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!