Romans 8:23-25
“Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.”
Paul, writing to the Roman believers in the mid-first century CE, is exploring the profound impact of the Holy Spirit on their lives. In this section of chapter 8, he connects the inward experience of the Spirit with the future hope for complete redemption, tying individual experience to the cosmic future.
What does this passage suggest about the nature of hope when facing realities that are not yet fully realized?