Romans 8:26-30 - God’s Plans

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 
27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

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God Has Plans for Us - For a Future and a Hope...

V. 26 - “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness” - What, “in the same way”? We are children of God, waiting eagerly for eternal life. We have it, and have had it since we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. We just don’t comprehend what that eternal life will be. It is too far a beyond our imagination. He has gone to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house (Jn 14:2, 3). We are pretty sure it is not a log cabin, or a “mid-century modern”, but beyond a Ritz-Carlton, or Buckingham Palace or the Versailles, we begin to lose comprehension.

So, we know we have eternal life, but our weakness is we don’t really know how wonderful it may be. The Holy Spirit, the Helper, is given to reassure and teach us. Some of the descriptions in scripture are pretty amazing, see: Rev. 21:1-17; Isa. 65:17-25. The Holy Spirit, in perseverence and with eagerness, is in our lives to help us have hope and to help us in our weanesses and failures. Our Christian life is not defined by our failures, but by the hope and power of the Holy Spirit to live life abundantly.  I suspect these are wholly inadequate, but we get the idea, “It’s wonderful. You will really like it!”

“for we do not know how to pray as we should” - It is so amazing, we do not know what to ask God. Even Paul told the Philippians “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.“ (Phil. 1:22-23)

“the Spirit Himself intercedes” - The Holy Spirit knows us, and knows our deepest needs. The Holy Spirit knows the Father, and thusly knows what the Father has planned for us. The Holy Spirit conveys what we need to know from God the Father. The Holy Spirit expresses our deepest needs, those we cannot even put into words because we do not perceive them clearly, to God the Father. (See: 1 Cor. 2:9-12)

God the Son intercedes - steps between God’s justice and our sin, taking the penalty of death upon Himself for us. God the Holy Spirit intercedes - in essence is an interpreter speaking to God the Father for us, for our language is inadequate, and speaking to our heart and spirit those things God wants us to know but cannot be expressed clearly in our language.

V. 27 - “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is” - The Holy Spirit who is in us, conveys to God our needs, our wants, our hopes, our desires. I do not imply that God does not know some things about us or thoughts in our minds. There is nothing that can be hid from God (Eccl. 12:14; Heb. 4:13). The image is for you and I to know that God personal to each one of us. He is not a ‘fly-over’ God, or an eavesdropper overhearing snippets of our thoughts and prayers, He is with us. He is in us. He is facilitating our communication both ways - God-ward and to us. We do not have to wonder if God has heard us; wonder if He knows our needs.

V. 28 - “we know that God causes all things to work together for good “ - Let’s look back at the previous 27 verses in this chapter. That which is ours in Christ Jesus includes, but is not limited to:

No condemnation for those in Jesus.     The Spirit is life and peace. The Spirit of God dwells in you.   The Spirit raised Jesus to life, and the same Spirit is in you!   The Spirit in you means you are a child of God.   We have the Spirit of adoption as children of God.   Glory will be revealed to us and in us.   Nothing can be compared to the glory that awaits us!   We are set free from sin and corruption.   We are waiting eagerly for Christ to come again.   The Spirit intercedes for us when we pray - us-to-God, and God-to-us.

This is a partial list of the blessings and glory that is saved up for His children. Of course all things end up good for believers! We have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10). Persecuted for living for Jesus? That means people recognize you are living life differently - in a good way. The world hates it when you live for Jesus. Keep it up, for it glorifies Jesus.

