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The attentive reader of the last half of Romans 8 will notice a puzzling fact: While Paul affirms in verse 15 that we Christians have received the “Spirit of adoption” and are therefore already children of God, in verse 23 he reminds us that we “groan within ourselves” because we are “waiting for the adoption.” Which is it? Have we already been adopted into God’s family or are we still looking ahead to a day when He will adopt us? Since we are not about to suggest that Paul made a mistake in one of these verses, it seems the only possible answer is that both are true: We have been adopted already and we look forward to being adopted. But how can both be true at the same time?
The answer lies in recognizing how these references to adoption fit into a fundamental New Testament theological pattern. When Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah and began proclaiming that the kingdom of God was breaking into the world through His ministry, those who first heard Him quite naturally believed that God was about to begin fulfilling all the Old Testament promises about the last days. But Jesus made it clear that this was not to be. For what had been hidden from the vision of the Old Testament prophets was that the Messiah would come twice: once to inaugurate the Messianic kingdom and once again to consummate it. Thus, the Messiah has come and the Messiah will come. The kingdom of God has arrived (Luke 17:21); the kingdom of God is still coming (Matt. 6:10). This fulfillment without consummation sets the pattern for the way the early Christians understood redemptive history. To use the language generally applied to the pattern, redemptive history has an “already/not yet” tension set deep within it. God “already” has brought into being the new realm of salvation. But that new realm is “not yet” fully present.
The adoption passages we noticed in Romans 8 fit neatly into this pattern. In verses 14–16, we find the “already” side of the tension. Through the work of the Spirit, God has adopted us into His family. And through that same Spirit, we rejoice in knowing that we are, indeed, God’s children. But verse 17 hints at the other side of the tension. As children, we are also God’s heirs. But being an heir means, by definition, that we do not yet have everything the Father has promised us. And so, in verses 18–30, Paul develops the “not yet” side of the tension. With creation itself (vv. 19–22), God’s children “groan” (v. 23). Like creation, we groan because we know that God’s purposes for us are not yet complete. While we enjoy the status of being God’s children, we do not yet live as His children should live. We still sin. We still fail to honor God as our Father. To use the theological language Paul employs in verses 28–30, while we are already justified, we are not yet glorified. And so we groan in frustration, longing for the day when God’s work in us will be finished.
A popular and helpful way to think about this tension is to compare our initial salvation to “D-Day” and our final glorification to “V-Day.” “D-Day” was the decisive battle: Our souls have been captured by God for Himself and our eternal destiny is secure. But we cannot yet declare victory. A “mopping-up” operation must ensue until the struggle is finally ended and we can celebrate V-Day.
Recognizing our place on this time line of redemptive history is fundamental to understanding the nature of the Christian life. We live “between the times.” We rejoice in and enjoy the benefits of the new realm of salvation that has dawned in the world and in our lives. But the new realm has come before the removal of the old realm. Eternal life, righteousness, the Holy Spirit—all are available to anyone who believes. But right beside them are death, sickness, and sin, even for believers. For a time, these realms exist together. We have been transferred into the new realm. But the old realm continues to exert its influence on us.
What are the implications of this tension for us? First, we should not be surprised that we continue to struggle with sin. In God’s providence, He has decided not to redeem us fully in one moment. He has allowed us to remain in a world full of temptations. Indeed, the more a Christian seeks to lead a godly life, the greater the frustration when he or she is not entirely successful. Struggle with sin is not a mark of an immature Christian; it is, in some respects, the mark of the truly growing Christian. Second, we should never forget that the “already” part of our spiritual journey is the decisive part. When God chooses people to be His children, He makes that choice for eternity. There is no going back on it (vv. 29–30). In the midst of our struggle, then, we should always rejoice that our eternal destiny has been decided. We should never be in any doubt about which side is going to win in the end. We struggle not to attain a victory that remains uncertain, but on the basis of a victory already won.
That reminder should give us renewed energy and confidence to fight the mopping-up battles against sin that we still face. Satan would like us to forget that he is a defeated foe. We must never let him convince us that we do not have the power to fight or that the decision is uncertain. As Paul puts it in verse 31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”