Romans 8:14-21 - The Yeast Of The Pharisees And Herod

¹⁴ For all of those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the Holy Spirit, to enslave you again to fear, [Note: Some translators take "Holy Spirit" here to be "spirit," making the verse say "you did not receive the spirit of slavery"], but you received the Holy Spirit [who produces] sonship, so we can call out, "Abba", [which means] "Father." ¹⁶ The Holy Spirit Himself bears testimony [along] with our [human] spirit that we are the children of God. ¹⁷ And if we are [His] children, then we have an inheritance from God [i.e., blessings here and hereafter] and are fellow-sharers with Christ [of such blessings], providing we [are willing to] suffer with Him, so we can also be honored with Him [i.e., in the future life. See verses 18-25].

¹⁸ For I consider that our present sufferings do not deserve to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us [i.e., in the future life]. ¹⁹ For [all] creation [Note: "Creation" here refers to the material heavens and earth, and is personified through verse 23] is eagerly waiting for the children of God to be revealed [i.e., in their glorious state]. ²⁰ But God subjected the created world to aimless frustration [i.e., after the fall. See Gen. 3:17-18] --- it did not happen by its own choice. Yet there was hope ²¹ that the created world itself would be freed from its slavery to corrupting influences [i.e., produced by the fall] and receive the glorious freedom which belongs to God's children.