Romans 8:19–23

Context

This passage is part of chapter 8 of Romans, the letter Paul wrote to the believers of the church in Rome. Chapter 8 opens with the declaration that those who are in the Holy Spirit are not condemned, moves on to the teaching that believers are children of God, and leads into Romans 8:18, which compares "the sufferings of this present time" with the glory that shall be revealed. Verses 19–23 state that it is not only human beings who wait for that glory but the whole "creature," that is, the entire creation. According to Paul, the creation "was made subject to vanity" and is held in "the bondage of corruption," but it will be set free together with the children of God when they are fully revealed. Believers have already received "the firstfruits of the Spirit." The firstfruits are the first portion of the harvest, serving as a pledge of the full harvest to come. Yet believers, too, still wait for "the redemption of our body," that is, the resurrection of the body.

Interpretation

• The scope of "creation": Most commentators take the term to refer to the natural world apart from human beings. In the history of the church, some interpreters have also read it as referring to people, especially those who do not yet believe.
• The one who subjected it: Many interpreters identify this figure as God and connect the passage with Genesis 3:17–19, where the ground is cursed after Adam's Fall. A minority view holds that it refers to Adam or to Satan.
• The renewal reading: In his commentary on Romans, John Calvin explained that creation will not be annihilated but renewed and restored. This reading has been widely followed in the Reformed tradition.
• Wesley's reading: In his sermon "The General Deliverance," based on this passage, John Wesley preached that the whole creation, including animals, will be restored.
• Already and not yet: Verse 15 says that believers have already received "the Spirit of adoption," while verse 23 says they are "waiting for the adoption." Interpreters across many denominations read this difference as expressing a tension in which salvation has already begun but its consummation still lies ahead.

Debates and Issues

• Annihilation or renewal: This passage is discussed together with 2 Peter 3:10–13. One view holds that the present world will be burned up and pass away, to be replaced by an entirely new world; another, drawing on this passage, holds that the present creation will be purified and restored. Some premillennialists hold that the liberation of creation will be partially realized during the Millennium.
• Ecological application: Some use this passage as a basis for the duty to care for creation. Others point out that the focus of the text is eschatological hope rather than environmental ethics.
• Translation and manuscripts: The Greek word rendered "vanity" is the same word used for "vanity" in Ecclesiastes in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). The verb rendered "travaileth in pain together" refers to the pains of childbirth, and translations such as the Revised New Korean Standard Version bring out this sense. Some ancient manuscripts lack the word "adoption" in verse 23.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently cited together with verse 18 in sermons on hope amid suffering. It is also used in sermons addressing environmental issues and in worship services for the Season of Creation, which is observed by some denominations and organizations.

Related Passages

• Isaiah 65:17–25
• 1 Corinthians 15:22–26
• Revelation 21:5
• Ecclesiastes 12:8