Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
Mortals and Immortals
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. . . . because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Paul’s words here have been compared to his counsel in Second Corinthians: “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (4:17). A Bible authority writes, “The subjected world must give way to the liberated world, creaturely existence must yield to existence as heirs and children of God.”
In verse 18, the Greek noun rendered time (kairos) has the qualitative sense of a fitting or convenient occasion (as opposed to the quantitative meaning of the term khronos). The apostle employs it again in Galatians 6:9: “Let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season [kairos] we shall reap, if we faint not.”
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Resources cited in this issue
RR: Edwards, James R. New International Biblical Commentary—Romans. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992; Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 9, Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
Cit. 3: Coogan, Michael D., et al., eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Cit. 10: Osborne, Grant R., et al., eds. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Vol. 3, Luke. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Academic, 1990–. Also available at biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries.
Cit. 11: Hindson, Edward E., and Dan Mitchell. Zondervan King James Version Commentary: New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010.
Cit. 14: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 5, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
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Scriptural quotations marked New International Reader’s Version™ are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version™, NIrV™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scriptural quotations marked Good News Translation are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition, copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New Century Version® are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
© 2023 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
