Today, Christians in certain parts of the world face some of the worst persecution in history. How do they handle it? Only God can empower them to do so. One thing that keeps Christians going when faced with persecution is the knowledge that Christ also suffered more deeply than we can imagine. He can identify with us when we suffer for him. Christ also strengthens us to meet any challenge. Through the last 2000 years, another motivation for Christians being persecuted has been the knowledge that soon and very soon they would be going to meet their King. They would be in a place where suffering would be replaced by rejoicing with the Lord and fellow believers. As faithful followers of Christ, we share that hope of future glory. ( http://www.idop.ca/pages/idop-theme.php)
In addition to freeing believers from sin and death (Rom. 8:2–3), enabling them to fulfill God’s law (v. 4), changing their nature (vv. -11), empowering them for victory (vv. 12–13), and confirming their adoption as God’s children (vv. 14–16), the Holy Spirit guarantees their ultimate glory (vv. 17–30). In verses 17–18 Paul focuses on believers’ incomparable spiritual gain through the divine glory that they are guaranteed.
What difference would in make in our prayers, our evangelism, our hope if we understood each crisis, each form of persecution as an opportunity for glory? In difficulty the world asks why God? In difficulty a Christian responds: why? God! Suffering and persecution is God’s megaphone to show His power over suffering, His provision over human loss, His glory over persecutors gloating.
In proclaiming the incomparable gain believers have in their divinely-bestowed glory even in the midst of persecution, Paul focuses first on 1) The Heirs (Romans 8:17a), then on 2) The Source (Romans 8:17b), 3) The Extent (Romans 8:17c), 4) The Proof (Romans 8:17d), and finally 5) The Comparison in Persecution (Romans 8:18).
1) The Heirs of Glory in Persecution (Romans 8:17a)
Romans 8:17a [17]and if children, then heirs—(heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him). (ESV)
The emphasis in Romans 8:17–18 on believers’ glory even in persecution is closely related to their adoption as God’s children (vv. 14–16). As is clear from that preceding context, the if in verse 17 does not carry the idea of possibility or doubt but of reality and causality, and might be better translated “because.” In other words, because all believers have the leading of the Holy Spirit (v. 14) and His witness (v. 17) that they are indeed children of God, they are thereby heirs also. Paul uses the term here to denote full possession of all that sonship means in the new age, but it is not so much ownership as relationship that he has in mind (Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 317). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.)
Paul’s figure of adoption seems to correspond more to Roman law and custom than to Jewish. We might expect this, because Paul was writing to believers in Rome. In Roman society normally all children received equal shares. Paul’s emphasis in this passage is on the equality of God’s children and the security of their adoption.
Please turn to John 15 (p.902)
Although children of God possess the blessing and inheritance as being a part of the family of God they are also recipients of hostility from evil.
John 15:19-21 [19]If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [20]Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. [21]But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. (ESV)
• The first consideration in suffering is the realization that suffering is not always a direct result of an individual’s sin. Although there are individual consequences from sin, the suffering from persecution is a result of evil hostility to the people of God.
Illustration: During US President Nixon’s administration, some people regarded it as a compliment to be on Nixon’s “enemies list.” They took it as a credit to them that people in the administration opposed them.
In the same way, if you have enemies because of your righteousness, it will be a credit to you. You should be glad that you have that kind of enemies, and that they are persecuting you, because it means that you are not doing what they do and instead are doing what unrighteous people hate (Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 262). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books).
2) The Source of Glory in Persecution (Romans 8:17b)
Romans 8:17b [17](and if children, then heirs)—heirs of God (and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him). (ESV)
The source of believers’ incomparable glory even in the midst of persecution is God, their heavenly Father, who has adopted them as His own children and heirs.
Please turn to Revelation 21 (p.1041)
God not only is the source of our inheritance but is Himself our inheritance. Jeremiah wrote, “ ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him’ ” (Lam. 3:24).
