Holding On To Hope Series

The word adoption was used in two senses. The first described how an orphan was moved into a new family with all the rights and privileges of that family. The second use referred to a Roman family publicly acknowledging the child as a full heir. This speaks of the time we will stand with the Lord in Heaven, and He announces, “I want to introduce you to my child!” In that sense, the final stage of our adoption is still in the future.

In the meantime, we groan deeply on the inside as we wait with eagerness for our full adoption and the redemption of our bodies. This is fleshed out in 2 Corinthians 5:2-4: “For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling…for while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened.”

There’s so much gross stuff going on which makes us groan. This groaning is a deep, intense, universal, and inward response to sin and suffering that can’t even be put into words. Here are two stories that made me groan deeply this week.

• During the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in England, a giant mechanical bull, 30-foot-tall with glowing red eyes, was rolled into the center of a stadium. The human performers gathered around the bull and bowed down in worship to it. This made me think of people in Old Testament times worshipping Baal, who was often depicted as a bull.

• Beth and I listened to a story aired by Janet Parshall on Moody Radio this past week, which was so gross it made us nauseous. A self-proclaimed “abortion doula” who is part of a group called, “Self-Guided Abortion” made the statement that abortion is sacred as she gave instructions for building a personal altar to her “fetal remains.” This is horrifying and brings to mind the ancient god Molech who demanded child sacrifices in Old Testament times.

All this gross stuff makes us groan, doesn’t it? On top of this is the ugliness in our own hearts which makes us want to scream. As strange as it may sound, groaning characterizes the Christian and creation itself. We grieve and we groan, but we do so with hope for what’s ahead because groaning is a prerequisite to glory. The groaning that comes from the grossness of sin and the greatness of suffering should create a longing for glory “as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” For the Christian, groaning will be swallowed up by glory.

One pastor says the Christian viewpoint on suffering is this: “Yes, it’s bad. But it’s not going to last forever. Yes, it’s terrible, but this is not the final story. This isn’t the last chapter. Yes, we suffer, but God has ordained that our suffering is temporary. Something better for us is on the way.”

The word “hope” is used five times in verses 24-25: “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” When we’re groaning, God wants to develop the qualities of hope and patience within us.

The word “hope” in the Bible is very different from how it’s used in our culture, where most equate hope with “I wish” or “I want.” The Bible uses hope as “an assurance based on a conviction; a deep settled knowledge grounded in the promises of God.” God invites us to trust Him as our hope in Psalm 71:5: “For you, O Lord, are my hope.” 1 Peter 1:3 says we are “born again to a living hope” and Colossians 1:27 reminds us of the source of hope: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”