The Christian’s Longing for Heaven

Romans 8:23–25

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Have you ever felt like you were waiting for something incredible, something that you know is just around the corner, but it seems like an eternity before it arrives?

Like a woman in labor, enduring the pain with the knowledge that joy will follow, we too wait eagerly. But what exactly are we waiting for, and why do we groan along with creation?

“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. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it,” (Romans 8:23–25).

In Romans 8:23–25, Paul speaks of our shared yearning, our collective longing for something beyond our current state. We, as Christians, groan with creation, yearning for the day of our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our bodies.

It’s a hope we hold onto, even though it’s not something we can see with our eyes. After all, hope that is seen is not hope; it’s something we already have. Our hope is different — it’s the hope for what we cannot yet see, a hope that requires perseverance.