For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
—Romans 8:22-23
Here’s an understatement: we live in a world in pain because of sin. You can’t turn on the news without the evidence, stress, violence, hatred, war, disease, tragedy. Paul says the “whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Whether it’s polluted seas, raging storms, or trembling earth, all of creation is suffering, and you can almost hear it moan.
But notice the surprising thing Paul adds: even Christians groan. “We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly.” That might catch you off guard. Aren’t believers supposed to be above all that? No. We are still members of a fallen race, living in a fallen place. We face the doctor’s bad report, the broken relationship, the personal tragedy, right alongside everyone else. Our faith doesn’t exempt us from the groaning; it transforms what the groaning means.
Because look closely at the image Paul chooses, “groaning together.” That’s a deliberate and hope-filled picture. Labor pains are real and intense, but they are not the pains of dying; they are the pains of new life coming. They have a direction and an end. The groaning of creation, and of the believer, is not the death rattle of a world falling apart. It’s the labor of a world about to give birth to glory.
So, when Paul speaks of groaning, he isn’t speaking as a stranger to suffering. This is the man who was stoned and left for dead, beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, thrown overboard. He knew affliction firsthand. And yet he tells us in 2 Corinthians that our affliction “is just for a moment,” dimmed by the weight of glory that is coming.
What are we groaning for? Paul tells us: “adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” We long for the day when our adoption is complete. When these mortal, aching, decaying bodies are redeemed and made new. The “first fruits of the Spirit” are the down payment, the first installment, the guarantee that the full inheritance is coming. We’ve tasted enough to know the feast is real.
Maybe you’re groaning today, carrying pain, tragedy, a heavy heart. Maybe you’re drowning in doubts because of the suffering in your life. If so, hear this: you and I may not find much hope in our world today. But we can find sure hope in the world to come.
That’s the medicine God prescribes for our pain, not a denial that it hurts, but a promise that it’s temporary and purposeful, the labor before the birth. We have the certain hope of redeemed bodies and of living in God’s presence forever in joy and peace.
So, if you are suffering as a follower of Christ today, remember the childbirth image. The pain is real, but it is producing something glorious. Hold on. The groaning won’t have the last word. The glory will.
EVEN BELIEVERS GROAN, BUT THEY ARE LABOR PAINS, NOT DEATH PAINS. WE FIND OUR HOPE IN THE WORLD TO COME.
