Romans 8:26-30
Chapter 8
26
Similarly, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but that very Spirit intercedes for us without words, as if with groans.
27
And he, who sees inner secrets, knows the desires of the Spirit, for he asks the holy ones what is pleasing to God.
28
The Love of God
We know that in everything, God works for the good of those who love him, whom he has called according to his plan.
29
Those he knew beforehand, he also predestined to be like his Son, so that he may be the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30
And so, those whom God predestined, he called; and those he called, he makes righteous; and to those he makes righteous, he will give his glory.
Commentaries
Hope of Glory.
Paul begins by speaking of the glory of those who suffer with Christ, which will be revealed in us (18). He then places all “humanity” and all ‘creation’ within this “horizon of hope,” since both translations of the Greek term used are possible and even complementary. This grand vision of the Apostle will likely resonate more with our generation than with those before. The Apostle considers humanity and creation on the journey to salvation—already achieved in Christ, but not yet complete—with an expectant gaze toward that future of liberation that is already present in hope: “the whole of humanity is groaning in the pains of childbirth” (22).
The Love of God.
Paul concludes the chapter with a triumphant song about the love that God and Christ have for us. Thanks to Him, we will come out victorious from all the tribulations life may bring. Although the paragraph begins with man’s love for God, the initiative does not come from man, because it was God who started by choosing, predestining, calling, making righteous, and glorifying (29f). The Apostle does not speak of “the predestined” as if he were referring to ‘us’ as opposed to “others,” but quite the opposite. The emphasis is on God’s initiative in salvation, which is universal; that’s why Jesus Christ is the “firstborn of many” (29) without exception. God has taken the side of men and women of every nation, race, and religion in an act of love from which nothing and no one can separate us, and which extends beyond death, for it is a promise of resurrection.