Sex, Sin, and The Sanctuary
From the Garden to Golgotha God is Gracious
Judah is a Lion's Whelp
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall dwell in his Holy Place?
GROANERS
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Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 3
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And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.
The first recorded groaners in the Bible was the Children of Israel. Ex. 2:24. Job groaned in Job 23:2. THpsalmist said I am weary with my groaning, all night make I my bed to swim, I water my couch with tears.
As I was studying this passage I asked myself why is creation groaning. The whole creation is groaning. And not only that but Christians who are blessed with the Holy Spirit in their lives are also groaners and sighers longing and waiting for the redemption of the body.
In this we groan
Before I proceed with this discussion, it is important that I assure all Christians listening that according to Romans 8:2 that " the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made you FREE from the law of Sin and Death". All Christians are free from the Law of sin and death. In other words, the sting of death which sin cannot sting a christian and kill him because the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has insulated the Christian from death, we have life through Jesus Christ who died for us.
But you are not saved from groaning because the body is not redeemed as yet. But what is the body subjected to. The body is subjected to all the temptations of the flesh because the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and they are contrary. (Gal. 5:17). When the Apostle said "In this we groan, he is saying the human soul which has the capacity to experience emotion; sadness, grief, disappoinmtment, regret, sorrow, groans inside the body which only has the capacity to cause them.
What Suferings
Sometins we think of these sufferings as sicknesses, diseases, poverty, pain. But listen to the words of the Apostle Paul
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.
Sickness, pain, shame, grief etc are impositions on the body which at times are too weighty for the soul. So the soul bawls out.21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
I asked Chat Gpt:
That word "sufferings" in Rom. 8:18 is this mainly physical sufferings like pain He Says: from persecution or is it more than that? He Said: that word “sufferings” carries a lot more weight than just physical pain.
🔍 Greek nuance: The original Greek word used is pathemata, which broadly refers to any kind of suffering—not just physical, but emotional, spiritual, psychological, and even existential. It includes persecution, yes, but also grief, loss, temptation, injustice, and the groaning of a fallen world.
📖 Contextual richness:
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Paul is speaking to believers who are enduring various trials, including persecution, but also the general brokenness of life in a fallen creation.
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And not only they, but we also, born again, bible thumping, spirit-filled, tongue-speaking, looking-like-we-cyah-mash-ants saints of God, we groan.
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Paul takes us way back to creation, every post-Eden discomfort is included in the sufferings that we go through, from Shame and Nakedness, the inability to perfectly withstand the view of each other's naked body to desiring that body. Adam and Eve could not stand it so they made themselves clothing out of fig leaves. But before Eden's sin they were naked and OK. So I suggest to you that when the whole creation is groaning, and when we who have the spirit in us groan, we are groaning because of the entrapment caused by sin and the consequent fall. Thayer's Greek lexicon says that that word suffering is not only externally, a suffering, misfortune, calamity, evil, affliction but it is also an inward state, an affection, passion: Galatians 5:24; that lead to sins. Romans 7:5 "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin which were by the Law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death". (Rom. 7:5). Of course there are sufferings for righteousness' sake and suffering not for righteousness, all from which we will be delivered. So I put it to you that:
1. Kings Groan
2. Priests Groan
3. Pundits Groan
4, Prophets Groan and dare I say
5. Pastors Groan.