²³ And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

As good as the Christian life gets here, this is not all there is—and thank God for that! Too many presentations of the gospel ambiguously convey that being saved means, as the old chorus goes, “ … now I am happy all the day.” That just isn’t so. Even with new life in Christ, we still live in the same fallen world, with the same fallen bodies. We continue to get sick, have accidents, experience painful relationships and suffer mental illness and difficulties of all sorts. Many times “we groan within ourselves.”

What then is the benefit of being a Christian now? Among the many blessings we can experience is a hope that enables us to endure the difficulties of life. The victorious life is not one where difficulties are removed, but our hope waxes brightly. We enjoy the first fruits of the Spirit now, despite our difficulties, and they ready us for the main course of God’s future blessings when our fallen bodies will be redeemed. This enables us to endure the trials now, because we now know the end of the story of our lives—these fallen bodies of ours, this life in a fallen world, will be replaced with resurrected bodies, and there will no longer be any groaning. Our adoption will no longer be a matter of faith, but we will actually be brought home to be with the Lord!

Some object, “What good is that ‘pie in the sky’ faith for the here and now? The pain is real—what good does the future existence do for us now? If God is really there, let Him take care of my problems now!” But God is taking care of our problems now, in a foretaste sort of way, by giving us the assurance of hope. This assures us that He will take care of it all completely when we are taken home to Him, where we will enjoy the full benefits of adoption into His spiritual family.

If the fallenness problem were completely solved now, our endurance would not require hope or faith. The point of growing spiritually is not the lessening need of faith and hope! Those offering healing of all sorts now, if only you would have enough faith, actually short-circuit the need for faith and hope. Why? For after God has healed, then faith and hope simply are no longer needed, and there is less to look forward to. Ultimately, that unseen thing is the final redemption of our bodies. Praise God, this is not all there is.

Lord, I can endure because You have given me hope for eternity with You.