Anyone who desires to live a godly life will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12) and as a result of this broken world—both Christians and non-Christians will endure hardships. The rain falls on the just and the unjust—and so do the results of the curse. If you visit a hospital will you find both believers and non-believers who are occupying the rooms on any given day. The children of God long for the return of Jesus because such hardships and suffering do not compare to the glory that will be revealed in Jesus. 

In the summer of 1941, C.S. Lewis was asked to give an evening sermon at the Oxford University Church of Saint Mary. His sermon was titled, “The Weight of Glory.” In his sermon, he described the longing that humans experience as we await the return of Jesus. In the sermon he described that eager longing as “a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy.”

The only thing that will bring about true satisfaction in this life is the coming glory of God that will be ushered in as Christ returns. Yesterday as I preached Romans 8:18-19 in our ongoing series through Romans—it’s clear that these verses serve as the prelude for what Paul will further develop in verses 20-25. However, it’s likewise clear that both Christians and the non-rational (sub-human) creation as a whole is groaning with expectation for the return of King Jesus.

The children of God live in a broken world filled with sin and suffering. The suffering (πάθημα) can include both persecution and general hardships of life. However, after Adam fell in the Garden and Paradise was lost—sin entered the world and death came as a result of sin (Rom. 5:12).

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