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Romans 8.18 – and it’s a mind blower
July 18th 2021
Websters . . . blown up and multiplied – grateful they are with us. Welcome.
I don’t know much in this life – really limited compared to other men – but I do know something about a few areas – and outside of the Bible I know about investing, and I know about swimming.
And if given the opportunity to teach about such I have no interest in teaching what is not going to take them to the ultimate destination.
For instance, if I am teaching about investments, I want to teach everything I can to help a person invest to the fullest – so that includes the essentials, the fundamentals and then the best advanced strategies on earth to give the person every chance to reach their potential.
Or when it comes to swimming I’m not interested in teaching people to just swim in water. I want them to swim with all the faculties and skill and presence of mind to be the very best swimmer that they can be, so that they dominate in the water, and not allow the water to dominate them.
So, it is with my ambitions in the faith. I am not satisfied teaching people to be mere recipients of God’s grace. I want to teach them to be fully mature fruit bearing, Jesus following believers who at the end of their life can say to me, “you taught me everything I needed to reach my full potential. And you taught it through sound biblical principles.”
So I am not a fan of non-biblical principles of self help nor am I interested in giving people partial truths. I want to equip you FULLY.
So today we are going to get to the heart, the purpose, and the end-goal of the faith which is not typically part of the Christian conversation but I do not want anyone coming to me and saying, “why didn’t you ever teach me about this, Shawn?” Instead, I long for the day when people will say, “I am so grateful that I learned about this.”
Now, all the things God has done for us up to this point are frankly amazing – and whoever stops at any of these places along the way, if that is possible, has been blessed as He has given us
The creation
Freedom to choose
The victorious work of His Son in reconciling the world over Satan, hell, sin and death.
A new heaven and a new earth and a new Jerusalem to live in and aim for
An ongoing resurrection for all,
An increasing Kingdom for which there is no end,
and the ongoing invitation to enter that Kingdom as Sons and Daughters of the Living God.
That is all amazing stuff for everyone of God’s creations.
But there is one more element that we have to touch on – especially in light of verse 18 of chapter 8 which begins to unfold for us and which we touched on beginning at verse 16 (which we covered last week) and which says:
16 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
And then our text for today
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 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.
Did you notice the two related words in the two passages that talk about being heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ?
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 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.
Why all of this suffering? And why would a loving God who created us subject us to suffering?
Let’s first talk about the realities of believers as verse 16 readily said:
16 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
As His children, the Spirit bearing witness to us that we are also His heirs, or as it puts it, “heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Christ.”
Where the King James version reads “and if children,” I would suggest another way we could read this would be –
“and since His children . . . then heirs.”
“Since” we have been adopted into his family, we are His heirs. Heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ.
Some might think it would be a privilege to be an heir to the Queen of England, or Bill Gates, or the Prince of Dubai.
But by comparison they would amount to a “Big freakin deal” as we can’t even imagine what it means to be an heir to the true and living God?
And since children, then heirs; heirs of God, AND AND AND . . . joint-heirs with Christ . . .
Isn’t that interesting the way that Paul first says this – “heirs, heirs of God” and then he adds, and “joint-heirs with Christ.”
These word place us in the right perspective, however as God, who is our Father by adoption, has made us heirs.
This is logical since we have become His children by faith, right?
And then, with Jesus as Lord and Savior, who took on flesh and overcame all things on our behalf, it only makes sense then that we would be described, as heirs of God the Father, as Joint-Heirs with Yeshua the Anointed, our Lord and Savior.
That is proper, in that we have a biblical order.
Let’s remember that even though we are joint heirs with Christ by and through adoption, Jesus Christ is the first and the last, pre-eminent, as He is the Only rightful legal heir of God His Father.
He was not adopted into the household of God (as we are) but actually descended as His Logo’s and becoming God’s incarnate Son.
However, as Man, in flesh, was Jesus automatically an heir to the throne of God?
Or as a man did He, like us, have to overcome temptation and as a Man prove, so to speak, Himself?
