Title: Visible and Invisible / Romans 8:23-24
The visible and the invisible / Romans 8:23-24
Key Verse: “In hope we have been saved” (verse 24).
Word: Christianity values the present and the future more than the past. For believers, the past is the time of providence that made today possible. And the present is the time to be built and made meaningful by the desired future. In other words, hope for the future leads to a faithful life in the present. The verse in today's text reads, "For by hope we have been saved, and hope that is seen is not hope; who can expect what we see?"
Here, ‘visible hope’ refers to the hope of the past, the salvation of the past, that I now have the result of because it has already been fulfilled. We have already had souls saved in the past. But the salvation of souls is not yet complete. What we really want is the salvation of the body, the second adoption in verse 23, not the salvation of the soul in the past. We have been saved for the future in which our spirit and body will be completely saved. The salvation of souls received in the past is nothing compared to the salvation of the future. But now we have no choice but to wait because we can't see the glory of the movie.
Romans 1-7 is about the salvation of souls. 8:1-17 are the words of sanctification. And verses 18-39 speak of the final consummation of salvation, that is, the glory. When learning soteriology in seminary, justification and sanctification are detailed and long. By the way, film theory comes out in less than one page in one paragraph at most. Why? Justification and sanctification are written with the facts of first-hand experience, but no one has seen the movie. So, I always quote only the Bible and move on. In this way, our understanding of the film is bound to be superficial.
However, living with a physical disability, I have no hopes as earnestly as the hope of this movie. I live today with the hope of the glory that will redeem my sick and disabled body beyond the joy of having my soul saved. Those who have never suffered because of the body cannot wait for the movie. Those who have not experienced the pain of fighting with the flesh in order to live according to the Holy Spirit cannot have a craving for cinema. However, when the glorious day comes when our salvation is completed, there will be no more sick and painful flesh, no flesh that makes me sin. I hope that there is an earnest waiting for the glory of the film in your life as well.
Prayer: God who called and justified us and sent the Holy Spirit to live a holy life, help us to live victoriously while looking forward to the day when our salvation will be completed in a glorious body in the eternal kingdom. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer