Romans 8:19 says, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” This verse speaks to the anticipatory state of all creation as it awaits the full redemption and restoration that will come with the return of Christ and the establishment of the new heavens and new earth.
There are a few key things to understand about this verse:
- Creation is personified as waiting expectantly – Creation is described as having human attributes of eager longing and waiting. This emphasizes that all of creation is in a state of anticipation.
- “Waits with eager longing” conveys an intense anticipation – The original Greek word used is apokaradokia which conveys an eager watching, like craning one’s neck to see something of interest that is coming.
- Creation is waiting for something specific – The object of creation’s eager anticipation is “the revealing of the sons of God.” This refers to the return of Christ when believers will be glorified and revealed as God’s children.
- The current state of creation is imperfect – There is an implicit understanding that creation is currently in a flawed state with suffering and corruption from sin. This verse expresses hope that this will change.
- The redemption of creation is tied to the redemption of believers – Creation and believers are shown to be in unity, longing together for God’s plan to be fulfilled.
So in summary, Romans 8:19 expresses the eager anticipation of creation for God to restore all things through the return of Christ and the glorification of the saints. Creation groans under the weight and corruption of sin, but waits hopefully for the day when all things will be made new for the children of God.
Why creation eagerly waits
Looking at some broader biblical theology helps explain why creation is depicted as waiting eagerly and longing for God’s sons to be revealed.
When God first created the heavens and the earth, everything was originally “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no sin, no death, no decay, no suffering. But when Adam and Eve sinned, it affected not just humanity but the entirety of creation. God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:17) and subjected the creation to futility and corruption (Romans 8:20).
Since that time, all of creation has been groaning and suffering together as it lives under the effects of the fall. But thankfully the suffering is not without hope. God has promised that He will reverse the effects of the curse through the redemptive work of the coming Messiah who would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
The Old Testament prophets spoke of the day when God would restore creation and remove the curse upon the natural world:
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. (Isaiah 65:17)
These prophecies point ahead to the climactic work of Christ, who through his death and resurrection has ushered in the redemption that will one day reverse all the effects of sin, including upon the natural world. Though the ultimate fulfillment awaits the future, the benefits have begun through the outpouring of the Spirit, the spread of the gospel, and the inauguration of God’s kingdom.
Creation therefore waits eagerly – as if standing on its tiptoes craning to see – for the fulfillment of God’s promises to restore all things in and through Christ. The revealing of the sons of God – meaning the resurrection and glorification of believers – will signal creation’s own release from the bonds of decay and suffering.
7 Key implications about nature from Romans 8:19
There are several important theological implications that derive from the truth that nature eagerly waits for God’s children to be revealed:
- Creation has value to God – God cares about the state of the natural world and plans to redeem it not just human souls. He has cosmic plans to restore what sin corrupted.
- Creation suffers – Animals and ecosystems suffer corruption because of human sin. They are victims of the fall awaiting liberation.
- Creation has a hope – The creation’s hope is tied to the redemption of God’s children. The Christian hope is not just individual but cosmic in scope.
- Creation is personified – Attributing humanlike anticipation to creation emphasizes that God cares about nature and endowed it with value and even a sort of sentience.
- Redemption is cosmic – Human and cosmic redemption are intertwined. Salvation is about restoring all that sin has corrupted.
- Resurrection restoration – The resurrection of believers unleashes transformative restoration. Our bodies participate in the redemption of physical creation.
- New creation – There is continuity between the old and new creation. God values his original physical creation and will renew and restore it.
In light of these truths, Romans 8:19 has profound implications for how Christians should view and care for the environment. As creation eagerly awaits the revealing of the children of God, we should be eager to manifest the coming restoration through acts of stewardship and care for nature today.
How does nature demonstrate eager longing?
Now some may ask, how exactly does nature “eagerly wait” or “groan” as Paul describes? After all, animals, plants and ecosystems cannot consciously hope for future redemption. Paul is using metaphorical language to personify creation in order to highlight that it exists in a corrupted state that needs to be set right.
We do see glimpses of the futile longing of nature in the cycles of life and death. Nature goes through repetitive cycles as seasons change, plants sprout and die and animals hunt and are hunted. Thorns and thistles illustrate the curse as they choke out growth and hinder agriculture. Natural disasters like storms, fires, flooding often disruptively reset the cycle of nature. The fossil record displays evidence of violence, disease and extinction.
In these ways, creation seems to almost be going in circles, like it is longing and striving for something it cannot quite reach. It exists in the bondage of corruption and futility (Romans 8:21). Occasionally we might see brief glimpses of nature in harmonious balance, but overall it has been subjected to chaos because of human sin.
Thankfully, God has not abandoned His creation. In giving us His Spirit as the firstfruits of redemption, He has guaranteed the eventual renewal of nature that Scripture promises. And nature patiently perseveres as it waits in hopeful expectation for it’s liberation, the revealing of the children of God.
How are God’s children revealed through creation’s redemption?
An important aspect of Romans 8:19 is the linkage between the revealing of God’s children and the redemption of creation. Humanity and nature are depicted as inseparably bound together – as human beings go, so goes nature. But how does creation’s renewal reveal or demonstrate who the children of God are?
Here are some ways the redemption of nature is tied to the glorification of God’s children:
- It vindicates God’s original purpose in creation and proves that His redemptive plan encompasses all that went wrong because of sin.
- It completes the eradication of sin and death which were defeated in the resurrection.
- It demonstrates the infinite power of God to bring life from death and reverse all decay.
- It shows how those in Christ will be glorified with bodies fit for a renewed creation.
- It proves that believers inherit all things along with Christ their brother.
- It shows that God’s children will be revealed as those who share in Christ’s rule over the renewed creation.
In these ways, the resurrection and transformation of nature testify to the glory that awaits the sons of God. As Christ’s resurrection body is the prototype of our glorified bodies, the renewed creation will correspond to the resurrection bodies of believers.
Practical implications of creation’s longing
How should an understanding of nature’s eager longing impact how Christians live today? Here are some practical implications and applications:
- We should treat nature with compassion – realizing creation suffers because of sin and longs to be free.
- We should value all creatures as part of God’s good creation, not exploiting or abusing them.
- We should care for the environment and be good stewards of natural resources.
- We should respect biodiversity and the interconnected balance of ecosystems.
- We should be charitable to ameliorate suffering among people impacted by natural disasters.
- We should proclaim the gospel which brings hope not just to human souls but to all of creation.
- We should look expectantly to Christ’s return when creation itself will be liberated and transformed.
Caring about issues like recycling, species conservation and preventing pollution are very much biblical concerns based on the eager longing of creation. Our ethics, priorities and lives should be motivated by the cosmic scope of redemption made possible by Christ’s work.
Nature’s destiny
Romans 8 gives us an incredible vision of the destiny of nature. Creation was subjected to frustration because of human sin but it too will be liberated. When Christ returns, we read 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. (Romans 8:21)
Elsewhere, Scripture speaks of wolves dwelling with lambs, infants playing near snakes, and the earth being filled with the knowledge of God’s glory “as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9; Habakkuk 2:14).
Someday the ecosystems and natural processes that today seem mired in futility will be untainted by sin or corruption. Creation will have attained the freedom promised by Christ’s redeeming work.
Nature’s eager longing will finally be satisfied. The children of God will shine in resurrection glory. And the creation itself will radiate the splendor of knowing the Lord.”