I suggest that He did. And that He was victorious on behalf of the human race. And being God’s only human Son by creative act, Jesus is the author and finisher of salvation for all who look to Him.
How did Jesus do it? Listen to Hebrew 5:8-9. Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says:
“Though he were a Son (with a capital S), yet learned he obedience by the things which he . . . suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that . . . obey him.”
There are three Key words here we need to consider at this point in our study of Romans 8:18 “Son” “Suffer” and “Obey.”
And now what about that last line? Listen again:
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he . . . suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that . . . obey him.”
I thought He was the author of eternal salvation for all that believe on Him?
Wh, wh, what’s this stuff about our having to obey Him now? I didn’t think we could obey Him?
Get this straight – we could not obey His Father whose Law and ways were perfect. Only He could obey Him.
That is why we look to Him and obey His commands. And what are those? To walk in faith and to love.
Getting back to Jesus and His “learning to be obedient” in His body of flesh was it easy or painless for Him? Listen to what Paul wrote of our Lord and His life in the flesh in Philippians 2: 5-11:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
That is all a description of suffering, my friends.
“But made himself of no reputation,” (suffering)
“ and took upon him the form of a servant,” (suffering)
“and was made in the likeness of men:” (insufferable)
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, (suffering)
and became obedient unto death, (suffering)
even the death of the cross.” (suffering)
What motivated the Lord to endure this suffering? Think carefully – it’s important. It was his undivided allegiance to the two great commandments – Loving the Lord His God with all of His heart and Loving his neighbor as Himself.
As these passages have already alluded, His suffering included so much more the just the pains of the cross.
Of His entrance into the world:
Luke 2:7 says
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Of his life we read . . .
2nd Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
And his creature comforts . . .
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
And . . .
Isaiah 53:3
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
And . . .
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
And . . .
Mark 15:29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days.
And of course, His death itself . . .
1st Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
So, Christ, by and through perfect obedience to the will of the Father, suffered in the cause of Love for God His Father and Man his neighbor.
And as our Lord and Savior he did this to bring those of us forth who are daughters and son by the same means. Listen to Hebrew 2:10
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through . . . sufferings.”
Now listen again to verse 17 and 18 from our text:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
We are talking about suffering as a means to bring us through to GLORY! Like gold being purified. Like steel being tempered. Like coal becoming diamonds. The principles remain the same!
Let’s re-read our second verse, Hebrews 5:8-9:
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he . . . suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that . . . obey him.”
And what does He command of us?
To take up our cross, and follow Him, and to love others rightly in and through the crucifixion of our mortal flesh.
We cannot get around the fact that just as Jesus was a Son and heir and suffered out of Love for Father and Neighbor . . so will all who follow Him do the same. We cannot get around it.
(long beat)
Many people are under the impression that because Jesus suffered on their behalf they won’t have to. But they forget the suffering He did was for our sin through love. As heirs, we will learn to suffer for love because He paid for our sin.
Listen to Philippians 2:1-2
“If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
How about Romans 15:5-7
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like- minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Doesn’t it stand to reason that those who are His, those who have been adopted, those who are “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ,” will suffer if and since His only begotten Son did? It certainly does. And scripture endorses the concept fully:
2nd Timothy 2:11-12 –
“For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”
Jesus says in Revelations 3:21 to believers then, “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne,”
Overcomes what? The inclinations of self-love and self-preservation losing out to the inclinations of selfless love.
Selflessness toward an undeserving world will always lead to suffering. Selflessness for the well-being of others will always equate to personal suffering.
We take out natural inclinations, our desires, our wants and attractions that come with our flesh, and we say, “No, Him.” We say, “No, Others.”
The call for every real son and daughter to “suffering love,” is sprinkled throughout the scripture. Consider
Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
John 15:18-19 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
2nd Corinthians 4:8-11 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
Acts 5:41 “And (the apostles) departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”
2nd Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Philippians 1:29!
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
Philippians 3:9-10 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death…”
And of course our text for today, Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.
