Romans as a book is incredibly meaty, and chapter 8 could be an entire Bible study, so I just am focusing on these 4 verses right now.
I find that the artificial breaks that have been placed in our Bibles, though helpful for organization, sometimes artificially filters how we view scripture. My Bible ends a section called "Life through the Spirit" with verse 17, and then begins a section called "Future Glory" with verse 18.
But the connection between these two seems so important. Verses 15-17 talk about the privilege that when we receive the Spirit, we also receive adoption into the family of God. What greater privilege could we have than to be called sons & daughters of God? To think that I have done nothing to earn an inheritance and yet Christ would die to rescue me and allow me to share in the coming Kingdom.
Now crossing over to verse 18, we run into two specific things that come from knowing we are now adopted into the family.
1. Paul (author of Romans) states that whatever we face here is nothing compared to what is to come. Whenever the world seems overwhelming, we are confident that our home is not here; it is already set with Christ.
2. Vs 19 describes that "creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed." The sons of God (those of us who have received the Spirit) won't be fully revealed until the end, but that doesn't mean we can't be used here on earth to reveal the coming Kingdom. God has set a longing in His creation that there must be something more, and my job as a Daughter of God is to reveal the truth to those who are waiting in "eager expectation."
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