One of the main topics that Paul addresses in the letter of Romans is sanctification (it means the process by which a person is made holy). In our passage that we are studying of Romans 8:18-25, Paul talks about what happens at the end of sanctification, that is, glorification. The fact that we are still yearning for a future deliverance shows how we have sanctification left to go. Paul recognizes that in this world we have a long way to go before we are perfected in Christ, because "we wait for eager longing" (18) for our glorification.
We have the "firstfruits" of the Spirit who is the one who works in us for our sanctification. Sanctification is shown to be a process. We are already sanctified in one sense that it will ultimately be completed and is seen as completed positionally in God's eyes, but we also are not without sin and are still being transformed into the image of Christ.
We are "groaning together in the pangs of childbirth" (22) because we look forward to what we will be, but the process of getting there is not always pretty. The Holy Spirit is the divine person who enables us to get through the labor. The process of sanctification can be painful like childbirth, as the Spirit uncovers areas of sin that we did not even know existed. Collective sanctification through the body of Christ can also be a frustrating blessing as we work together in love to keep each other accountable to Christ in our daily lives. Confronting a sister or brother in sin is never an easy task, but it is one of the tools the Holy Spirit uses to work in believers' lives.
Though the body of Christ is not perfect now, it is getting closer and closer and will one day be presented as a spotless bride before her King. How we await the day!
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