“those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” - This is two ways of saying the same thing. If you love God, then you are fulfilling His Purpose! Jesus came to save the lost. (See: Luk 19:10) You in Jesus. Jesus in you. God in you. You in God. The Holy Spirit in you, teaching and guiding you. The purpose of God is that you will believe and be saved. (See: Jn 6:28, 29; Acts 16:30, 31) We who love Jesus will also love the Father, then Jesus and the Father will love us and be revealed to us. They will make their home in us. (See: Jn 14:21, 23)

His purpose is our salvation. We can reject His offer, but not without cost. (See: Jn 3:35-36)

V. 29 - “Those whom He foreknew... predestined... become conformed... among many brethren.” - Foreknowledge and predestination are not two sides of the same coin - the doctrine that God picks and chooses who will be saved. “Foreknew” - (He knows beforehand who will believe and who will not. Of course that is true. We are bound by timelines, God is eternal Spirit and is not bound by time. He sees the beginning from the end, and the end from our perspective of the beginning. It does not mean He picks one person out of a lineup, and may leave those to the right and left out. God is not capricious. We can know if we are in His will. (See: 1 Jn 5:13)

He “predestined” means He determined the method or process by which all things work together for good for those who love Him. That is: believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died for your sin, and you accept Him as Savior.

Christ in us - we become as He is - we “become conformed” to Him - blameless, spotless, pure and righteous, not by our doing, but by Him and the Holy Spirit. (See: 1 Jn 3:1-2; Tit. 3:5-6; Col. 1:12-14; 2:10, 13; 3:3; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:3-4; etc.)

We will be gathered around the throne of God, part of a great cloud of witnesses. God has offered salvation through Jesus Christ to all. Unfortunately, not all will believe and accept - it is our choice after all, and God honors that choice. (See: Matt. 22:4)We are not robots, doing only what is programmed. We are free beings who can choose Jesus and the Father. (See: 1 Pet 2:9; Rev. 17:14) Paul shares the gospel in 1 Tim 1:15-16 - “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” God is merciful and patient with us, giving the testimony and the time we need to turn to Him and believe. Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead and conquering sin. He is the head of the church, His body. (See: Col. 1:15-20)

Time out for a caveat from me. I will confess Rom 8:28 is not one of my favorite verses in the NT. I think it is used out of context by many well-meaning Christians. It seems to be quoted when you are going through a crisis (e.g., diagnosis of cancer, or some other tragedy), and a loving fellow believer quotes this to you. It’s supposed to make you feel good in spite of the problem you face, because God will make it all right. It only seems bad right now, but it is really good because God loves you. They are not being cruel, but are trying to console you. While their sentiments may be true - God will comfort you in times of trouble - the persecution you face is a mere bagatelle compared to the wealth and glory that awaits; I am not sure that is what Paul is saying.

(For another verse often misquoted - See note 1, below).

V. 30 - “Whom He predestined... called... justified... glorified.” - We will share in Christ’s glory because we are His, and are now children of God. We are free from sin. (See: 1 Pet. 4:13)

From many years ago, there was a mnemonic for “justified” - “Just as if I had never sinned.” This word has a legal sense in that God declares the believer to be righteous and acceptable because Christ took our sins upon Himself on the cross. We are now declared righteous. (See: 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:24, 25.) This is not a purely New Testament (or New Covenant) concept. God pleads the case of the sinner and executes the justice for the sinner in the OT also. The accusers are put to shame, for the sinner has seen the light and lives! (See: Mic. 7:9-10) The judgement against the sinner has been executed. The sentence does not fall on the sinner, but on God Himself.

God does not force us to hear and believe in Him. He calls us, He beckons. He stands outside the door of our life (Rev. 3:20) knocking, requesting access. Jesus does not kick the door down, storm in and take you captive. C. S. Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters, “God does not coerce. He only woos you to come to Him.” Jesus calls us to come to Him, then we are called His own, we are called God’s children.

