In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul is providing a new set of lenses through which to view life.

He begins by putting things into perspective for us when it comes to pain and suffering. His framework includes a broad perspective that includes the past, present and future. He talks about things that happened in the beginning, what is happening in the meantime and what will happen in the end.

In Romans 8:19, he points out that “all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.” This statement is future-oriented.

Paul is looking ahead to the future. In the following verse, he mentions how “all creation was subjected to God’s curse.” He reveals that sin entered the world, in the beginning and God judged the whole world because of sin.

When sin entered the world, it was followed by death. Death is God’s judgment on the entire world because of sin.

So from the very beginning, the entire world has been under a curse.

Paul goes on to tell us that “creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.”

Right now, the world is full of death and decay. This explains why we have so many aches and pains. Sin entered the world, and along with sin came decay and death.

This was not a part of God’s original plan, but instead, a consequence of sin.

Sin entered the world in the very beginning. Everything has been upside down and decaying ever since. It’s not just that something in our world is broken. The whole world is broken, and the pain and suffering that we all face from day to day is simply a manifestation of a much bigger problem.

Sin came first, and it was followed by decay and a continuous downward spiral that leads to death. And the bad news is that none of us are exempt. But there is some good news.

God sent Jesus into the world and said, “I am going to start making something new inside of you. I will give you a new heart” (see Romans 8:23).

Our bodies are still prone to decay and death, but our spirit can be made new. That is great news.

As Christians, we can live in anticipation of a better day. We can keep looking toward a new horizon. What we are waiting for is not here yet. We have hope. We’ll talk about that hope more next time …

You may read Steve Greene’s blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or you can email him at [email protected].