T-Bone steaks. If we thought there was gold under a mountain, we wouldn’t hesitate to level the very mountain itself just to get it. There have to be laws to stop people from polluting the water and the air, but at best, our presence still degrades any beautiful vista. It would seem that we are “murderers from the beginning!” We are of our father the devil, and the lusts of our father we will do.” One of his names is Abaddon, which means “destroyer.” Sadly, that is a fitting name for the human race. That is exactly what we are – destroyers – everywhere we go, everything we do. We destroy everything we touch.

I have loved science my whole life. I love how, with science, we can unlock the secrets of this universe, understand the “why,” then take that understanding and use it to better people’s lives all over the world. It is and has been a very deep sadness to me to watch that science used, not to help people, but rather to destroy them. Albert Einstein unlocked the secrets of the atom and what did we do with it? Turned it into a bomb. One of the wonderful by-products of America’s Space Program was that many, many inventions were produced like microwave ovens, space blankets, and even Tang orange juice, all of which were wonderfully useful to people. For once, we could have a flurry of inventions that didn’t require a war to produce them. However, throughout human history it has been just that – war – that most often moved industry to invention.

That love of science and, at the same time the desire to help people, not hurt them, is what has made wastewater engineering for me a very enjoyable and rewarding career. When I was growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s, my buddies and I hunted and fished and camped and hiked and had a wonderful time outdoors. However, at that time it was true that every puddle of water in this country, it seemed, was ridiculously polluted. Finally, in 1969, when the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland started bursting into flames, the whole country realized we couldn’t go on just recklessly dumping our waste into whatever water body flowed nearby. In 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed and we started the long, arduous task of cleaning up this mess we’d created.

I started in engineering at Purdue in 1975, totally incognizant of the tsunami of environmental recovery that was sweeping across this country. I then got to be a part of that tsunami and now, almost 50 years later, I am very proud to have been a part of the monumental cleanup that did in fact occur. I walk down the hill to the Illinois River and see people boating and fishing. In 1970, you wouldn’t even have known what color it might be when you get there, or if the scum on the surface would be so thick, you might walk on it. Now it is beautiful, clear water for the most part and actually supports sensitive fish like walleyes. Just to see families with their fishing poles in the river is gloriously satisfying to me, knowing I’ve been a part of that wave of science and engineering that made it all possible.

What is a shame is that I even had to. What a shame that our presence turned our lakes and rivers into black goo (and worse), but why is that? Once again, why? Back to our passage before us. Our Gospel would tell us we are naturally destroyers. We are of our father the devil and our presence means death . not life. And what is the only answer? God’s redemption. What will ultimately free all of creation from its “bondage to decay?” When we are changed! Ultimately, when “the sons of God are revealed.” What is interesting to note is that, even now, it is often the presence of Christians which effects change. Psalm 84:5,6 says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have their hearts set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs, the autumn rains also cover it with pools.” In other words, as believers pass through this vale of tears, they leave it better than they found it. To be redeemed makes us redeemers!

I could speak of how this destroying and murder extends into the very relationships in our lives. How does the book of Titus describe us? “Hating and being hated.” Without grace the natural bent of human beings is to literally self-destruct the relationships that matter most to us. It’s no coincidence that God has to command husbands to love their wives, for fathers not to exasperate their children but rather to “bring them up,” for workers to respect their bosses and “serve them well,” for people to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” What is the Lord doing? He’s trying to turn you and me into redeemers.

The only real ultimate answer to the death and destruction we have brought into this universe is the redemption Jesus made possible. Each of us personally needs to be redeemed, then become redeemers, then to finally see the universe redeemed. In the meantime, we should each strive to be those redeemers as much as we can be, but the really Good News is that it will happen! Even this “Valley of Baca,” this “vale of tears,” this world of endless, seemingly hopeless death, will be redeemed. Now may be a terrible time of groaning and “childbirth,” but the day will come when it all ends. As Peter tells us, “the Day of the Lord will come” (II Pet. 3:10).

We have the only real answer. We are the answer. Jesus, fill our hearts with Your redemption and, in every corner of our daily lives, may You make us redeemers!

 

Romans 8:19-22 “Pattern”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁹For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, ²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility (not willing[ly] but because of the one subjecting) upon hope ²¹that the creation itself will also be liberated from the bondage of decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, ²²for we know that the entire creation is groaning together and in agony together until the present.

