“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” -Romans 8:16–18
The emphasis of this entry is on verse 18, but it would be difficult to accurately consider its meaning without the preceding verses which provide its context. Verses 16-17 reveal that we who trust Christ are more than forgiven; we are made sons, children, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. This is the case, provided we suffer with him. To suffer with him means to follow him, imitate his life, and go the way of Christ. This way of living, Jesus taught us, always brings the ire of the ungodly. In his Sermon on the Mount, he says,
““Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:10–11)
Later, Paul echoes the words of Jesus when he tells Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
In verse 18 then, Paul offers his readers a consolation, a word of encouragement about suffering in their present situation. The expression “for I consider” is γαρ λογίζομαι (gar logizomai) in Greek, which means to make a judgment after careful consideration. Note its use by both Paul and Peter in other letters
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” -Philippians 3:13
“By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.” -1 Peter 5:12
The expression sufferings of this present time may refer to this life on earth but the grammatical construction makes it appear that Paul is referring more specifically to the current era in which he was writing, than the general historical-salvation timeframe. At this time the church in Rome had recently faced severe persecution under Claudias and now Nero was the new Emperor.
In either case, whatever sufferings this sinful world, including works of wicked men, might bring about, they are nothing in comparison to the glory that shall be revealed to us and/or in us in the eternal kingdom of Christ. It is just as Paul told the Corinthians when writing to them:
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” -2 Corinthians 4:17–18
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