Pauls vision of a creation set free from its bondage to decay is pivotal in developing a holistic understanding of the Churchs eschatological hope. Unfortunately, the Church, from its earliest beginnings, has never been able to arrive at a consensual understanding of the above passage. The Church Fathers were woefully inconsistent in their interpretation of the creation. Explanations range from the creation itself, having been restored to its primeval condition, should without restraint be under the dominion of the righteous (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5.32.1) to nothing more than the human race (Augustine, On Romans, 53). The anonymous writer known as Pseudo-Constantius, in a work entitled The Holy Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, ran the gamut from the rational creation and not, as some think, the irrational or insensible creation which was made in order to serve man and which afterward will perish to Adam and Eve, who are waiting to receive adoption by God to all the righteous from Adam and Eve up to the time of Christ.
The key to unlocking the mystery lies in recognizing Pauls acknowledgment, consistent with other New Testament writers following Old Testament precedent, that eschatological salvation is three-dimensional: individual, corporate and cosmic.
From his own personal perspective, Paul understands that he, as a servant of Jesus Christ, will endure the sufferings of this present time in order that he might be conformed to the image of Christ. At the same time, he encourages others who suffer with him, for the Church, as the Body of Christ, suffers as one as its members endure the tribulation of this present time. But such suffering and tribulation also involves the whole creation. In other words, no one individual suffers alone; neither does the Church, as a body, suffer alone; indeed, all of Gods creation is longing for liberation. So there is some merit to those interpretations which see the creation as limited to the human race and the righteous. However, the context of this passage demands that we also consider the cosmic dimension of eschatological salvation. For Paul says only a few verses later:
Obviously, Paul would intend to include much more than just the human race or the righteous in his understanding of all creation. But just how much should we include in the whole creation?
A common mistake in New Testament interpretation is the assumption that some, if not all, of the mysteries revealed therein were not, in fact, already hidden in the Old Testament. This amounts to a subtle form of Marcionism and ultimately results in an anything goes approach to exegesis, being influenced, overtly or covertly, by a myriad of human traditions which have sprung up over the centuries and do not allow the Word of God to speak for itself. Thus, when Paul mentions the whole creation, many readers miss what should be the natural connotation, namely the creation account in Genesis 1. The opening words of the Old Testament leave no doubt as to what is meant by the whole creation.
The careful reader will notice that the heavens and the earth which God created in the beginning are subjected to futility almost from the start. For God spends the first four days of creation separating light from darkness, the waters above and the waters below, land from sea, and day from night. Before any living creature can appear, these boundaries must be set in place, otherwise the earth would have remained formless and empty, in total darkness. Yet, throughout the whole process of creating and separating, God is constantly declaring everything good. As long as the Spirit of God hovers over the face of the waters, overseeing the whole process of creation, all things finally turn out good. Is this not, in fact, what Paul is reiterating when he writes:
It can thus be concluded, then, that Pauls reference to the whole creation means the heavens and the earth and all contained therein; and when he says the creation will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God, he has in mind the same thing as Peter. . .
. . . and John
For the creation to be set free from its bondage to decay means it will be restored to its original splendor, the former things, those sufferings of this present time, having passed away. All this God has accomplished, is accomplishing and will accomplish in Christ through the work of his Spirit overseeing all of creation, and especially in the lives of each and every one of his people. The Church embodies the hope of the whole creation. Through lives of holiness and godliness, showing forth the very presence of Christ in the midst of the sufferings of the present time, Gods people hasten the day when the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Through its witness, the Church makes real, in the midst of a world of suffering and sorrow, a new heaven and a new earth even now.
