Romans 8; God ordained futility

[eaglesway]

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

James ch. 1 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.


While many believers devote themselves to the study of times to come and the specifics of the apocalypse, as I have also done and enjoyed doing over the years... after 45 years of intense Bible study I always come back to Luke 1

Jesus replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Luke 1:7-9

We can only gain a few clues about events that may happen outside our time here, and I have seen so many saints pass on before me and a their sureties concerning the apocalypse gone with them into the mist that veils the age to come.

So I determined to study the "whys" of God's working over the "whens" at a certain point, so while I still enjoy a good discussion of what will come, I more enjoy gaining understanding on what is happening now, in the now that always is. The moment in which the I am is drawing all creation into.

But what from I read God has always used this distance between what is occurring in these passing moments called time and history as the means of His work. God bound the creation into futility, chaos, darkness..... in order to produce, gestate, reveal...The firstfruits of all creation.

Perhaps we are earlier in the plan of God than we assume.

In Romans 8 we see that God's "hope", His forward vision of this age and its result, is to reveal the children of God. Paul refers to this in Ephesians 1

With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

and Eph 2

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Though we all know God has called us to good works, I think, in Eph 2 6-10 Paul is speaking of works prepared beforehand(God original purpose) to be done "in the ages to come".

This end game, which we see at the end of this age, and debate about, is really also the beginning of another stage.

As Paul says in 2 Cor 4 "and God who said light shall shine out of darkness...."

So in Romans 8 we see that God is using futility to reveal harmony; chaos and confusion to reveal wisdom; darkness to reveal light.

And this is why we trust, we wait, we persevere and declare this gospel into the yawning darkness even tho we may fee like a candle lit against a hurricane.

It is God's hurricane. It is His plan. It is beautiful. It is more certain than my ability to discern its certainty. I behold the awesome breadth of it and rejoice regardless of what the chaos produces around me because I kno it is His chaos. It is for my formation out of the flesh into the Spirit, so that I can sit with Him as He makes all His enemies a footstool for His feet- which simply means the restoration of all things- all things drawn into the glorious liberty of the children of God-  which are the first fruits.

I believe this plan is foreshadowed in the very first verses of scripture.

In the beginning the earth was without form and void and darkness covered the face of the deep, and the Spirit hoverd over the face of the deep.

What deep? IMO the great deep of humanity unformed and the ultimate plan of God for all creation as a giant gift shared by all the children of futility untill all creation is restored into it.

At this stage we are very much in the world of futility and chaos. The time where infantile men and women seek to advance over the world through vain imaginations, in ignorance of the Creator and out of sync with His ways, not knowing Jesus as the Way. Trumpeting his name as if they had a cue what he would want them to do with whatever gifts and resources he has provided- awful stewards, shepherds with no Shepherd of their own- and folks line up behind them and argue the edges while the core things go ignored.

But that is God's chaos to. His futility into which we are bound until we awaken, some in the age present(first fruits), some not until the age to come(restoration of all things)..