Revelation 21:1-4 [21:1]Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2]And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3]And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4]He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (ESV)
• The only way that the suffering in persecution can be endured is to realize what is being prepared for the faithful. God Himself will end this suffering, we who are faithful heirs, will enjoy the full blessing of His presence.
Illustration: (4313 Poor Governor Pliny!)
Pliny, Roman Governor in Asia Minor in the early Second Century, was so puzzled about the Christians brought before him for trial that he wrote his famous letter to the Emperor Trajan asking for his advice. This was the kind of thing he found himself up against:
A certain unknown Christian was brought before him, and Pliny, finding little fault in him, proceeded to threaten him.
“I will banish thee,” he said.
“Thou canst not,” was the reply, “for all the world is my Father’s house.”
“Then I will slay thee,” said the Governor.
“Thou canst not,” answered the Christian, “for my life is hid with Christ in God.”
“I will take away they possessions,” continued Pliny.
“Thou canst not, for my treasure is in heaven.”
“I will drive thee away from man and thou shalt have no friend left,” was the final threat.
And the calm reply once more was, “Thou canst not, for I have an unseen Friend from Whom thou art not able to separate me.” (Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
3) The Extent of Glory in Persecution (Romans 8:17c)
Romans 8:17c [17](and if children, then heirs—heirs of God) and fellow heirs with Christ, (provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him). (ESV)
Many of us are heirs of those who have very little to bequeath in earthly possessions, and our human inheritance will amount to little, perhaps nothing. But just as God’s resources are limitless, so our spiritual inheritance is limitless, because, as His fellow heirs, we share in everything that the true Son of God, Jesus Christ, inherits. Thus when the Lord tells us that we are heirs of God and joint-heirs of Jesus Christ, we are being informed that everything that God the Father has given to the Lord Jesus Christ has been given to us also. When He came forth from the empty tomb in His resurrection we were joined to Him in the thought of God, and everything was planned for us together with Christ, for all eternity (Barnhouse, D. G. (1963). God’s Heirs: Romans 8:1–39 (pp. 113–114). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.).
Please turn to 1 Peter 1 (p.1014)
In the arithmetic of earth, if each heir receives an equal share of an inheritance, each gets only a certain fraction of the whole amount. But heaven is not under such limits, and every adopted child of God will receive the full inheritance with the Son. Everything that Christ receives by divine right, we will receive by divine grace.
1 Peter 1:3-7 [3]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4]to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, [5]who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6]In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, [7]so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
• When believers are faithful through persecution they show that Christ is more valuable than any earthly treasure. It gives God praise, glory and honor. Those who are suffering have a certain hope, not only that persecution will end but that God is faithful to His promises and that this persecution refines and strengthens their faith.
Illustration: (4314 Eusebius: “Nothing To Lose”)
When the Emperor Valens sent messengers to lure Eusebius into heresy by fair words and glowing promises, the saint answered them: “Alas, sirs, these speeches are fit to catch children; but we, who are taught and nourished by the Sacred Scriptures, are ready to suffer a thousand deaths, rather than permit one tittle of the Scriptures to be altered.”
Then the emperor threatened to take by force all his goods, to torture him, banish him, and even kill him. Answered the courageous Christian: “He needs not fear confiscation, who has nothing to lose; nor banishment, to whom heaven is his country; nor torments, when his body can be destroyed at one blow; nor death, which is the only way to set him at liberty from sin and sorrow.” (Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
4) The Proof of Glory in Persecution (Romans 8:17d)
Romans 8:17d [17](and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ), provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV)
As in the beginning of the verse, provided/if does not here connote possibility but actuality, and is better rendered “because,” or “inasmuch.” Paul is declaring that, strange as it seems to the earthly mind, the present proof of the believer’s ultimate glory comes through suffering on his Lord’s behalf. Because we suffer with Him, we know that we will also be glorified with Him. The last clause of this verse is actually a clause of purpose (Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1973). A handbook on Paul’s letter to the Romans (p. 156). New York: United Bible Societies.)
