Romans 8:18-23 Revisited: A Taste for Glory
- Lance Lefler
- Apr 3, 2011
- Series: the Gospel
- Media Links
- Launch Jukebox
- Download
- Subscribe
Is God an acquired taste?
In Romans 8:23 the Apostle Paul says we "groan" as we wait for our bodies to be redeemed. He paints a picture of Christians longing to be freed from sin and glorified with God in heaven. And in this longing we groan because this world stinks and we've tasted a little of the next world.
But do you groan? What do you groan about? Do you long for heaven or do you want to lose your virginity first or get married or be successful in your business or see your grandchildren born?
The Absurdity of Acquired Tastes: Have you ever acquired a taste for something, like coffee or beer or escargot (snails)? If you've ever tasted something nasty and then someone told you, "It's an acquired taste," you just think they're nuts. Unless you've acquired a taste for something. Then you know.
It seems like the glory of God, the totality of his perfections, is an acquired taste. This is absurd because how could the most perfect Creator of the world be so hard to like? Because of our sinful limitations. We are a mixed bag of desires and delights in this life. Sometimes we put God first, sometimes video games and food.
That is why--once we've tasted the goodness of God--we groan. We hate that we are so easily amused with inferior delights.