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Note 1 - Another misused verse is John 8:32, which is quoted only partially, “... and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” ***

 

Romans 8:18-25 - Creation Longs for Freedom

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

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We Have Been Saved

V. 18 - “The sufferings of this present time” - See notes on verse 17, above.

“are not worthy to be compared with the glory” - The glory we will see will be so fantastically better than anything here on earth. As an analogy, think of professional athletes. The hours, days, and years of practice are worth it when the football players hold the Lombardi trophy, or put on the Green Jacket. (See note 1, below ) Paul calls his persecution “momentary and light” - we was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, left for dead, and shipwrecked, to list some of his sufferings. (See: 2 Cor. 4:17) We are encouraged to endure because of the awaiting glory. (See: 2 Tim. 2:12; Jam. 1:12; John 12:24-26; Matt. 5:10-12, 44; 1 Pet. 4:13)

“That is to be revealed to us” - It is not our glory that will be revealed, but Jesus’ glory. And we will share in it because we are His own. (Col. 3:4; Tit. 2:13; 1 Pet. 5:1) To Him every knee will bow and every tongue confess He is Lord. (See: Phil. 2:10, 11; Rev. 19:16; 21:5-7)

V. 19 - “creation waits eagerly“ - All creation - the world, the sun and stars, the living beings - are in a holding pattern waiting for God to make the final checkmate move. The only things left to be done is Christ being re-introduced to the world as King of kings, and Lord of lords, the final judgement, the new Jerusalem, to list a few. Christ was given to the world as Savior in the first advent. He was rejected, as God knew he would be, crucified, buried and raised from the dead. (See: 1 Cor. 15:3-4; 1 Tim. 3:16. For longer reading: Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.) Since Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:6-11) the universe has been waiting for the proper time for Jesus’ return. (See: Daniel, chaps 6-12; Revelation to John, chaps 1-22) The broken and fallen creation will finally be made whole and pure.

“for the revealing of the sons of God.” - Not only the sons of God, but the Son of God, will be revealed. This is a interesting turn of phrase. Hasn’t Jesus Christ already been ‘revealed’ to the world? Indeed, to seek, serve and save the lost. (See: Luk. 19:10, Matt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45) Those who are lost may be won to the saving grace and mercy of God the Father. The world and mankind has not been willing to receive Him as such. Christ died for all, but not all have accepted His sacrifice. (Acts 13:48; 1 Pet. 3:18) When Christ is revealed again it will be a different situation. When Christ first came it was as servant. When He returns, it will be as conquering Lord. (See: Phil 2:9-11) That is what we are waiting for!

At the first advent, people had the choice (or in present tense, have the choice) to acknowledge Him. When He returns, all (the Bible means ALL!) will admit that Jesus is God, and He has the right to judge all (again, ALL) persons. I suspect there are many, many people who do not want to do this. At the point it will not matter whether they want to or not. They waited too long. They will have “chosen poorly”. Believers eagerly await, because it is a vindication of our faith in Him. (See: 1 Cor. 1:7, 8; Col. 3:4; 1 John 3:2; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13).
Not only will Christ be revealed, God will show all of creation we are children of God! We are His own! We will be like Him! (See: Hos. 1:10 (2 Cor. 6:16); Matt. 5:9; John 1:12; Rom. 8:14, 16; Gal. 3:26; 1 John 3:1-2; Rev. 21:7.)

V. 20-21 - “Creation was subjected to futility” - Adam sinned, Eve was tricked by Satan, and the result is creation is subjected to the curse. (See: Gen. 3:14-19) I know the question has been raised: why didn’t God just speak it all out of existence and start fresh. There is no good answer to this hypothetical. However, I think that God created us in His likeness so we could have a relationship, a friendship with Him. There is always some who will exercise their free-will to not be friends with Him - because we can choose to do so. Without the choice, we would be meat-puppets, human robots. For example, we may love our cars, but the cars do not love us in return.

The world sees the futility of life, because it is seeing the future of life without God. (Not the future after the Great White Throne judgement, that’s too far out.) The paradox is the world wants to deny that God exists, or that a relationship with God is needed, and at the same time sees the natural sequence of things is futile. The wise men of the Bible saw this. (Psa. 39:5; 62:9; 144:4; Eccl. 1:2>)

In answer to the futility, God provided the access to an abundant life in Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. God does not want robots to love Him, but people to freely and willingly surrender to His love and mercy.