• Glorified means the transforming, ennobling, joy-bringing manifestation of God in one’s personal being (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Ro 8:17–21). Nashville: T. Nelson.).
• It will be a reflected glory, reflected from our Lord in His glory, that will make the saints radiant (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Ro 8:18). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.).
The word that is translated suffer with (sumpascho) is found but twice in the New Testament, here and in a passage in Corinthians. In that epistle Paul is speaking about the oneness of all believers. (1 Cor. 12:13). The context shows that the human body consists of many members “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it” (v. 26). The last phrase includes our word, suffer with. It is very important to note that this suffering is not voluntary suffering. This is not a suffering which we choose to undergo through surrender, or through living in such a way that we will draw upon ourselves the hatred of the world. This is the sympathetic suffering which comes because of the oneness which we have with all the body (Barnhouse, D. G. (1963). God’s Heirs: Romans 8:1–39 (p. 119). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.).
Suffering as a Christian takes many forms. It does not mean that our experience has to be that of a Polycarp or a John Huss. Today a believer may lose his job because he refuses to perform unnecessary work on the Lord’s Day. Or because be says No when he is being tempted to participate in a crooked business deal, or makes up his mind not to marry an unbeliever, or insists on honoring the Word of God in the classroom. How many have not been expelled from positions in school, church, or government because of their stand for the truth? (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, p. 264). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
Because the present world system is under the reign of Satan, the world despises God and the people of God. It is therefore inevitable that whether persecution comes in the form of mere verbal abuse at one extreme or as martyrdom at the other extreme, no believer is exempt from the possibility of paying a price for his faith. When we suffer mockery, scorn, ridicule, or any other form of persecution because of our relationship to Jesus Christ, we can take that affliction as divine proof we truly belong to Christ and that our hope of heavenly glory is not in vain, that ultimately we will also be glorified with Him. Participation in Christ’s glory can come only through participation in his suffering (D. J. (1996). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 506). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Please turn to 1 Peter 5 (p.1016)
Suffering is an integral part of the process of spiritual maturity, and Peter assumes that every true believer will undergo some degree of suffering for the Lord’s sake. Those who will reign with Christ in the life to come will enjoy the rewards for their suffering for Him during their life on earth.
1 Peter 5:8-11 [8]Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9]Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10]And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11]To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)
• God allows suffering to drive believers to dependence on Him-an evidence of their true salvation.
Illustration: Physical suffering gives particular clout to the witness of Christians. It means something special when a person can testify to God’s grace when he or she is suffering from acute bodily pain or while dying. It is even more convincing when Christians bear witness to Jesus when they might suffer the loss of all things for it.
Jonathan Chao studied the suffering church in China and reports many instances of this empowerment. One young Chinese pastor was imprisoned in 1960 and released in 1979. When he was released he discovered that during that nineteen-year period his congregation had grown from 300 to 5,000 professing Christians. Today that same community has grown to 20,000.
In 1982 a Christian community in central China dispatched a missionary team in response to a Macedonian-type cry for help from another area. In a month of intense work they had established several new churches. But then most of the senior pastors were arrested. They were imprisoned for four years. However, their arrest forced the younger pastors to take over the leadership positions, and as a result not only were the home churches cared for, but the mission expanded and the growth in that area was phenomenal. People were persuaded to believe on Christ by the quality and duration of their leaders’ suffering.
A fourteen-year-old girl understood this. She was one of nine young evangelists who were arrested by the local police and forced to remain kneeling in one place day and night. On the third day of this torture she fainted and was released. The others were made to suffer the same continuing torment for nine days and eight nights. Eventually they, too, were released, and when they were reunited the fourteen-year-old began to cry. “Why are you crying?” they asked.
She replied that she was crying because they had been called on to suffer for nine days while she had only been called on to suffer for three. Fourteen years old! But she understood the point of suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ and counted it not a burden but a privilege (These accounts appear in Jonathan Chao, “Witness in Suffering,” pp. 19, 7, 8.)
