And that’s not all. We have the first signs of what the Spirit will give us fully, but we also are groaning inside as we wait for our adoption to be finalized.
In the same way, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. He will also come a second time, not to take away our sins, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him.
The Spirit is a guarantee that someday we’ll receive all that God has promised. That will happen after God sets all his people completely free. All these things will bring praise to his glory.
Dear friends, now we are children of God. We don’t know yet what we will be. But we know that when Christ appears, we’ll be like him, because we’ll see him as he really is.
These have come to show that your faith is genuine. This will bring praise, honor, and glory to God when Jesus Christ returns. Your faith is worth even more than gold, because gold can be destroyed even after fire has made it pure.
Now there’s a crown waiting for me, the crown that’s given to those who are right with God. The Lord, who judges fairly, will give it to me on the day he returns, and not only to me, but also to all those who are longing for him to return.