“Creation itself also will be set free” - Creation is now bound by sin and corruption. At the right time, all creation will be set free to be as it was in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. We will no longer hide ourselves from God, driven by shame and guilt. (Gen. 3:7, 8)

“freedom of the glory of the children of God.” - We will see Him face-to-face. We will behold HIs glory, and be blessed by it. (See: 1 John 3:1, 2) Jesus will be able to say to all creation, “These are Mine! They are under my protection. They are enveloped in My love. My Glory is also theirs! They are God’s own children.” No one will be able to object. None will be able to argue with the Father or the Son. There is none like God Almighty. We have a future and a hope.

V. 22 - “the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth” - In verse 19 above, creation is described as waiting eagerly, and here the waiting is likened to being pregnant. When a couple decide to have a baby, they are excited when they find out ‘they’ are pregnant. They look forward to the day, about nine months away, when they will hold their baby in their arms. As the time draws near, it seems that it cannot come soon enough. All creation knows the day is coming when Christ will return in power and glory. All creation knows there will be a time when God executes His judgement.

V. 23 - “we ourselves groan within ourselves” - We must wait until God says, “It’s time,” and we can hardly wait - it can’t get here soon enough!

"waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” - The emphasis here is waiting for the day we see Jesus face-to-face, when God confirms my (and your) name is in the Book of Life. Positionally, we are children of God as soon as we believe and accept Christ as the Lord and Savior. As we grow in our faith, we become closer and closer to the blameless and blemish free child of God. Ultimately, when Christ is revealed as Lord, we will finally realize what being a child of God actually means. There are hints and allegations, there are guesses and informed speculations, but since we cannot fully imagine how glorious that will be, we can only wait and hope.

V. 24-25 - “in hope we have been saved,” - Hope - “joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation” our confidence is is in Christ’s promises and His resurrection and ascension into heaven.

He said He would be killed (Mt. 16:21; Mk 8:31; Lk 9:22; Jn 12:33, 18:32)...
He would be raised up (Mt. 16:21, 20:19; Lk 9:22)...
We would be with Him (Jn 14:24, 26)... and
the Father would be in us (Jn 14:23, 17:24-26)...
He would be going away (Jn 7:33, 13:33, 16:5, 16:7, 16:28)...
He would send a Helper (Jn 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7)...
Our hope is not based on a fancy tale, but on the promises of God, and fulfillment of those.

"hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” - Our salvation is secure in Christ, but we hav not yet experienced the final result. We have eternal life, but have not yet transitioned to our new body and life. We are confident that Jesus can do this, because He lives. We can joyfully look forward to being with Him because He ascended into heaven. For example: Sitting on the beach in the sun in Hawaii, with a breeze wafting off the ocean no one thinks “I hope this is going to be a nice day.” You are sitting in the middle of a nice day, you don’t have to hope for it. You may hope tomorrow will be a nice day, but no guarantee tomorrow will be nice. However, based on the promises made and fulfilled by Jesus, your hope for eternal life with Him is secure.

Don’t put too much emphasis on the physical side of the word “seen”, or “sees”. When someone asks you, “Now do you see what I mean?”, they have not actually shown you any object, but are asking you if you understand or comprehend what you have learned. You don’t hope to understand what you already have grasped. From the devotional book Jesus Calling, “you may sometimes feel alone because your union with Me is invisible. Ask Me to open your eyes so that you can find Me everywhere.“ (See note 2) That is one of the reasons we “wait eagerly eternal life” - in our present physical, natural man, we cannot see the eternal with our eyes. Help me, Jesus, to see You all around me.

We have eternal life in Jesus Christ. We are now just waiting for the next step.

“with perseverance we wait eagerly” - Secured by the promises of God, our “hope is based on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” (See note 3) We “hang in there” because we hang our hopes on our faith in the faithfulness of Jesus. We hang in there with joy and confidence because He is Risen!

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Note 1: Football’s Super Bowl Championship trophy, and professional golf’s Masters championship, respectively
Note 2: “Jesus Calling”, Sarah Young; Harper-Collins 
Note 3: From hymn “The Solid Rock” , Mote & Bradbury.

