Romans 8:17 introduces us to two important biblical ideas: suffering and glory. The verse begins with the glory, talks about suffering, and ends with glory again. The first statement is that children of God are God’s heirs and co-heirs with Jesus Christ. What a marvelous thing this is, to be an heir of God Himself!

So what does our inheritance consist? What will believers actually possess in heaven? There are a number of things that can be called “lesser items,” and then there is the greatest prize of all. (1) A heavenly home. The first thing that comes to mind here is the promise of a heavenly home that Jesus made to His disciples just before His arrest and crucifixion (John 14:1-3). This is a place prepared especially for all believers, and it is guaranteed by no less an authority than the Lord of glory Himself, Jesus Christ. (2) A heavenly banquet. In several of His parables Jesus spoke of a heavenly banquet to which His own are invited (see Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13, Luke 14:15-24; 15:11-32). These stories present our inheritance as joy and secure fellowship. (3) Rule with Christ. Another feature of our inheritance is that we will rule with Jesus in His kingdom. (4) Likeness to Christ. One of the promised blessings is that we will be made like Jesus Himself. John writes about it in his first letter (1 John 3:1-2). It’s hard to imagine a greater inheritance than to be made like the Lord Jesus Christ in all His attributes.

So why would we call those four items “lesser”? It’s because of the amazing and infinitely greater blessing that awaits us as “heirs of God.” Paul speaks of our being “co-heirs with Christ” in verse 17. That is, we inherit whatever we do inherit along with Him. But as soon as we ask, “What does Jesus inherit?” all items mentioned earlier don’t seem to fit. The only thing that can properly be said to be His inheritance is the Father. This is what He had in mind in His great prayer just before His crucifixion (John 17:4-5). Christ’s inheritance is the glory of God, which means the vision or, participation in, and enjoyment of God Himself. This is exactly the flow of thought in Romans 8:17. For having spoken of our being heirs and having reminded us that we must enter into our possession by the gate of suffering, Paul ends us again with glory, reminding us that “we may also share in His [Christ’s] glory,” which is the glory of God.

You may ask yourself; why does Paul drag the subject of suffering in at this point? Paul was a realist, more than that, as an evangelist and a pastor, he knew that the people to whom he was writing were suffering. The early ministers of the gospel began to suffer for the gospel as soon as they began to obey Christ’s Great Commission. In fact if we were to read the New Testament with suffering in mind, you would be startled to discover how extensively it is mentioned. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33b). Most of the New Testament epistles have important discussions about suffering.

Suffering is as common to God’s people today as in New Testament times. We need to understand that. It’s true that most of us do not experience that special kind of suffering we call persecution, though our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world do. But we know suffering. We suffer when we lose a spouse or other family member through death. We groan under pain, trauma, and sickness. We are hurt by prejudice, poverty, or sometimes a lack of rewarding work. The list is endless. Realism and pastoral concern undoubtedly caused the apostle to introduce this subject. Honesty didn’t allow him to talk about our inheritance without at the same time acknowledging that the path to glory involves a cross.

This brings us to the value of suffering according to a right theological framework or life-view. It has several important values, and the first is the chief reason Paul mentions it in Romans: He has been talking of Christians being son and daughters of God; now he speaks of suffering as proof of that relationship, though the suffering may be in any of three different forms, each with a particular purpose. (1) Persecution: Some suffering is in the form of persecution and one value of persecution is that it proves to us that we really are children of God. Jesus taught this many times (Matt. 5:11-12; John 15:18-20). (2) Purification: Not all suffering is in the form of persecution, however. Some of it is from God and is for no other reason than to produce growth and holiness. (3) Training: A third kind of suffering also has value for Christians and can be likened to the suffering endured when a soldier is trained for combat by his commanding officer, or for that matter, the suffering endured in the battle itself.

The second value of suffering is that our witness to Christ is empowered by it. This means that the witness of Christians carries particular weight when it is given under duress, when it is evident to everyone that it would be easier and apparently more rational to back off from one’s witness or even, as Job was advised by his wife, to “curse God and die!” (Job 2:9).

The final thing we need to say about the value of suffering is that it is the ordained path to glory. Paul says this explicitly in verse 17; he also says this in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. There are two basic things to remember about suffering. First, suffering is necessary. Jesus taught that it was necessary for Himself when He said to the Emmaus disciples, “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” (Luke 24:26).Then He proved that this was necessary by showing it to them in the Scriptures. Jesus taught that suffering is necessary for us when He said, “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20b) and “In the world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33a).

Second, although suffering is necessary (and has value), suffering is not the end of the story for Christians. Glory is. Since it’s not the end, since suffering is the path to glory, Christianity is a religion of genuine hope and effective consolation. The Christian who needs to worry about suffering is not the one who is suffering, particularly if it is for the sake of Jesus Christ. The person who should worry is the one who is not suffering, since suffering is a proof of our sonship, a means for the spreading the gospel, and the path to glory.

So let’s hang in there! And let’s encourage one another as we run the race and fight the long battles. We need each other, but we have each other. That is what we are given to each other for. Thus by the grace of God, we may actually come to the end of the warfare and be able to say as Paul did to young Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7-8) May it be so for all God’s people!

Romans 8:17 Reflection Questions:

Paul begins this section (vv. 12-17) by saying that we are in debt, no to the “flesh” but to God. We have to live in a particular way, a way which anticipates the “glory,” the rule over creation, which we will eventually share with the Messiah. How can you live this week in the specific knowledge of being in debt to God?

Sit in silence, giving thanks and praise for being in debt not to sin and death but too God. Then offer short prayers of thanksgiving, giving glory to God for adopting us as His children.