Suffering Now and Glory in the Future

¹⁸ What we are suffering now is nothing compared with our future glory. ¹⁹ Everything God created looks forward to the future. That will be the time when his children appear in their full and final glory. ²⁰ The created world was held back from fulfilling its purpose. But this was not the result of its own choice. It was planned that way by the one who held it back. God planned ²¹ to set the created world free. He didn’t want it to rot away. Instead, God wanted it to have the same freedom and glory that his children have.

²² We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now. ²³ And that’s not all. We have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan inside ourselves. We do this as we look forward to the time when God adopts us as full members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us. He will raise our bodies and give glory to them. ²⁴ That’s the hope we had when we were saved. But hope that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ We hope for what we don’t have yet. So we are patient as we wait for it.

²⁶ In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don’t know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays through groans too deep for words. ²⁷ God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God’s people just as God wants him to pray.

²⁸ We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose. ²⁹ God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the first and most honored among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those God has planned for, he has also appointed to be saved. Those he has appointed, he has made right with himself. To those he has made right with himself, he has given his glory.

We Are More Than Winners

³¹ What should we say then? Since God is on our side, who can be against us? ³² God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won’t he also freely give us everything else? ³³ Who can bring any charge against God’s chosen ones? God makes us right with himself. ³⁴ Then who can sentence us to death? No one. Christ Jesus is at the right hand of God and is also praying for us. He died. More than that, he was raised to life. ³⁵ Who can separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or hard times or harm or hunger? Can nakedness or danger or war? ³⁶ It is written,

³⁷ No! In all these things we are more than winners! We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us. ³⁸ I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God’s love. Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can separate us. ³⁹ Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can separate us. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.