Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 63:2 (Jun 2020)
Article: Groaning For Glory: Another Look At The Spirit’s Intercession In Romans 8:26–27
Author: Donnie Berry

JETS 63:2 (June 2020) p. 281

Groaning For Glory: Another Look At The Spirit’s Intercession In Romans 8:26–27

Donnie Berry

Donnie Berry is a teaching pastor at Christian Fellowship, 4600 Christian Fellowship Rd., Columbia, MO 65203. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: After establishing the centrality of the glory motif in Romans, this article argues that the groaning which characterizes the Holy Spirit’s intercession in Rom 8:26 is a groaning for the glory of the sons of God to be realized. Paul shows in Romans that the Spirit is both the guarantor of future glory and the agent who brings about the glorification of believers. A contextual reading of Rom 5:3–5 and 8:26–27, two passages in which Paul closely correlates the Spirit with future glory, shows that the present, transforming work of the Spirit in believers’ lives, especially through trials and afflictions, both validates their hope of glory and is a precursor to their full share in the glory of God. The Holy Spirit uses the “all things” (Rom 8:28) that believers face in order to conform them to the image of God’s Son and bring them to their full share in glory, and this is the substance of the Spirit’s groaning and intercession on their behalf.

Key words: glory, Spirit, groaning, intercession, afflictions, image, conformity, new creation, Romans

Rich themes abound in Romans 8, a perennial favorite within the Pauline corpus: no condemnation in Christ; adoption as sons of God; glory through suffering; God’s providential working of all things for the good of believers, just to name a few. And then there is the Spirit’s groaning and intercession on behalf of believers found in Rom 8:26–27. We appeal to it when we are at a loss about what to pray for: “The Spirit knows and is praying in our stead.” It’s easy to treat this as something of an aside, a free-floating piece of encouragement, not necessarily connected to the flow of Paul’s argument, but nice for those times of confusion and uncertainty. But is there more going on in these verses?

Careful attention to the context of Romans 8, and to Paul’s argument in the letter as a whole, reveal that in Rom 8:26–27, Paul is not giving general encouragement for times when we are at a loss in prayer, though that can certainly be an application. These ver...