"For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God-- that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory (literally, "into the liberty of the glory") of the children of God." (NASB)
Here is another Advent Scripture which refers to the future. Much of the doldrums in Christianity today is due to the absence of future thinking, future preparing, a looking for and longing for that, "future and a hope," of which Jeremiah spoke.
Barnes says of our text, "Perhaps there is not a passage in the New Testament that has been deemed more difficult of interpretation than this; and after all the labors bestowed on it by critics, still there is no explanation proposed which is perfectly satisfactory...." I don't presume to be any more insightful, but it seems to me that the Word of God is saying something here of the Church. There is a, "liberty of glory," still awaiting, "all creation," which is directly related to the, "revealing of the sons of God"--- the Church.
The NLT says, "For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are....All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay." It is, "all creation," not just man. The earth has been under the curse of Adam since the Fall, "Cursed is the ground because of you.... Later in our text we read, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now" (NIV). It was the, "children of God," who brought the curse on all creation. It will be, "the revealing of the sons of God," which will free, "the creation... from its slavery to corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God."
Our text says that creation has been groaning for its liberation at the Second Appearing of Jesus Christ. The regrettable commentary on man is that there were those who did not want Jesus the first time, and, some don't want Jesus a second time. But to all He says----------- "I'll be back."
Liturgical Prayer for December 22: "O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust." Amen.
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Read of the escalating attacks on Israel from Gaza:
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