Romans 8:12-17 - Spirit Testifies

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

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We Are Led by the Spirit of God

V. 12 - The wording of this sentence is muddled. I like the way the New Living Translation (NLT) handles the last half of the sentence: “you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” We (believers) are under obligation to Christ, not to our fleshly nature.
Look what we have in Christ: the Holy Spirit, new life, freedom from death, peace with God, freedom from sin.

However, the NLT translation seems to emphasize the lack of obligation to obey the fleshly nature. This is undoubtedly true - as children of God, saved by Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit we are no longer captives of our old worldly nature. Until we meet Jesus face-to-face in our next life, the old nature will continue to have influence in our daily lives.

What is lacking in the NLT version is the obligation we owe to Jesus. The grammar of the NASB indicates believers are under obligation, just not to the flesh. We can all agree that our salvation is free to us - it personally costs us nothing. But a great price was paid. Our obligation is to Jesus Christ - it is He who saved us. Jesus indicated perseverance in the faith will indicate we love Him. (John 15:4, 6, 10) Paul prayed for our steadfastness and patience so we could grow in knowledge and spiritual strength so we could live worthy of the cost. (Col. 1:10-12) James exhorted perseverance. (Jam. 1:22-24) We are to remain faithful to the One who saved us. (See: 1 John 2:24, 26; 1 John 1:9; Rev. 2:10, 17:14)

It is possible for us to think that since our salvation cost us nothing, we are free and free to act as we please. We think we are not obliged to behave in any certain way, i.e., there is no requirement to live for Jesus. To quote Paul, “May it never be!”

V. 13 - “For...” - This conjunction (see note 1 below) links the two following thoughts, i.e.:

“Living according to the flesh... you must die” - The premise: Following the way of the “flesh” is a choice. The conclusion: that way leads to death - permanent separation from God. Before Christ came to save us, there was no power to overcome sin. The Law provided warning signs about sin, You would know you have sinned, but with no the power to overcome sin.

If we choose to reject the saving grace of Jesus, we are doomed to sin - we are led inexorably to act out our sin nature, committing sins. Choose the old nature and you are obligated. It is like being on a single lane mountain logging road - cliff to left rising into the trees and chasm to the right, falling down to the river below. There is no turning around, no backing up; the only way is forward.

“By the Spirit... you will live” - the premise: Believing in Christ and following Him is a choice. To be His followers and disciples, we are obliged to obey Christ, not our old fleshly nature. The conclusion: you are Christ’s own possession and you have the Holy Spirit; following Christ means putting aside the things that lead to death and picking up those that lead to life. We cannot have both at the same time. We cannot waiver from one to the other, choosing one today, and the other tomorrow.

Living by the Spirit means you have the power to not sin.

V. 14 - “Led by the Spirit of God” - Here is the BIG difference between knowing about God and believing in Him through Jesus Christ. When you believe and receive Jesus as Lord you have the Holy Spirit. God promised that His Spirit would be put in us. (See: Ezek. 36:25-28) Jesus promised that when He went away the Holy Spirit would be given. (See: Ezek. 36:24-27; John 7:38, 39; John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:4-8; Gal. 3:14)

Note that in both the OT promise and from Jesus that we will not be left to our own devices, but God will be in our hearts and minds to show us, lead us the way we should go. God reminded Israel, “This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.’” (Isa. 48:17-18 - NIV)
In some ways, verse 18 has one of the saddest phrases in the Bible - “If only...” If only they had listened; if only they had obeyed... But they did not have God living in them, teaching them, leading them. We have the power. We are no longer captive to the wiles of sin.

“Sons of God” - This is the transformation given to us: We have gone from being at odds with God, from enemies to friends (See: John 15:14, 15; Col. 2:21; Jam. 4:4). But, wait! There’s more! We have have been transformed from friends to children of God. (See: 1 John 3;1, 2; 5:1, 2; John 1:12, 13; Phil. 2:15). In the OT, the Israelites were called “my people” by the Lord (See: Lev. 26:12), but never called God’s children (as best as I understand it). He chose them. He loved them. He protected and chastised them. Those who believe in Jesus as Savior are HIs own. God lives in us! He loves and protects the Jews. How much more will He protect and guide His own children.

