GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR MAN FROM START TO FINISH

Part IV: God's Righteousness Granted In Sanctification, Romans 6:1-8:39

G. The Believer's Equipping For Triumph Amid The Adamic Curse

(Romans 8:18-27)

I. Introduction

A. Believers suffer under the Adamic Curse, a negative experience that can tempt one to face spiritual defeat.

B. However, Romans 8:18-27 addresses these sufferings with insight that, if applied, equips the believer to experience triumph amid his Adamic Curse sufferings. We view this passage for our insight and edification:

II. The Believer's Equipping For Triumph Amid The Adamic Curse, Romans 8:18-27.

A. In Romans 8:17, Paul had used the emphatic conditional particle eiper, "if indeed" to inform his readers that "sharing in the glory of Christ in the future required sharing 'in His suffering' in this life," Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 471; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 219.

B. Paul then explained God's program for believers in view of their sufferings under the curse, Romans 8:18-27:

1. First, Paul told of the great glory of the believer's future release from the Adamic Curse, Rom. 8:18-25:

a. By "careful figuring (logizomai)," Paul concluded that the believer's present sufferings "are far outweighed by the glory that will be revealed in . . . us," Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.; Romans 8:18.

b. To explain, Paul asserted that when Adam sinned and God then sentenced all creation to come under the Adamic Curse, He did so in hope that the curse would be ended with the manifestation of the glorification of the sons of God, those who had believed in Christ for salvation, Romans 8:19-20.

c. In other words, all creation ktisis (Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 456-457) itself that is under the Adamic Curse of suffering and death waits "'for the strained expectation [apokaradokia]" for the sons of God to be revealed" (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 471-472) since it will be delivered from the curse into the glorious liberty from the curse's ills to be applied at the glorification of the believer, Romans 8:21!

d. All creation currently suffers under the Adamic Curse (Rom. 8:22) as also does the believer who is still subject to that curse in his body (Rom. 8:23a), and the believer also groans within himself waiting for the "adoption," namely, the application of Christ's redemption to his physical body at the rapture, Rom. 8:23b.

e. The believer yet hopes for this salvation of the body, and so he is to await it in faith, Romans 8:24-25.

2. Paul then told of God's provision for the believer to face his current sufferings under the curse, v. 26-27:

a. Though Christ told His disciples to pray for God's help in John 14:13, we believers in our current state of human weakness under the Adamic Curse do not even know what or how we should pray, Rom. 8:26b.

b. Thus, the Holy Spirit graciously makes intercession for us believers "with groans that words cannot express," Romans 8:26a,c NIV. "This has nothing to do with praying in tongues, as some suggest. The groaning is done by the Holy Spirit, not believers, and is not stated in words," Ibid., p. 473.

c. Then, God the Father Who "searches our hearts (1 Sam. 16:7; Heb. 4:13), and . . . knows perceptively or intuitively" (oiden, Ibid.) the mind of the Spirit" since the "Spirit intercedes . . . for the saints in accordance with God's will" to answer the Holy Spirit's intercessions for us, Ibid.; Romans 8:27.

3. Third, Hebrews 7:25 with 1:3, 4:14-16 and 5:6-10 reveals that Christ also effectively intercedes for us:

a. Jesus is at the Father's right hand and He intercedes in behalf of the believer's needs, Heb. 7:25 with 1:3.

b. That intercession is especially effective relative to the believer's human weaknesses since Christ, due to the Incarnation, faced every form of temptation we face, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:14-16).

c. Also, Christ suffered greatly in the body, what Hebrews 5:6-10 explains involved "loud cries and tears" of intense emotional and mental pain, and through such sufferings learned obedience to become mature, an amazing revelation in view of the fact that Jesus was without sin! (2 Corinthians 5:21) If the Son of God then had to face intense emotional and mental sufferings to learn to obey God, He certainly understands how to intercede for us who are still under the Adamic Curse and who must learn to obey the Lord!

Lesson: All the suffering we believers face due to the Adamic Curse will one day be released in our glorification, and at our revelation at Christ's Second Coming, all creation will also be released into the glorious liberty from the curse that we will then experience. Meanwhile, Christ and the Holy Spirit intercede in our behalf before God the Father to help us in our praying and to minister to us in view of our Adamic Curse limitations and sufferings.

Application: May we hope for our glorious release from the Adamic Curse, and pray for help in handling it now, assured that the Triune God is highly involved in ministering in our behalf regarding our present sufferings.