Principles of living a godly life [74] - The Breath working alongside

 ‘But also, in the same way, the Breath [Pneuma] is joining with assertively taking hold of helping our weakness. For we do not know precisely what it is necessary and proportionate to pray for, but the Breath [Pneuma] itself makes intercession with inexpressible groans and sighs. 27 Now the diligent searching of the hearts perceives what the thoughts, purposes and inclinations of the Breath [Pneuma] are, for down from God set apart above, it is striking the mark’, (Romans 8 v 26, 27).   

Paul has said that despite the present suffering, (verse 17, 18), Christians, ‘by means of steadfast endurance’, (verse 25b), eagerly await the end result of their deliverance, namely ‘the full ransom and release of their body’, (verse 23b). But there is more. The Breath of God is joining by taking the initiative and assertively taking hold of helping Christians in their weakness and lack of strength. What does Paul mean when he refers to the Christian’s ‘weakness’? He tells us right away. Christians don’t know ‘precisely what it is necessary and proportionate to pray for’. They don’t know what would really be best for them or what God might be willing to grant them. They are to a great extent still ignorant of the character of God, the reasons for His dealings, the principles of His government, and their own real needs, such that they are sometimes in real, deep perplexity. They are surrounded with trials, exposed to temptations, potentially subject to debilitating illness, and to calamities. Asking for the right things to the right degree and proportion is the difficulty, and it arises in part from the dimness of their vision of heavenly realities in their present state, during which they have to ‘walk by faith, not by sight’. But the Breath is ‘in the middle’ as it were, to intercede. The Breath enters above and beyond to make petitions and make appeals that hit the mark spot on.  

‘The diligent searching of the hearts perceives what the thoughts, purposes and inclinations of the Breath [Pneuma] are’, (verse 27). The ‘diligent searching and examination of hearts’ is an indirect linguistic expression that refers to a particular and unique ability of God. Because neither good angel messengers, nor bad angel messengers, can search into the hearts of human beings. Neither can an individual human being know the heart of another, nor can any individual fully know even his or her own heart - this ‘searching of hearts’ is the prerogative of God. This diligent searching of hearts, of the Christian’s deep inner core, means that God knows ‘what the thoughts, purposes and inclinations of the Breath [Pneuma] are’. The heart constitutes the deep inner core, the ground, of an individual’s thoughts, emotions and intentions and it is where the Breath resides. The Breath is making intercession for the Christian, and God knows and perceives the movement of the Breath, not only because He searches hearts, but also because the Breath is down from God and is striking the mark ‘spot on target’.  

Principles of living a godly life [73] - Present hardship – Future honour [5]

 ‘For we were delivered within confident expectation, but confident expectation being seen is not confident expectation, for who confidently expects for what he sees? 25 But if we are confidently expecting and eagerly expecting what we are not seeing, we eagerly await by means of steadfast endurance’, (Romans 8 v 24, 25). 

‘For we were delivered within confident expectation’, (verse 24). When God brings Christians forth they do indeed enter into deliverance guaranteed by the Messiah. But the culmination and end result of this deliverance will come about in the future, at the end of the present age, when the Messiah will return as King of kings to commence the Millennium Reign. They are delivered away from divine condemnation and they are brought forth at this present time as a new formation. But this is within confident expectation of the completion of their deliverance in the future, that will see ‘the full ransom and release of their body’, (verse 23), when they will be changed in an indivisible moment of time and penetrate the air to enter into the heavenly realm.

But of course, at this present time Christians do not directly observe this end result of their deliverance with their physical eyes. The very definition of ‘confident expectation’ is that they cannot presently see what is expected. Who confidently expects something that they can already see and observe? But if Christians are eagerly expecting something that they cannot directly observe with their own eyes, they eagerly await by means of steadfast endurance. Christians steadfastly endure in their expectation of that which is certain and real. Despite the present suffering, (verse 17, 18), Christians ‘remain under’ eager expectation of the end result of their deliverance, ‘the full ransom and release of their body’.