V. 15 - “Not received a spirit of slavery” - You have received the Spirit of the Most High God, as promised by Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not given to scare you straight. The Holy Spirit is to teach and to lead. If you have not believed in Christ there is reason to fear, for the wrath of God remains on you (See: John 13:36). However, if you are Jesus’ own, you are no longer slaves to sin.

“You have received a spirit of adoption as sons...” - We are adopted into God’s family. See the notes on verse 14, above. Transformed from enemies, to friends, to children of God.

I would much rather be a friend of the God who spoke the universe into existence. The God who is so big, the heavens fit into the palm of his hand, the span of the heavens is less than the span of His hand (Isa. 40:12; 48:13). Imagine, our Hubble Telescope shows galaxies thousands of light-years away from earth, yet to God that distance is not even bigger than His palm! We are staggered by the distance and size. He is not.

I would much rather be a child of God than a friend. A friend may benefit from God’s grace and mercy. Children of God have all that is HIs. God holds nothing back from His own.

V. 16 - “Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit...” - See: “ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 NIV) Jesus also said, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father--he will testify about me.” (John 15:26 NIV) The Holy Spirit is our guarantee from God as part of the promise, the good news. See: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor. 1:21-22)

V. 17 - “Children... heirs of God... fellow heirs with Christ” - A child has all that his parents have. Why would we think that God is holding back some (or, any) blessings from us? He died to pay the penalty for sin, although sinless Himself, for us. He paid the price we could not possibly pay. We cannot buy our way into heaven, into God’s grace. We cannot do anything to be there. (See: Luke 18:18) We can be in God’s grace because He has mercy upon us. When we commit to Him, God comes to make a home in us. We are joined together with God. God in us, we in God, just as Jesus prayed for us. (See: John 14:19-21; 15:4; 17:21-26).

‘Heir’ is an interesting choice of words for this statement. Typically, an heir only inherits in the event of a death (e.g., a child only inherits on the death of a parent). God is not dead.
In some cultures, only the first born son can receive the inheritance. Jesus is the first born from the dead, and we are in Him, so we are heirs as He is. (See: Col. 1:18 ) Since we are in Him, any glory (for us any future glory) we will share in as well - not our doing but His alone.

All things have been given to Jesus. (John 17:24) He has been made the heir of all things. (Heb. 1:2) God is the source of anything we receive. (Psa. 16:5) The following is a little bit of a stretch, but it makes some sense: The Levites received no land as an inheritance in the Promised Land - they were the priests and God was their portion, their inheritance. (See: Num. 18:20) Similarly, since we are a priesthood in Christ Jesus’ church. He is our God and our inheritance. (See: 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 21:3) (See note 2)

“If indeed with suffer with Him” - This is an amazing paradox of Christianity: we are to have joy and life abundantly, and yet suffer persecution and hate from the world. So, persecution should be expected if we indeed live our lives for Christ. Jesus said we are blessed if men hate us and ostracize us because of our faith in Christ (Luke 6:22, 23; Matt. 5:10-12, 44). He also said the world would hate us, because it hated him (John 15:18-21).

I don’t particularly like the idea of being hated and persecuted. On the other hand, I would rather have Jesus’ approval than men’s. We are warned in other letters, by Paul and Peter, to be sure that our suffering is because our faith and life are centered in Jesus, not because we break laws, or are obnoxious. (See: 1 Pet. 4:12-16) Never, never confuse suffering for (because of) evil deeds with suffering because of your faith in Christ. If it is because of evil, it is deserved and there is no glory.

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Note 1: [“Conjuction junction; what’s your function?”]
Note 2: Notes taken from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Romans, as seen in “Blue Letter Bible” App for iPad. ***