The Creation Eagerly Waits to be Set Free
Thinking about Romans 8:19-21.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)
Paul pictures the creation as also eagerly awaiting the future glory of Christians.
But why does he do this?
And just what does Paul mean by “the creation?”
What does “the creation” refer to?
Some believe the creation is a reference to Christians - the church - who are a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christians have been “created” in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10, 15).
However, I don’t think the creation here in Romans refers to Christians because Paul distinguished the creation (Romans 8:19-22) from Christians (Romans 8:23-25). The creation refers to something different from “the sons of God” (v. 19) and “the children of God” (v. 21).
From our text in Romans, I think the best view of the creation is that it refers to “the whole creation below the human level, including animate and inanimate” (Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 283).
Some evidence for this point of view includes:
As we’ve already noticed, the creation is distinguished from Christians.
The creation cannot include mankind because it was “subjected to futility, not willingly” (v. 20), while Adam and Eve chose to sin and became subject to sin and death because of their own choice.
The creation cannot include mankind because Paul did not expect the whole human race to be “delivered from the bondage to corruption” (v. 21). Paul was not a universalist.
So, what is the creation referring to in Romans 8? Very simply, I think it’s God’s creation (Genesis 1:1) other than humanity.
The “earnest expectation” of the creation.
The phrase “earnest expectation” literally means “one waiting with the head raised looking at the horizon from which the expected thing will come” (McGuiggan, Romans, 247).
It’s as if the creation is on its tiptoes - stretching its neck - waiting for deliverance. The creation is pictured as intensely longing to be delivered from its current state - knowing that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory” to come (Romans 8:18).
When mankind sinned, the earth was put under a curse by God.
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it’: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)
And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.” (Genesis 5:29)
The curse was pronounced by God “in hope” - looking ahead to the glory that awaits the children of God (Romans 8:18).
Paul closely linked the idea of Christians looking forward to the glory that far outweighs our current suffering to the creation that is also eagerly awaiting deliverance from its current “bondage of corruption.”
How will the creation be set free?
Idea #1.
One fairly popular interpretation is that the creation being set free involves the cleansing of the earth and its being renewed - resulting in a new heaven and a new earth.
Pollard (Truth for Today Commentary, 286-287) referenced William Hendriksen, who supports this point of view. Hendriksen argued:
2 Peter 3:7, 11-12 says the earth “will be cleansed by a great [fire] and not be destroyed.” He said, “It will still be the same heavens and earth, but gloriously renewed, and in that sense a new heaven and earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-5).”
He went out to point out that not only would we be going to heaven, but heaven would come down to us.
This idea for a “renewed” or “renovated” earth depends heavily on 2 Peter 3:10-13 for support. The idea is that this present earth will be “cleansed” thoroughly by fire, and then God will create the “new heavens and new earth” in its place.
However, Pollard pointed out “Peter never said that the earth would be returned to a pre-fall, paradisiacal state, and no passage states that the redeemed will live on a newly renovated earth.”
While I disagree with this first viewpoint - I think rushing to condemn those who think and teach this as being hellbound false teachers is running too far in the opposite direction.
Idea #2.
Another view - and the one I hold - is that the current heavens and earth will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-12) and that the “new heavens and new earth” is a reference to heaven itself - that heavenly city (Hebrews 11:16) where the curse will be reversed (Revelation 22:3), and where the tree of life is found (Revelation 22:1-2; Genesis 2:9-10).
Pollard pointed out (Truth for Today Commentary, 287) the following:
Heaven is some place removed from the earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Peter 1:3-4).
Heaven is the dwelling place of Christ from which He came down (Romans 10:6; Ephesians 4:9), to which He returned (Ephesians 4:10), and where He presently dwells (Romans 8:34; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1).
This same heaven is said to be the future, eternal home of the believer (2 Corinthians 5:1-2; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
While we presently live in this world, we have another “home country” (Philippians 3:20), and it’s for this home we long for. It’s for this “new creation” that the current creation is waiting “on its tiptoes” for.
Just as Christians long to be raised up from the dead and changed to be “incorruptible” and “immortal” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53), so the creation looks forward to being set free from its “bondage of corruption.”
The important thing to take away from this section is that when Christ returns, the dwelling place of God will be with His children (Revelation 21:3).
The future glory of Christians along with Christ not only far outweighs our current suffering - but it’s such a glorious future it’s as if even the creation itself waits on its tiptoes, trying to get an early glimpse of the future to come.
