God's Fellowship

From Curse to Hope

Romans 8:19-30

When sin first entered the world through humanity’s disobedience, it impacted everything. It wasn’t just people who missed out on God’s original plan for the world. All of creation was affected. It might be more accurate to say that all of creation was infected, even though it did nothing wrong. The consequences of sin always ripple out beyond where and when it first took root. That’s true not just for creation but also for people.

The good news is that God is more powerful than sin. Someday, all of the brokenness and destruction will be made right. Until then, God enters our world and our lives to begin his good, healing, and redeeming work.

You might recognize these words from the verses in this lesson:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

It’s a beautiful and encouraging verse. But it doesn’t stand on its own. It has important context (the words before and after it). Our lives have context, too; things that happened before and things that are still to come. Jesus is part of that context. He’s not just with us here and now. He also remakes our past and directs our future.

Read & Reflect

Romans 8:19-30

What do these verses say about creation?
What do these verses say about prayer? Have you ever experienced that?
Paul tells us that everything works together for our good (v. 28). But he also tells us that we will share in Christ’s suffering (v. 17). How can these both be true? (By the way, “good” in the Bible usually means that something is functioning and flourishing within its intended purpose and design.)
What do you learn about God in these verses? (When Paul writes "God" he almost always means the Father.)
What do you learn about Jesus in these verses? (When Paul writes "Lord" he almost always means Jesus).
What do you learn about the Holy Spirit in these verses?
What do you learn about humanity and yourself in these verses?

Extra Info

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One of sin’s curses was that childbirth would now be painful. That’s why Paul wrote: "For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Romans 8:22). Paul often referred back to things in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) to show how the whole story of God ties together. Every time Paul does this, it’s a clue that we should pay attention and think beyond the words that are right in front of us.
Original Creation:

everything is very good
be fruitful and multiply
tend and care for the garden

Sin’s Curse:

serpent is hostile
childbirth is painful
ground is difficult to tend and care for (see Genesis 3:14-19)

Extra Verses

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Revelation 21:1-7 and Revelation 22:1-5 offer a picture of the new creation.

Extra Things

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Listen and watch the video below for more about the hope we have in Jesus.

Resources for people who help others become more like Jesus.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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