LISTEN PLAINLY – we don’t expose ourselves and endure suffering to be saved, we do it because He saved us. And we do it for another VERY important reason – which I want to cover now.
This is certainly not secret knowledge or something only special people might discover but it is something that is truly insightful to what God is doing – offering and Paul subtly brings the concept forward for us.
Turn to Philippians 3. In the first seven or so verses Paul speaks about all of his righteousness as a devout Jew. But at verse 8 he says:
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Now we know that when Paul writes this that he has been saved to the Kingdom by faith, for goodness sakes, but here he speaks of a “possibility of winning Christ,” saying, “that I MAY win Christ.” (What is he talking about? Then verse 9)
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
(so, tied to the desire and possibility of winning Christ, Paul speaks of faith and the righteousness of God which is by faith – WHY? Verse 10 where Paul says)
10 That I may (1) know him, and (2) the power of his resurrection, and (3) the fellowship of his sufferings, (and 4) being made conformable unto his death;
Why? Here he adds the kicker as to why, saying
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
And then he wraps the idea up with verses 12-14 saying
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
From these passages we can plainly state the following about Paul the Apostle:
He talks about winning Christ in the future even though he is saved
He clearly links faith in Christ to this potential win.
He maintains that by faith the road to winning Christ includes first, KNOWING HIM, second, “and the power of His resurrection” and third, what he describes as “the fellowship of His Sufferings,” and fourth, he says, “being made conformable to His death.”
What does Paul hope to accomplish in and through all of this? He tells us by declaring at verse 11
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Isn’t that wild that Paul says, “If by any means I MIGHT attain unto the resurrection of the dead?” I might? Didn’t Jesus say all would be resurrected? He certainly did. So, what is Paul talking about here when he appears to hope to attain it?
Let’s look to men for a moment and hear what they have traditionally said about this passage – to summarize we generally get three views of Paul’s meaning here.
The first says that Paul was not certain of going to heaven (which is total BS and in contradiction to all Paul has said about salvation coming by God’s grace through faith) and the second says Paul was uncertain that he would be resurrected, (which is also baloney since Christ taught that all would be resurrected – good and evil – and Paul confirms his agreement with this when he wrote Romans 8:38-39 and 1 Corinthians 15).
Then the last view put forth suggests that Paul was openly hoping and striving to obtain not just a reward in heaven but a specific reward.
So again, and for whatever reason, we know that Paul does reveal his desire to attain unto what he calls “the resurrection of the dead,” and he was uncertain about its reality as an afterlife reward – whatever it is that he is speaking about.
So again, where Paul says, “If, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead,” he was not sure, according to whatever he meant by “resurrection of the dead” that he would attain or receive it. That is plain as the Greek here translated to “if by any means” cannot mean any other than that of uncertainty.
So we have an issue because the resurrection was a certainty among followers in Christ – as taught by Paul. But here he is uncertain about attaining to what he describes as the resurrection.
Or does he?
The key to this is in the fact that the term translated “resurrection” here is not the normal Greek term for resurrection which is anastasis.
Paul uses the term exanastasis.
In other words, Paul knew all people would be resurrected (anastasis) but he strived to attain exanastasis, which our more literate Greek scholars define as meaning “an out-resurrection.”
The what resurrection? An “Out- Resurrection.”
What could the Out-Resurrection mean to Paul who hoped “by any means” that he could attain or receive it?
In light of all we have read what we can say here is whatever it was that Paul hoped to gain was something other than the normal resurrection of all believers from the dead.
I fact, what he longed for and strived for was a resurrection that was OUT FROM THE ONE ALL OTHERS WOULD RECEIVE!
HAVE YOU EVER ALLOWED YOURSELF TO SEE OR RECEIVE THIS IDEA? Have you heard it taught?
It is really an important concept to sons and daughters of God so I hope you will consider thinking about it.
How is it unique to anastasis or resurrection?
