Romans 8:19-23 : For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected, it, in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain togeth-er until now. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:19-23 has given commentators no end of trouble. No one has given an explanation that was satisfactory to all. Where students differ so, it is not well for anyone to be overly dogmatic. The main trouble is in determining the meaning and application of the terms, "the creation," "the whole creation," "the first-fruits of the Spirit," and "we ourselves." Some assume that "the creation" and the "whole creation" are the same in extent of meaning and refer to all living things below man; that all living things, both animal and vege-table, suffer the curse of death along with man and that they are represented as looking forward to the time when the curse of death shall have been removed. But it seems to me that there are insurmountable difficulties in the way of this interpretation. Where did anyone get the idea that death came upon animals and vegetables as a result of Adam's sin? Upon what did the animal and fish feed before Adam sinned, and on what would they have continued to feed had he not sinned? What did Adam and Eve eat before they sinned? Any living thing that becomes food must die, whether that thing be animal or vegetable. The thing that kept Adam and Eve alive before they sinned was the fruit of the tree of life. It can hardly be conceived that the fishes and animals and vegetables were kept alive by the same means. It does not seem possible that Paul had in mind the lower creation in Romans 8:19-21. It seems unreasonable that he should, by a figure of speech, represent animals and vegetables as expecting and awaiting the revealing of the sons of God; and it seems especially strange that he would affirm that animals and vegetables "shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God," or that they were subject to vanity, "not of their own will." Every statement indicates that he was talking about intelligent beings who had a real interest in the resurrection and glorification of the children of God. The verses are closely connected with Romans 8:18, and evidently were written to encourage the Christian to endure the suffering for the sake of the glory that shall be revealed to usward. It would not help me to endure suffering to be told that the lower creation was longing to be delivered from suffering into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. What, then, is the creation of Rom 8:19-21? Who or what is it that with earnest expectation--strong hope--waits for the revealing of the sons of God? Who but Christians are so hopefully interested in that event? Of what creation could it be said that it hopes to be "delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God"? Who hut Christians have such hopes? But are Christians, either as individuals or as a group, ever referred to as a creation? Paul says: "Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The marginal reading has new creation. The Greek word for "creature" in this verse is the same as the word for "creation" in Romans 8:19; Romans 8:21. The church is said to have been created. "That he might create in himself of the two one new man" (Ephesians 2:15). Here we have the verb form of the word from which we have creation. Jesus created the church; hence, it is a creation. And the things Paul says of the creation are true of the church--true of its members. The same things are elsewhere said of the sufferings, the hope, and the final glory of faithful Christians. If this view is not correct, it at least has the merit of being in harmony with what the scriptures elsewhere say concerning the present condition and future destiny of Christians. In Romans 8:22, Paul speaks of the whole human race. He reminds Christians that sufferings, death, and decay are not peculiar to Christians, but are the common lot of all human beings. But the reader will notice that no hope--no future outlook--is attributed to the whole creation. But who is referred to in Romans 8:23? and what are the "first-fruits of the Spirit"? It seems to be taken for granted by many commentators that all Christians are here referred to and the "first-fruits of the Spirit" is the same as the "earnest of the Spirit" as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5 Ephesians 1:13-14. But I cannot see how in any sense the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian can be called the "first-fruits of the Spirit." It rather seems that the "first-fruits of the Spirit" in the Christian dispensation were the miracu-lous powers conferred on the apostles. Hence, to encourage Christians to endure their sufferings he re-minds them that suffering is the common lot of the whole human family, and that even we, the apostles, who have all these miraculous endowments of the Spir-it, also groan within ourselves on account of our bur-dens and afflictions, "waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies."