Bible reading: Romans 7-8
Verse of the day: "For creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (8:20-21)
Questions:
Verse of the day: "For creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (8:20-21)
Questions:
- What does it mean that creation was subject to futility?
Perhaps the best echo to this statement comes from the (in)famous opening words from the Teacher: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2) The original Hebrew word for this is hevel, which means "smoke", and signifies how life is mystifying, unpredictable, confusing and often frustrating. In a world where things have drifted from God's original good design, we live in a world where things are not as it should be. The ideals taught in the book of Proverbs are often unrealized, with the wicked prospering while the righteous suffer. Disasters strike with no warning, and tearing down in a moment what took a lifetime to build. It does often leave us wondering, "Why bother?" What's the point of doing what is right (or doing anything, for that matter) if nothing comes of it? And whether it's something as simple as a the momentary pleasure we get from entertainment, or the grueling work of God, we don't do things for no reason.
- Why does God subject the creation to futility?
This fallen, wicked world is not what God intended for His creation to be (Habakkuk 1:13); and while the verse asserts that God caused creation to be subject to futility, He did not will it to be so. The Bible had repeatedly taught that God occasionally allows for things to happen that He does not condone, but in His wisdom, He chose not to immediately act against every evil, right every wrong, and reward every good deeds.
Still, this doesn't mean that God no longer cares or is not in control. There is no trial that escapes His guiding hands, and no tribulation that He couldn't turn around within a blink of an eye (Job 42:10-17). And while we may question why He doesn't do just that already, the verse promises that this futility brings the hope of freedom and glory. As Paul wrote in the same chapter: "For I consider that our preset sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us," (v.18) and, more famously, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (v.28)
There is an implication that the glory we that the glory we will receive as children of God proceeds from our groanings and afflictions (v.22-23) as we navigate through this frustrating life, and not in the absence of it. "The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph" - Nick Vujicic.
- How does futility bring "freedom from bondage"?
"No one can serve two masters [...] you cannot serve God or mammon," (Matthew 6:24)
Being outside God's covenant puts us in the bondage to the love for money. Whether or not we actually possess them, we do have the tendency to put our hope, trust and longings to tangible things -- things that we can buy, control and discard at our whims. Many of us still cling to the idea that with enough money and/or resources, we can educate/build/buy our way out of the problems in this world, or at least distract us from the painful reality that things are not as it should be, and that we are often helpless to do anything about it. Understanding that all these things couldn't solve our deepest problems frees us from the illusion of its allure, and draw us back to the One who can give us the true and lasting glory, perhaps not in this life (though it is not impossible for Him to grant us earthly blessings while we're still in this world), but definitely in the next--which is far longer and definitely more important.
- Modern life offers an abundance of goods and services designed for customization and instant gratification to "have it your way", and this can make us bitter and resentful when we feel that God denies us that (or threatens to take that away from us). We become averse the long, hard road because (we thought) we could achieve the same results (i.e. happiness and pleasure) with our modern conveniences. Think of the time and money we spend for our own pleasure and the amount we dedicate to God. What can we change about our spending habits? What can we reduce from the former to add to the latter?
