I want you to read a verse that most Christians have never even heard. It is in Romans chapter eight, and it is one of the most stunning statements in all of Scripture.
"The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed."
Romans 8:19Wait. Creation is waiting for US? The whole universe is watching? The stars and the mountains and the oceans are eagerly waiting for the children of God?
Keep reading:
"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."
Romans 8:20-21The creation itself will be brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
I have read this passage dozens of times, and honestly, I keep getting caught on the same thing. The whole creation is waiting for us to step into what we have been given.
The Universe Is Watching
Let me say that differently. The entire created order, everything that exists, is watching to see what the children of God will do with their inheritance.
This is not a small thing. This is cosmic significance. The universe is not indifferent to your salvation. The universe is waiting for it.
Think about that the next time you feel small. Think about that the next time you wonder if what you do matters. The whole creation is watching to see what you will do with what Christ has given you.
Paul uses the word apokaledo here, which means to wait in eager expectation, to look forward with longing. Creation is not just passively waiting. It is actively anticipating. It is longing for the children of God to come into their own.
We Are the Key to Everything
Here is what this means. The redemption of creation is tied to our redemption. When we step into who we are as children of God, when we walk in the authority and the freedom that is ours, the whole creation benefits.
This is not just poetry. This is theology. Your identity in Christ is not just about you. It is about the whole created order. When you walk in freedom, when you walk in the Spirit, when you walk in the victory that is already yours, you are participating in the redemption of everything.
That is a big calling. But that is exactly what Paul is saying.
What Is This Freedom?
Paul calls it "the glorious freedom of the children of God." Not freedom FROM something, though that is part of it. But freedom FOR something. The freedom to be who God created us to be. The freedom to walk in the Spirit. The freedom to exercise the authority we have been given.
This is not the freedom to do whatever we want. It is the freedom to become who we were created to be. And that is a freedom worth walking in.
Try This Today
The next time you feel like your faith is a private thing between you and God, remember this. The stars are watching. The mountains are waiting. The whole created order is longing to see you step into who you are. You carry the key to everything. Walk in it.
Walking in This Freedom
Now, the honest truth. Most of us are not walking in this freedom. We are still living in bondage to fear, to sin, to the old ways. We have not stepped into what is ours.
But here is the hope. Romans 8 says creation was subjected to frustration in hope. The subjection was not permanent. It was in hope. And that hope is now our hope.
We get to be the ones who step into freedom. We get to be the ones who walk in victory. We get to be the ones who reveal what the children of God look like.
That is who you are. That is who you have always been. Now walk in it.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
2 Corinthians 3:17Father, thank you that I am a child of God with a glorious inheritance. Help me to step into the freedom you have given me. Teach me to walk in the Spirit and in victory. Let the whole creation watch as I walk in who you have made me to be. In Jesus Name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire