PASSAGE: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
Q: How can a good and sovereign God have futility, bondage, and corruption in His creation?
SURROUNDING TEXT: Romans 8:3 says that God sent His Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh” in order to condemn sin.
Further back in the text, it says sin originated with Adam and brought death to the world, which spread to all people since all sinned (Romans 5:12–14).
The single exception among humanity is Jesus Christ who, though He took on flesh (Romans 8:3; Colossians 1:22; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:2) was without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5).
SAME BOOK: In writing Romans, Paul addresses each aspect of divine revelation.
SAME BOOK: In writing Romans, Paul addresses each aspect of divine revelation.
For general revelation, he describes creation as a witness to all people of God’s power and other attributes (Romans 1:19–20) and identifies conscience as an indicator of God’s standard of right and wrong (Romans 2:14–15).
Paul covers special revelation too. He mentions that the Law and the Prophets [the Jewish Scriptures, or Old Testament] bear witness to what God has accomplished in giving righteousness and redemption to those who put their faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21–26) and that the gospel was “promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2). Paul uses Scripture to explain God’s message to his readers, quoting it about 50 times throughout Romans, pulling from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Habakkuk, and Malachi.
Paul covers special revelation too. He mentions that the Law and the Prophets [the Jewish Scriptures, or Old Testament] bear witness to what God has accomplished in giving righteousness and redemption to those who put their faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21–26) and that the gospel was “promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2). Paul uses Scripture to explain God’s message to his readers, quoting it about 50 times throughout Romans, pulling from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Habakkuk, and Malachi.
Dealing with Sin and Death
Much of Romans focuses on the other aspect of special revelation, the person and work of Christ, as well as the work of God’s Spirit who dwells with those who have been adopted as God’s children. Romans 5:8–10 states, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.”
SAME WRITER: Another one of Paul’s letters, 1 Corinthians, compares Adam and Christ as well as the role of Scripture in revealing God’s plan.
Paul says that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and raised on the third day “in accordance with the Scriptures,” a phrase repeated in each of the two verses (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
Then Paul compares Adam, the man of dust who brought death, with Christ, the man who makes alive all who belong to Him (1 Corinthians 15:21–22, 45–49).
---Paul clearly sees death as an intrusion into God’s creation because he calls it “the last enemy to be destroyed” (1 Corinthians 15:26).
SAME TESTAMENT: Peter also understood that creation would be restored, based on the work of Christ, and he appealed to Scripture in speaking with his fellow Jews at the temple. In Acts 3:18–21, he said: “What God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago.”
He reminded his readers in 2 Peter 3:13 that “according to [God’s] promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
John described this too. In Revelation, he saw a new heaven and earth, absent of suffering and death, where God’s adopted children have rest, and without anything accursed (Revelation 14:13, 21:1–7, 22:3).
ENTIRE BIBLE: The Bible often employs a symmetrical teaching structure. This is found in short passages, but it is also used for the entire span of God’s Word.
John described this too. In Revelation, he saw a new heaven and earth, absent of suffering and death, where God’s adopted children have rest, and without anything accursed (Revelation 14:13, 21:1–7, 22:3).
ENTIRE BIBLE: The Bible often employs a symmetrical teaching structure. This is found in short passages, but it is also used for the entire span of God’s Word.
In Genesis 1, God created a perfect world where people lived in harmony and relationship with Him.
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve made a conscious choice to rebel against God, dismissing His wishes to pursue their own, with the terrible consequence that all of God’s creation was subjected to suffering and death.
At the end of time, however, God has promised to restore His adopted children and creation to its original state of perfection, as described in the final chapters of Revelation.
So going back to the original passage and question: How can a good and sovereign God have futility, bondage, and corruption in his creation? All that God created was originally without flaw and “very good,” but when humans chose to sin, it brought futility, bondage, corruption, and death into the entire world.
So going back to the original passage and question: How can a good and sovereign God have futility, bondage, and corruption in his creation? All that God created was originally without flaw and “very good,” but when humans chose to sin, it brought futility, bondage, corruption, and death into the entire world.
In God’s sovereignty, His plan has always been to restore those He has adopted as His children, along with creation itself, to its original state of perfection in harmony with God’s perfect ways."
AIG
