Travail and Deliverance

Rev. Stephen E. Stults

St. Paul’s Anglican Church

June 19, 2012

Our Epistle comes from one of the “core” sections of N.T. Scripture, St. Paul’s  8^th chapter of Romans.  Some commentators have called this Epistle Paul’s tour de force, as he expounds on the doctrines of grace, hope, sin, justification, forgiveness and salvation.  It is certainly one of this priest’s personal favorites, as it was chiefly responsible for his adult “re-conversion” at the tender age of 22.  Romans reawakened my own slumbering faith and made me see my desperate need for a Savior.

We know God constantly calls us into repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. He does this first through our baptisms, as the taint of original sin is washed away by the water of rebirth. We are also restored through the Holy Ghost, as he pricks our consciences and guides us, if we will listen to Him. All of us need to heed that small, still voice of the Spirit. Yet, we all know how easy it is to ride roughshod over the Spirit and go our own way, usually to our own detriment. Possessing free will, so often we flaunt our will in the presence of divine guidance.. Our raging human will, led by the impulse of the flesh, wants to have its own way, rather than let God be our master

There is a better way. St. Paul’s message today is about our restoration, and it is about a message of hope that all committed Christians possess.

St. Paul says: (Romans 8:18-19) “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

St. Paul often draws our attention to the here and now versus the hereafter. He has a keen vision of the life to come, while fully appreciating the tribulations of our earthly life. Citing Philippians 1:23-24, he says: ”For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” Paul was awaiting his second appearance before the Emperor Nero, where he was expecting to be condemned and sentenced to death.  We can be assured that Paul met his fate with courage and joy, as he looked forward to his reception in Heaven

Similarly, St. Paul draws the contrast to the sufferings of the present time with “the glory that shall be revealed in us.” He is speaking of our own glorious reception in Heaven. We shall experience a restoration of our rightful places as heirs of the Kingdom of God.  This should be “an earnest expectation” for all of us, and for the glory that awaits us.  Conversely, we should not totally disdain our life on Earth, although many isolated monks, hermits and aesthetics have. While we must admire their devotion, if not called to this life, let us regard our current life as a gift from God, and glorify Him for it.

 

At the same time, our devotion to this life should not so be complete as to lose our eternal life awaiting us in Heaven. As committed Christians, let us view this life as the first step of eternity. In Christ, we have effectively entered into our eternal life; we have just not yet seen its glorious fulfillment.

This is the hope that awaits all of us.  The challenge is to live in this world in such a way as to pass directly from this life to judgment, and then to life eternal.  We know that there will be Judgment, as all of us will be judged for our deeds in the flesh. As we contemplate the things we have done and left undone, this is a terrifying thought.  How many of us could be deemed to deserve the joys of Heaven?  Recall that Christ Himself said to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:17,

“Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God…”  None of us can get to Heaven on our own deserts. Yet, there is mercy. This sinner knows that when he stands before the Judgment Seat, all he can do is hold up Jesus.

Through Christ, all of Creation will be delivered from its pains and travail, thus creating the “anxious longing of the creation (that) waits for the revealing of the sons of God”?   How?  The answer is revealed in: (Romans 8:21) ^“because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”  Putting it all together, all Creation waits for the consummation of history, when all things will change.

Our situation is now vain or futile in this sense:  we humans expect all things to go on the way they are now, even ourselves.  While we know intellectually that all things change, decay, and eventually pass away, we really don’t want to believe it. Thus, love songs speak of “forever”; grants and trusts have language with the words “in perpetuity”; and the Psalmist says, “Men call the land after their own names.” Yet, as Ecclesastes reminds us, “Vainity, of vanities! All is vanity.”(Eccl. 1:2).   

Yet, why would the Apostle say that we are “subjected in hope”?  While all things have a passing, they also have a resurrection.  We and all Creation will be set free from our “slavery to corruption” into the freedom of glorious perfection in Christ. Just so, the Book of Revelation speaks of Jesus presenting Creation as his spotless Bride to the Father.  We will change this corruptible body for an incorruptible one, and our mortality for immortality.  We will escape our bondage to finality.

In the meantime, we have work to do on Earth.  Our job is to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to show God’s love for us by loving others in the same way.  The word that fits the bill is charity. We are to be charitable in our thoughts, in our words, and in our actions.  We are simply, to treat others the way we want to be treated.

As we struggle against sin and strive to persevere in righteousness, let us also strive for joy.  Ours is certainly not an easy journey, nor one without pitfalls and dangers.  We have enemies and adversaries, both spiritual and temporal.  As we seek holiness and godliness, do not expect the world’s approval, but rather its scorn.  Remember, if we were of the World, the World would love us.  We are not, however seeking the approval of men, but of God.

Let us do this with joy. Difficult as it is, we can be filled with hope and with help.  We are never far from our Helper, as He seeks to tabernacle with us.  We are never far from help that is fresh, ever-present and abundant.  We are never far from Joy, if only we would seize it!

Take hold of this joy then, and cherish it.  This is our comfort, our aid, and our hope as we wait for “the redemption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Romans 8:22  “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”