Principles of living a godly life [72] - Present hardship – Future honour [4]

 ‘For we appreciate that the whole of the original formation is jointly groaning and jointly suffering birth pains up to the present time. 23 Not alone, but on the contrary, even ourselves, possessing the first-fruit of the Breath [Pneuma], even we ourselves are groaning within ourselves, eagerly awaiting adoption as sons, the full ransom and release of our body’, (Romans 8 v 22, 23). 

The opposite of ‘the whole of the original formation’ (verse 22) is ‘even ourselves, possessing the first-fruit of the Breath’ (verse 23), or Christians. As Benson’s Commentary states, this shows ‘that the apostle is speaking, not of [animals] and inanimate creation but of mankind’. Generally speaking there is a discontentment or sense of lack of fulfilment within humanity. The whole of the empty, aimless, transient original formation that lacks usefulness ‘is jointly groaning and jointly suffering birth pains up to the present time’, (verse 22). Humanity, within its original formation, is united in a condition of sorrow, continued suffering and existential crisis. That fact that Paul is speaking about humanity is confirmed by his emphasis on ‘the attentive thinking and supposition of the original formation’, (verse 19). What is this attentive thinking and supposition? Paul has told us throughout his letter to the Romans. Existing within their original formation, humanity is ‘holding down the truth within injustice and what is not rightwise’, (Romans 1 v 18). They ‘became ineffectual, unproductive and without usefulness within their thinking, and their deep inner core, lacking synthesised understanding began and continued to be darkened. 22 Asserting to be clear and wise, they became dull, sluggish and insipid, 23 and they changed the honour and praiseworthiness of God into a likeness, an image, of mortal man, flying animals, four-footed beasts and crawling things. 24 Therefore God handed them over away from close beside, within focus on passionate desire of their hearts’, (Romans 1 v 21 - 24). Enslaved to their fleshly constitution, ‘the down from the flesh are existing thinking, judging and caring for that of the flesh’, (Romans 8 v 5), constructing and manufacturing that of the flesh, (Romans 1 v 24 – 32; Galatians 5 v 19 – 21).

But humanity existing within its original formation is not groaning in pain alone. On the contrary, ‘even ourselves possessing the firstfruit of the Breath [Pneuma], even we ourselves are groaning within ourselves’, (verse 23). Christians are also groaning within themselves in constriction. Why are Christians groaning within themselves? Because Christians are eagerly expecting ‘adoption as sons, the full ransom and release of our body’. We have seen that Christians are existing within their ‘clay vessel’, the original formation that is a ‘body of death’. They are ‘groaning and weighed down on the basis that they do not wish to be stripped out of clothing, but to be clothed over, so that ‘the subject to death’ be swallowed down by Life’, (II Corinthians 5 v 4). Christians are ‘eagerly awaiting adoption as sons’. The Christian has received the Breath of God and His Messiah and is already an adopted child of God, (verses15, 16.) But this adoption still has to be brought to completion, which will not be until the coming of the Messiah as King of kings. At that time they will receive ‘the full ransom and release of their body’. The original formation of flesh and blood, of a mortal body, cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Christians are groaning within, eagerly awaiting the release of their existing vessel of clay, eagerly expecting it to be changed.

Principles of living a godly life [71] - Present hardship – Future honour [3]

 ‘For the empty original formation has begun and is continuing to be placed under, absolutely not willingly or voluntarily, but by means of the placing under on the basis of confident expectation 21 that even the original formation itself will be set free away from the enslavement, the decay and ruin, penetrating into the freedom, the honour and glory of the children of God. 22 For we appreciate that the whole of the original formation is jointly groaning and jointly suffering birth pains up to the present time’, (Romans 8 v 20 - 22).