First of all, we can see that Paul considered this “out-resurrection” conditional for believers. And is predicated on some things Paul describes as important to receiving it. Those conditions are described in verse ten briefly as Paul says:
10 That I may (1) know him,
This is written in the “genitive of the articular second aorist (ingressive) active infinitive (purpose) of ginôskô,” and that mean “to have personal acquaintance with Christ BY EXPERIENCE – which is one of Paul’s major passions – to get more knowledge of Christ by experience.
The next thing he mentions is “and (2) the power of his resurrection,”
With power in the sense of assurance to believers to triumph over sin and the flesh ultimately and to be fully ensconced in the things of light, life and love. Then he says
and (3) the fellowship of his sufferings,
He literally describes partnership in (objective genitive) the sufferings of Jesus before him, which was an honor prized by Paul (Colossians 1:24).
To suffer with him or as He suffered
(and 4) being made conformable unto his death;
The Present passive participle of “summorphizô,” a late verb from summorphos, which is found only here. To be conformed to His death is a literal description of being configured to his agony at Gethsemane, not to mention Calvary, which will be reproduced in some way or another in the faithful servants of Christ.
Clearly then, more than faith in Christ is involved in the process of attaining unto this particular “out-resurrection.” He seems to be speaking of some deep sanctification here.
At verse 14 Paul describes it as “pressing on toward the prize” and if a prize that requires “pressing into it,” then this resurrection is not a free gift bestowed.
Interesting, the word “prize” in verse 14 is “brab eion,” which means “an award bestowed” and is only used twice in the New Testament, here and in 1 Corinthians 9:24.
And in that place (1st Corinthians 9”24) we recall that Paul wrote: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may . . . obtain it.”
Most see that passage as referring to eternal rewards which believers can obtain for “faithfulness in this life” and therefore it is a word used in connection with “rewards and awards” for striving and arriving at personal excellence.
Because Paul repeatedly asserts that spiritual regeneration is not a result of our faithfulness, good deeds, or strivings (Romans 3:23-26; 4:5; Galatians 2:16; 3:6-14; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) we know that the meaning of this passage is clear.
It deals directly with discipleship, not rebirth or regeneration. It pertains to believers, not unbelievers. It concerns rewards (not kingdom entrance) which a believer can obtain through allowing God to produce good fruits in and through us.
It seems, therefore, to be a reward for the individual believer who let God exude from his or her person in the form of agape love while in the flesh. And again, the meaning of “out-resurrection” to which Paul seeks (exanastasis) appears to refer to “a resurrection that is outside of the standard resurrection all people will receive believer and not.
It is something outside of that.
So, where all believers will be resurrected generally, Paul longed to receive the specially given out-resurrection which appears to be awarded as something better then what the standard believer receives.
This makes Hebrews 11:35 very instructive as it refers to the faithful who “were tortured, not accepting deliverance, in order that they might,” as the writer says, “obtain a better resurrection.”
In the end, all believers will be resurrected to life, but there is a better resurrection, and out-resurrection, reserved for those who pursue knowing Him, who seeks to live “by the power of His resurrection,” who “endure partnership with his sufferings,” and who “conform their flesh to His death.”
Obviously, this out-resurrection must be relative to the individual involved and is clearly dependent on of God who gives it, so therefore there would probably be all sorts of types and shapes distributed in the kingdom – perhaps the reward is also contingent on how people use their talents and gifts, where a person laid their treasures, and above all, the love the individual believe allowed God to extend out to others through them.
In the end, this out-resurrection is something to consider, something to desire – just like Paul desired it.
So at this point I see the Good News looking something like this:
WHAT? WHO? BECAUSE OF
SAVED FROM
SIN DEATH AND All people Yeshua’s
HELL victory for world
SAVED TO THE HEAVENLY
KINGDOM of GOD People of faith God’s grace given
through faith on His
Son
RESURRECTED All people Bestowed on all
(anastasis) by God
OUT-RESURRECTION Apparently few Given by God
(exanastasis) to some as the highest reward
for heart-fruits in life
