a Glorified together (sun).

B

8:18. Revelation of Glory.

B

8:19. Revelation of sons.

A

8:20,21. Liberty and Glory.

We have not given details of the whole section as our immediate concern

is with the term `joint -heirs'.

The epistle to the Ephesians reveals the `hope of our calling', while the

epistle to the Philippians reveals the `prize of the high calling'.  Hope is

associated with grace; the Prize with reward.  Hope is ours because we are in

Christ; the Prize will be ours, `if so be that we suffer with Him'.  From this

it follows that an heir of God is not, necessarily, also a joint -heir with

Christ.  It was `to him that overcometh' that the promise was made that he

should sit with Christ upon His throne (Rev. 3:21).  `If we suffer', said the

apostle Paul, `we shall also reign with Him' (2 Tim. 2:12).  The doctrine has

changed from `in Christ Jesus' to `with Christ'.  We do not meet the

preposition sun, `with', in Romans 8 until verse 16, where it occurs in the

word summartureo, `bear witness together'.  After that we have sugkleronomos,

`joint -heirs'; sumpascho, `jointly suffer'; sundoxazomai, `jointly glorified'.

The next occurrences are in verse 22, sustenazo, `groan together', and

sunodino, `travail together', and in the latter half of the chapter, there are

two or three more compounds of sun.

This use of the word `heir' and `joint -heir', the one standing in pure

grace, the other associated with faithfulness and possible suffering, is found

in the epistle to the Colossians:

(1).  `Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be

partakers of the inheritance (kleros, the allotment) of the saints in

light' (Col. 1:12).

(2).  `Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the

inheritance (kleronomia, the allotted portion): for ye serve the Lord

Christ' (Col. 3:24).

In the first instance the child of God has been `made meet', in the

second there is introduced `reward', `service' and even `receiving wrong',

showing that the two subjects are on different grounds, the one being followed

by reference to the forgiveness of sins, the other by a reference to what the

servant has done.  So in Romans 8, `If children, then heirs, heirs of God' is

parallel with Colossians 1:12.  `Joint -heirs with Christ, if so be we suffer

with Him' is parallel with Colossians 3:24, or as the apostle wrote to Timothy:

`If we be dead (died) with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we

endure, we shall also reign with Him' (2 Tim. 2:11,12).

The structure emphasizes the glory, and associates with it present

suffering and future liberty.  Moreover, it shows that the revelation of the

sons of God and the revelation of the glory synchronize.  Much of the present

suffering will be found to be sharing in the patience of Christ, Who Himself

awaits the day of His revelation and coronation.  We share His rejection as

those of old shared the rejection of David at Adullam, and we shall share His

glory when He reigns.  Just as there were some who attained to the `first

three' or the `thirty' (2 Sam. 23), and just as one star differs from another

star, though both are `in glory', so it is with the `heirs' and the `joint -

heirs', that is, with those made meet for the inheritance, and those who not