Romans: Rooted in Jesus, Boasting in Hope

I’m meditating on Isaiah 8:11-14 often these days. The prophet Isaiah has seen the glory of God, Isaiah 6, and surrenders to God’s call to be a prophetic voice to the wicked king Ahaz. The king turned everything into a religious shrine to the pagan gods, even sacrificing his own children. Isaiah confronts Ahaz, promising a sign of God’s rescue from those seeking to overthrow him. Then in chapter eight, he says,

For the LORD spoke thus to me…do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary.

Do you see the progression? He sees the glory of God, his holiness on display, and the hardships of his world don’t overwhelm him. For Isaiah, God was bigger than life’s problems and became his sanctuary.
 
In our text in Romans, Paul says that one of the benefits of our justification is our hope in the glory of God. Having our sins atoned for and receiving the robes of Jesus’ righteousness is such overwhelming grace from God that it guarantees our participation in God’s glory. Paul’s crescendo of the benefits of justification is that we will share in the glory of God because that is the privilege of the righteous Son. Then he tells us that this truth even reorients our experience of suffering or hardships. We begin to see that God uses hardships to conform us to Christ so that we can share in his holiness.
 
What a great truth, one that when understood, becomes our “boast.” Join us Sunday as we consider this great truth and worship our Savior.