We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth, right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
So, this answers the question of “creation”. All of creation groans, and we as believers groan. All are waiting for redemption, physical redemption, an end to this cursed and corrupted body and world. Glorification, the final part of our salvation, is the hope of our salvation – that is what we look forward to. Not hope as in wish, but hope as in know. This hope is not possibility, but surety. That is how I can wait patiently, I know it is coming. This fits with God’s constant question to me, “Becky, do you trust Me?” Not do I hope/wish that God is right, but do I know it. Because if I know, I can trust, and I can know the future hope, and I have hope to go on no matter what happens in the mean time.
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