Paul is writing about judicial approval and rightwiseness, not only in terms of Christians standing free from divine condemnation at the Day of Judgement, but also in terms of divine judicial approval and rightwiseness in conducting their lives moment-by-moment at this present time. Paul introduced the theme of opposition between the Christian's physical fleshly constitution with its impulses and energies, and the movement or current of the Breath of God that indwells the Christian’s deep inner core, (verses 1 - 4). He has said that the Christian’s fleshly constitution has not been transformed and that in this sense Christians are existing within a ‘dead body’ that remains intrinsically unresponsive to God, grieving and weighing Christians down. But the Christian’s fleshly constitution is enabled to serve God by means of the movement, influence, current and energy of the Breath of God dwelling deep within them, (verses 4, 5) as the source of Life within the Messiah, (verse 10). The current of Breath of God enlightens the Christian’s mind and influences their own breath and impetus - the current, movement and inclination within them. Christians are not indebted to their flesh, nor obliged to follow its raw passions. Instead, Christians are putting to death the actions of the body down from breath, and as they do so they will live. 

In effect Paul is answering his earlier question. ‘What will rescue and deliver me from out of this, the death-body?’ (Romans 7 v 24). Paul’s logical reasoning in answering this question brought him to say ‘if you are putting to death the actions of the body down from breath’ then you are being led by the Breath of God. And, ‘as many as are being led by the Breath of God, these are existing God’s sons’, adopted as children and heirs of God. 

But it is plain that the redemption of Christians from out of divine condemnation, self-forfeiture and loss, by means of the Messiah, has not yet reached the end result. But Christians possess ‘confident expectation 21 that even the original formation itself will be set free away from the enslavement, the decay and ruin, penetrating into the freedom, the honour and glory of the children of God’, (verse 20b, 21). Christians expect that the empty, aimless, transient original formation itself will be radically changed such that it will be set free from enslavement to decay and ruin. This radical, fundamental change of the original formation will penetrate into ‘the freedom, the honour and glory of the children of God’. 

There is a sense in which Christians have already been brought forth as a new formation, but there is also a sense in which this bringing forth has not yet reached its culmination or end point. Christians possess welcome confident expectation that redemption will indeed reach its end point, such that even their original formation – their physical, flesh and blood constitution – will, in the future, be changed. But at this present time, Christians continue to exist within their unchanged ‘clay vessel’. 

In verse 22 Paul says that Christians know and appreciate that ‘the whole of the original formation is jointly groaning and jointly suffering birth pains up to the present time’. In this verse Paul seems to step back and take a broader view by looking at the whole of humanity, and perhaps even the whole original formation, which was originally seen as ‘very good’ but which has now fallen from that state. God’s plan of redemption and restoration is being worked out, but many of these fundamental changes are still to be fully brought forth. Thus the empty, aimless, transient original formation is ‘jointly groaning and jointly suffering birth pains up to the present time’. This ongoing process of change is painful for the original formation, causing it to groan and suffer birth pains. I interpret it in this way because in verse 23, Paul makes a comparison with Christians, as we will see in the next post.

The process that Paul has been talking about involves the original formation being ‘unwillingly and involuntarily placed under’. As we read in verse 20, ‘the empty original formation has begun and is continuing to be placed under, absolutely not willingly or voluntarily’. So finally, we can ask, ‘What is the empty original formation being subordinated to? Unwillingly being placed under what or who? The original formation is being placed under the delegated ruling authority of the Messiah as Paul explains in his first letter to the Corinthians when he looks at the culmination of God’s Kingdom. Initially, Jesus will return and come close having taken up the mantle of King of kings to rule the nations with an iron rod during the Millennium Reign. Paul writes about the culmination of this reign, ‘the end, when he [Jesus] will hand over the kingdom to the God and Father when he will have annulled all dominion, and all authority and power. 25 For it is necessary for him to reign up until he put all the enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished - death. 27 For ‘He puts all things placed under His feet’. But when it may be said that all things have been arranged under, it is evident that the one having placed all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things will have been placed under Him, then also the Son himself will be placed under the One Who has arranged all things under him, so that God may be all in all’, (I Corinthians 15 v 24 – 28).