Is it any wonder that the church in China is growing at a tremendous rate today while the church in North America is barely (is declining) in numbers and is declining markedly in devotion and character? (Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: The Reign of Grace (Vol. 2, pp. 858–859). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.).
5) The Comparison of Glory in Persecution (Romans 8:18)
Romans 8:18 [18]For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV)
The conjunction “For” indicates that what follows is a further explication and amplification of the glory to which reference was made in the preceding verse (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, p. 264). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
The word λογίζομαι (logizomai, I consider) signifies Paul’s authoritative pronouncement on the role of present sufferings (cf. 2 Cor. 11:5; Phil. 3:13), not merely his private opinion (Käsemann 1980: 232). The parallel text in 2 Cor. 4:17 contrasts temporary and light affliction with the eternal weight of glory (Schreiner, T. R. (1998). Romans (Vol. 6, p. 433). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
Logizomai (to consider) refers literally to numerical calculation. Figuratively, as it is used here, it refers to reaching a settled conclusion by careful study and reasoning. Paul strongly affirms, that any suffering for Christ’s sake is a small price to pay for the gracious benefits received because of that suffering. The sufferings of this present time, are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. The present time does not refer to Paul’s time, but to the entire present age. It does not matter what form the present suffering takes. Christ is able to carry us safely through it (Custer, S. (2007). The righteousness of God: a commentary on Romans (p. 156). Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press.).
Paul introduces an interesting though somewhat hidden image at this point in the verbal adjective translated “not worth comparing.” It is the Greek word axīos, from the verb agō, which means “to drive,” “lead,” or “cause to move.” Figuratively used, it refers to something that is heavy enough to promote motion in a balance or, as we would say, to tip the scales. When we remember that the word glory itself denotes something that is weighty or has substance, it is clear what Paul is suggesting. He is saying that the future glory laid up for us is so weighty that our present sufferings are as feathers compared to it and that they cannot even begin to move the scales (Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: The Reign of Grace (Vol. 2, p. 865). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 1 (p.964)
In the New Testament, pathēma (sufferings) is used both of Christ’s sufferings and of believers’ suffering for His sake. Paul assured the Corinthian Christians,
2 Corinthians 1:6-7 [6]If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. [7]Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (ESV)
• Just as suffering was essential to Christ’s obedience to His Father, so it is essential to our obedience to Christ.
Sufferings must precede glory because they are a necessary preparation for glory (sufferings (1) test our title to heaven, (2) give us a fitness for heaven, and (3) prepare us for the enjoyment of heaven). Suffering is the mold, the womb, or the refining pot in which we are prepared for our future existence. Christ, our Captain, first suffered and was then glorified; we must follow this same order ( 2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Peter 2:21)( Gingrich, R. E. (2002). The Book of Romans (p. 53). Memphis, TN: Riverside Printing.)
The glory that is to be revealed to us is expressed as a PASSIVE (deponent) VOICE referring to the agency of God or the Spirit (Utley, R. J. (1998). The Gospel according to Paul: Romans (Vol. Volume 5, Ro 8:18). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.).
Those who do not know Christ have no hope when they suffer. Whatever the reason for their affliction, it does not come upon them for Christ’s sake, or righteousness’s sake, and therefore cannot produce for them any spiritual blessing or glory. Those who live only for this life cannot look forward to any resolution of wrongs or to any comfort for their souls. Their pain, loneliness, and afflictions serve no divine purpose and bring no divine reward.
Christians, on the other hand, have great hope, not only that their afflictions eventually will end but that those afflictions actually will add to their eternal glory. As followers of Christ, our suffering comes from men, whereas our glory comes from God. Our suffering is earthly, whereas our glory is heavenly. Our suffering is short, whereas our glory is forever. Our suffering is trivial, whereas our glory is limitless. Our suffering is in our mortal and corrupted bodies, whereas our glory will be in our perfected and imperishable bodies.
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (pp. 439–450). Chicago: Moody Press.)
