Is Creation Still Groaning?
Many Christians believe that creation—which they define as planet earth—is groaning and will one day be transformed to perfection. Spiders will no longer bite. Cacti will no longer prick. And sharp rocks will no longer cut. The passage often used to support this teaching is Romans 8:20-23:
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”
I disagree with the popular interpretation of this passage (mentioned above). To begin with, the terms “creation” and “new creation” refer to people—not the planet. After all, how could the planet (“creation”) be transformed into children of God…as the passage teaches? Regarding the “new creation,” Paul defines the new creation as Christians: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). The new creation refers to Christians, not a transformed physical planet (although a world full of Christians would certainly mean a better physical planet too). Jesus was the very first of the new creation (1 Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:15).
Since the new creation refers to new covenant people (Christians), then creation must refer to old covenant people (those under the old covenant in Paul’s day). This fits well with the context of the Romans passage in question, which says “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21, italics mine). In other words, creation (those under the old covenant) would be delivered “from the bondage of corruption”—that is, from the bondage of the law, which inevitably leads to corruption/spiritual death (2 Cor. 3:7)—“into the glorious liberty of the children of God”/freedom in Christ (freedom from the law).
Paul continues, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:22–23, italics mine).
The reason why Paul and the rest of creation (old covenant Israel) were groaning at this time (AD 58)—by the way, the physical planet does not groan; people groan—is that they were anticipating their soon redemption. They longed to be redeemed/resurrected/changed from creation (old covenant Israel) into the new creation (new covenant Israel/Christians), that is, into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). Note: redemption was one of those already/not yet events that took forty years—from AD 30 to AD 70—to fully realize. While Paul and his brethren were already redeemed in part (Eph. 1:7), they were not yet redeemed in full (Eph. 1:14, Rom. 8:23). See my article “The Already and Not Yet”
Redemption essentially means “forgiveness of sin” or “salvation” (Eph. 1:7), which is why Paul and his brethren were still, in AD 58, eagerly awaiting it. The old covenant “ministry of death” (2 Cor. 3:7), which could not take away sin (Heb. 10:4), had still not passed away. Therefore, they longed for the soon-coming new covenant age of forgiveness of sin, a.k.a. redemption/salvation/resurrection/eternal life. In other words, they longed for “the redemption of our body”[1] (Rom. 8:23), which would happen in full when Jesus “appeared a second time for salvation” (Heb. 9:28, italics mine).
How did Paul know the old covenant age of corruption would end soon (and that the new covenant age of eternal life would begin soon)? Because Jesus had said back in AD 30 that the old covenant age would end within a generation (Matt. 24:3, 34). Therefore, by the time Paul wrote Romans in AD 58, it was getting close to the tail end of that generation. So Paul knew it would happen soon. Therefore, Paul and his brethren were eagerly waiting for it (Rom. 8:23).
Timing Indicators All Throughout Romans
Paul gives many timing indicators all throughout the book of Romans that confirm this timing. For example, as stated above, Paul said that he and his brethren (“creation”) were eagerly waiting for redemption (Rom. 8:23). The reason why they were eagerly waiting is that they knew it was going to happen soon. Paul also used a pregnancy metaphor and spoke of birth pangs (Rom. 8:23), which indicates a soon birth. In this case, the birth pangs indicated the soon birth of the new covenant age of redemption/salvation. In another passage in Romans, Paul said, “For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:11, YLT, italics mine). “About to be revealed” means soon! A few chapters later, Paul said, “Now it is high time to awake out of sleep…The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11–12, italics mine). “At hand” means “about to happen”! All these time statements in Romans show that Paul expected redemption/the new creation soon.
First Century General Resurrection
Notice, also, Paul’s reference to awakening: “Now is the time to awake out of sleep…The night is spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11–12, italics mine). As many scholars have noted, Paul is echoing Daniel 12:2, a passage about the general resurrection: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” The reason Paul quoted this Old Testament passage about the resurrection is that it was finally on the verge of happening! In other words, creation (the righteous remnant of Israel) was about to be resurrected or redeemed.
This is the same topic Paul is discussing when he says: “Creation [old covenant Israel] will be delivered from the bondage of corruption [the bondage of the law, which leads to corruption/death] into the glorious liberty of the children of God [forgiveness of sin, freedom in Christ, eternal life]” (Rom. 8:21, see above).
This is also the same topic Paul had just discussed in the preceding section of Romans 8, verses 1–11, where Paul talks about the spiritual transformation of those who once walked according to the flesh (the law) but now walk according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1). The entire chapter (Romans 8) is talking about a spiritual transformation—not the transformation of the physical planet (although, as mentioned above, a world full of spiritually transformed people certainly means a better physical planet too).
Birth Pangs
Let’s look closer at Paul’s reference to birth pangs: “Creation groans and labors with birth pangs until now” (Rom. 8:22). Jesus, too, had spoken about these birth pangs back in the Olivet Discourse (in AD 33). After his disciples had asked him about the timing of the destruction of the temple and the end of the old covenant age (Matt. 24:3), Jesus replied:
“For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold” (Matt. 24:5–8, RSV, italics mine).
Jesus and Paul are talking about the same “birth pangs”! The birth of the new covenant age was a painful process, just like childbirth. The new covenant system would differ vastly from the old system, and there would be much pain and resistance associated with the changeover, as there always is with big changes. The closer it got, the more the birth pangs increased, just like in childbirth. Keep in mind, though, that Jesus said (in AD 30) that this changeover—from the old covenant age to the new covenant age—would happen within a generation (Matt. 24:3, 34). This is how Paul knew, in AD 58, it would happen soon and why Paul gave all those timing indicators all throughout the book of Romans (above).
The new creation refers to new covenant Christians—not a new physical planet—and the new creation came in the first century!
For more about the changeover from the old covenant…to the new covenant, see my book The End Is Here available summer 2024.
Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled 4/19/24
[1] “Our body” refers to the corporate body of Israel. “Our” is plural, and “body” is singular. The faithful remnant of old covenant Israel (the corporate body of Israel) was groaning to be transformed (“resurrected”) into the new covenant body of Christ, one body with many members (Rom 12:4–5; 1 Cor. 12:12–31).