Principles of living a godly life [70] - Present hardship – Future honour [2]

 Paul says that ‘…away and separate from the attentive thinking and supposition of the original formation, the unveiling of the sons of God is welcomed away from, and out of, eager waiting in full expectation. 20 For the empty original formation has begun and is continuing to be placed under, absolutely not willingly or voluntarily, but by means of the placing under on the basis of confident expectation 21 that even the original formation itself will be set free away from the enslavement, the decay and ruin, penetrating into the freedom, the honour and glory of the children of God’, (Romans 8 v 18 - 21).

In verse 20 Paul gives the reason why ‘the unveiling of the sons of God is welcomed away from, and out of, eager waiting in full expectation’. He once again uses the Greek word ‘ktisis’, which in the previous post I said means ‘original formation’. In terms of human beings, the word refers to their original arrangement or formation that they inherit - the sensuous, earthy, fleshly human constitution with its impulses and passions that as a result of Adam’s disobedience are opposed to God because of the fall into disobedience. This original formation is now described as ‘empty’ – as transient, aimless and lacking usefulness. 

But that is by no means the end of the narrative. The context of this passage is that Paul is talking about Christians being judicially approved and made rightwise. With regard to Christians he tells us that ‘the empty original formation has begun and is continuing to be placed under’. He states this in the aorist tense – in other words this ‘placing under’ is something that has started in the past and is continuing at this present time and will continue into the future. The ‘original arrangement and formation’ – the natural human constitution of flesh and blood - is in a process of being ‘placed under’ at this present time. The Greek word is ‘hupotassó’, meaning ‘to appoint or arrange under’. I will explain ‘under what’ in the next post. 

However, the Christian’s ‘empty original formation’ that lacks usefulness – their physical body of flesh and blood - is not willingly or voluntarily ‘being arranged under’ or ‘arranging itself under’. The Christian’s physical constitution per se, their ‘original formation’, is unresponsive to God and in fact, the energies and impulses inherent within the fabric of flesh are opposed to God. So the transient, aimless original formation has begun and is continuing ‘to be unwillingly arranged under’ ‘on the basis of confident expectation’ of something. This welcoming confident expectation is ‘away and separate from the attentive thinking and supposition of the original formation’ (verse 19). It is not arising from the empty original formation itself. It is not a welcome confident expectation that is ‘naturally emerging’ from the Christian’s flesh and blood. Rather, it arises separate and away from the attentive thinking and suppositions that arise from the empty original formation of our earthy constitution. It is something distinct and separate.

So the next question is, ‘Confident expectation of what?’ Paul tells us immediately in verse 21 – ‘confident expectation that even the original formation itself will be set free away from the enslavement, the decay and ruin, penetrating into the freedom, the honour and glory of the children of God’. The Christian’s welcome confident expectation is that ‘the original formation itself will be set free away from the enslavement, the decay and ruin’. Their confident expectation is with regard to a radical and fundamental change to the original formation itself, a change that will penetrate into ‘the freedom away from the enslavement, the decay and ruin, the honour and glory of the children of God’.

As Paul says elsewhere, the original formation of flesh and blood cannot inherit or even see the Kingdom of God. Christians are already existing as a new formation having been born again, but the process is not yet complete. But Christians possess confident expectation that their original formation, their inherited, fallen, fleshly constitution, will in the future, when redemption is made complete, be set free from its enslavement to self-forfeiture, decay and ruin. The Christian’s eager, confident expectation is that their physical body will be changed.  ‘…we will all be changed within an indivisible moment in time, within the jerk of an eye, at the final trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be aroused without decay, not perishable, and we will be made different’, (I Corinthians 15 v 52). 

It is on the basis of this eager, welcome confident expectation that at this present time the empty original formation is being ‘placed under’, (verse 20b). ‘Because we are existing within the tent, we are groaning and weighed down on the basis that we do not wish to be stripped out of clothing, but to be clothed over so that ‘the subject to death’ be swallowed down by Life’, (II Corinthians 5 v 4). There is part of the incentive or motivation for Christians ‘putting to death the actions of the body’, (verse 13). This is quite a different process from the legalist’s proposal that Christians turn to the written codes of Covenant law and try to use them as a spur towards holiness.