Romans 8:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

NIV: that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

NASB: that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

CSB: that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

NLT: the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

KJV: Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

NKJV: because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Paul has painted a dark picture. Unfortunately, it is an honest representation of the sin-ravaged world in which we live. All of creation suffers in frustration under the curses of God in response to sin (Genesis 3:14, 17–19). In response to Adam's rebellion in the garden, God subjected His perfect creation to frustration and futility. This brought pain, suffering, meaninglessness, and death.

Paul has been clear that the story is not over, though. Creation is waiting, longing, for God's children to be revealed in glory (Romans 8:19). That's the day when all will begin to be made right (1 John 3:2). Somehow, at some level, the creation knows this and anticipates it. Mysteriously, a key component of what will happen on that day is that God's glory will be revealed to all and revealed in those who have faith in Christ (Romans 3:26).

Now Paul concludes his thought from the previous verse. God didn't subject creation to decay, to frustration, out of pettiness or revenge. Instead, He acted in hope of—here meaning "looking forward to"—the reversal of His curses. He never intended for His creation to experience this futility and death and corruption forever. It won't. The day is coming when God will reveal His children in the glory He has for us, and then creation will be set free from its bondage. Paul says that creation itself will obtain the same freedom that those in Christ will receive when they are glorified. All suffering will end. All will be made right (Revelation 21:1–4).

Romans 8:18–30 talks about the participation of Christians in the everyday suffering experienced by all of creation. We all groan together as a woman in labor while we wait for God to reveal His children. As His children, we are waiting for the Father to complete our adoption by redeeming our bodies so that we can be with Him. God's Spirit helps us in the season of waiting by taking our unformed prayers to God. We trust that God uses every circumstance in our lives for His purposes and that He has chosen us long ago to be His children.

Romans 8 begins and ends with declarations of the Christian's absolute security before God. There is no condemnation for those in Christ, and nothing will ever be able to separate us from His love. Having believed the gospel, we now live in the Spirit of God. That allows us to call God Abba Father. We suffer with Christ, and we suffer along with all creation while we wait for God to reveal us as His sons. With the help of the Spirit, we are confident that God is for us and loves us in Christ.

In Romans 7, Paul revealed his frustration of trying to do good only to be thwarted by his sin. He begins Romans 8, though, with the triumphant statement that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We live in the Spirit, and we relate to God as a child does to a father. The Spirit helps us in this season of suffering along with all of creation while we wait for our adoption to be complete with the redemption of our bodies. We are confident, though, that God is for us and nothing can separate us from His love.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.