Groaning for Redemption

Romans, JT Patton

God tells us that we are his children, his heirs, and will share in the glory of Christ – provided we suffer with him. It seems like such a strange thing to add to this encouraging passage until we realize, suffering makes us more like Christ. Although suffering as our savior suffered helps to conform us to his image, there is still something about suffering that doesn’t feel right. All of creation is declaring with us that it shouldn’t be this way. The promise is that one day it won’t be. When we are redeemed and fully glorified, when we truly understand the full implications of being God’s adopted children, we will finally understand what God was doing through our suffering, and we will finally understand, our struggles now aren’t worth comparing to the glory we will experience with our God in eternity.