A certain writer called this one of the most controversial passages in the Bible. As I read various commentaries, I found that in fact to be the case. For centuries, these poor verses have been stretched out on the theological rack and tortured mercilessly. I personally like what one man said, “If the plain sense makes good sense, why make any other sense?” One of the problems with words in any language is that, in a way, you can make them mean anything you want -- with enough ingenuity and imagination. The question, however, will remain, but what did the speaker mean? We have all had numerous times where someone took what we said wrongly. In fact, as I sit here at the later end of life, I would say it is exasperating how difficult it is to simply speak and have people understand what I’m saying.

While I bemoan that struggle in my own relationships, one can only imagine what it’s like for God! He inspired Paul to write these words expressly desiring to communicate truth to His people. How exasperating it must be to Him when people can’t accept the plain sense of what He said and instead resort to what I call hermeneutical gymnastics in order to make it say what they want it to. Once again, in my personal opinion, I think the NIV actually did a good job translating this passage. Reading it in NIV, one wonders what all the “controversy” is about. Seems plain enough: “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

Given what I would call the plain sense, I want to record several observations. First, it begins with “For the creation waits in eager expectation…” then concludes with “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Obviously, creation is being personified. The theologians can argue endlessly how creation could be “waiting in eager expectation,” but again, to me, the plain sense is not that somehow animals and rocks are actually “waiting,” but rather that this waiting is simply a personification.

It is interesting though to note that specifically what creation is waiting for is “for the children of God to be revealed.” Wouldn’t you have thought it would say “for the Lord Jesus to be revealed”? I think if we would meditate on those words for a while, we would be amazed how the Lord Himself would honor us like this. It is His Coming that matters! Yet, it is as if, just as the universe would move to honor Him, He steps aside and gestures instead to you and me! If you and I could even catch a glimpse of this honor, we should realize that is what Jesus thinks of us today. Though there may be a “waiting,” yet when it’s time, Jesus can finally show us off like He’s always wanted to.  I would suggest us parents know exactly that feeling. It is great to be honored, but words fail when we can instead step aside and see our children be the ones who are honored. No matter how much we might “deserve” honors, it gives us far greater joy to see that honor go to our children! Guess we’re back to Abba! Father!

It is also absolutely fascinating to me to see this picture of the entire creation “groaning as in the pains of childbirth … waiting for the children of God to be revealed.” For years I have pondered why Eve’s judgment was pain in childbirth. What strikes me here is that she, as “the Mother of All Living,” was made to be the very fractal of all the universe’s existence! What I mean is that every time a woman becomes pregnant and carries a baby to delivery, she is, in a sense, living out the pattern of the entire creation. She suffers for nine months until that pain climaxes in childbirth itself and she is rewarded with the “revealing” of this child she’s delivered! That fractal she experiences this passage would tell us is the pattern not only for the whole universe, but is it not also the pattern for our own individual lives, both in total and in every trial we face?

In a sense, each of us is right now “in the womb.” From the time we were “born again,” the Lord has been molding us. “He who began a good work in you will continue it…” What we see as suffering is actually the Lord’s redeeming work of growing us into the people He created us to be. Our “suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3,4). Just like all of creation, our very existence is “groaning as in the pains of childbirth,” waiting for that day when suddenly we will appear as the Lord’s completed work, glorified as His beloved children! Every woman’s pregnancy and delivery displays that same pattern. This is probably just one more place where our sin darkened eyes literally can’t see our hand before our face. The Lord places the picture right before us, yet we blunder on, blind to all He is doing.

I almost hate to say this, but, if we’ll have the eyes to see, we probably need to acknowledge He calls it “as in the pains of childbirth.” Childbirth. He didn’t say we’d scrape our knees. Childbirth. Probably the most physically painful experience in human existence. That’s what we’re going through. I suspect we all have this underlying impression that, because we’re Christians, we shouldn’t have to suffer much. Oh, yes, of course, we have to suffer, but … not that bad. Right? No. Childbirth. Back to reality, I guess – we shouldn’t be surprised to find life not just hard but seriously, unbearingly brutal. Childbirth. Just before I despond, I’ll remind myself this whole passage is about hope, the whole book is about grace, and, as the Lord Himself says, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness”!

These very verses before us speak of pain, yet they would encourage us that even pain is only part of the Lord’s grand purpose to truly make us glorious. That doesn’t change the fact that pain hurts, but as all mothers know, there is nothing so wonderful in all the universe as one’s very own child

The Lord knows that. It’s what the whole universe is all about!