Romans 8:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

As for heaven also, which has grown old together with the earth and will afterward have a better lot, listen to what the prophet says: 'In the beginning, O Lord, Thou didst found the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They will perish, but Thou remainest. They will all grow old like a garment. Like a cloak Thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed' (Ps 102:25-26). Isaiah also cries out: 'Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens are established like smoke, and the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell on the earth will die like these' (Is 51:6).

Have you understood how creation served vanity and how it is freed from corruption? One says, 'Like a cloak Thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed.' Isaiah says, 'those who dwell on the earth will die like these.' He is not indicating complete destruction, since those who dwell on the earth, that is, human beings, will undergo not final but temporary destruction, from which they will pass into immortality. So also creation.

All this the prophet expressed in the words, 'they will die like these.' Paul later says the same. For the moment he is speaking about slavery and showing whence it arose, and he considers us ourselves to be the cause.

What then? Has creation been wronged by undergoing this because of another? Not at all, because it exists for me. If it exists for me, how can it be wronged when it endures this for my correction? In general, the concepts of justice and injustice should not be applied to what is soulless and without sense.

But after personifying creation, Paul does not enter into further arguments about what was said. He hastens to comfort the hearer as much as possible by another thought. What thought? What are you saying, he reasons. Has creation suffered evil through you and become corruptible? Yet no wrong has been done to it by this, because through you it will again become incorruptible. This is indicated by the word 'in hope.'

When he says, 'it was subjected not willingly,' he does not show by these words that creation possesses reason. Rather, he instructs you that everything was the work of Christ's care, not of creation's merit.

Therefore creation itself also will be set free. Not only you, but even what is far lower than you, having neither soul nor sense, will participate with you in the blessings. It will no longer be corruptible, but will become suited to you. When your body became corruptible, creation also became corruptible. Likewise, when your body becomes incorruptible, creation too will become incorruptible.

Therefore, if creation has suffered for you, you too must endure suffering for God. If it hopes to be glorified, much more should you hope to be glorified. A father clothes servants in fine garments for the honor of his sons. So also God has preserved creation for our honor.

Here he calls vanity those who live in vanity, that is, in fleshly thoughts. Of them one may say, quite rightly, 'Man is like vanity' (Ps 144:4). One may even say that he was compared to the senseless beasts and became like them (Ps 49:12). For the life of such people is truly vanity.

Creation is subjected to them, and certainly in no way willingly. From where would that come? Shall we really say such a thing? Sensible and visible creation knows absolutely nothing of what concerns us, for it is not rational. But if one should nevertheless admit the thought that it can do something, it would not have endured such shameful slavery. It would not have wished to submit and serve those who have decided to conduct their life without any necessary or good aim.

Yet in hope that the saints and elect will be saved in their time, says the Apostle, it submits until now. God binds it and, as it were, preserves it for freedom, so that it may serve only His children and attend to the needs of the elect. It is almost as though it remains in turmoil, tormented and grieving. If it had the power to know anything of our circumstances, it would perhaps even weep aloud. But yielding to divine commands, it somehow awaits, as I have said, the revelation of the sons of God (Rom 8:19).

Therefore the Apostle says that visible creation awaits this change, because it became subject to change not willingly, but out of love for the decree of the Creator. Seeing His care for us, it hopes for this change, 'that creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption.' Divine David also bears witness to creation's changeability. For after mentioning heaven and earth, he added, 'They will perish, but Thou remainest' (Ps 102:26).

So that no one might think the Apostle's words refer to some other creation, he added: 'For creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but because of Him Who subjected it in hope' (Rom 8:20). Do you see that creation did not wish to obey and serve Adam after he transgressed the commandment of God, because it saw that he had fallen away from divine glory?

For this reason, before the creation of the world, God predestined man's salvation through the regeneration he was to receive by the incarnate divine economy of Christ. On this basis He subjected creation to man and subjected it to corruption, since man, for whom it had been created, became corruptible. Thus it would provide him each year with corruptible food. He determined that when He renewed man and made him incorruptible, immortal, and spiritual, He would then renew all creation together with him and make it eternal and incorruptible.

This is what the Apostle revealed in the words quoted: 'Creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but because of Him Who subjected it in hope.' That is, creation obeyed human beings not by itself, and it did not become corruptible by its own will, giving corruptible fruits and producing thorns and thistles. Rather, it submitted to the command of God, Who appointed this for it in hope that He would renew it again.

To assure us of this more fully, the Apostle finally says: 'Creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God' (Rom 8:21). Do you see that all this creation was incorruptible in the beginning and was created by God in the order of paradise? But afterward it was subjected by God to corruption and submitted to the vanity of men.

Nevertheless, God, Who subjected it to vanity, placed in it the hope of a better state, the striving to preserve itself from death and destruction, and the capacity to serve man for a higher, spiritual, and holy life, in accordance with creation's original purpose.

Subjection to vanity and bondage to corruption signify the present dim condition of visible creation.

Subjection to vanity may also mean that creation came to serve man’s many acquired needs. Among these are many unnecessary, empty, vain, passionate, and sinful things.

More directly, vanity means the instability of what comes to be. It is the same as bondage to corruption.

Ambrosiaster writes: “What does it mean, ‘was subjected to vanity,’ if not that everything born from it is unstable and inconstant?

“It labors to produce corruptible fruits. Corruption itself is vanity. For everything brought forth in the world is unstable and changeable, and thereby vain.

“It is vain because it cannot preserve its own state. In it everything flows, changes its form, and is agitated.

“Solomon also understood this when he said that all is vanity (see Eccles 1:2). Everything in it is composed and dissolved. It does not remain.

“Yet under this flux there is plainly hidden something permanent, unchangeable, and better. Looking into that hidden better thing, the Apostle counts it as essential.

“He regards creation’s unattractive appearance as accidental. He says, ‘It was subjected, not willingly.’”

“Not willingly”; but creation has no will. Everything in it exists and happens according to the will of Him who created it.

This means that, according to God’s plans, creation was not meant to be in such a state. The Almighty was compelled to place it in this condition by the fall of its head, man.

Since this latter event entered in, He found it necessary to subject creation, made for man, to the same thing to which man had fallen by his own choice.

But how? Did He, foreseeing man’s fall, create creation as it was fitting for it to be under a fallen head?

Was this with the intention that, when the fallen one was restored, He would raise creation to the measure of his restored condition?

Or was creation made in a better state, as the first-formed man also was, and then led down into a worse state when man fell?

Was this with the intention that it would again be restored in a better form when its head was restored? The holy Apostle does not decide this.

He looks at what exists and foretells what will be, without lifting the veil that hides creation’s beginning from us.

Our interpreters do the same. Only in passing do they express themselves in ways that seem to incline now toward the first view, now toward the second.

Blessed Theodoret writes: “Here the Apostle teaches that all visible creation received a mortal nature as its lot, because the Creator of all foresaw Adam’s transgression and the mortal sentence that would be pronounced upon him.

“It would have been unfitting and unjust for what was created for him to receive incorruption as its lot, while he himself, for whose sake all this was created, was corruptible and mortal.

“But when he receives immortality through the resurrection, then what was created for him will likewise receive incorruption as its lot.

“Therefore the Apostle says that visible creation awaits this change, because it became changeable not willingly, but out of love for the decree of Him who created it.

“Seeing His care for us, it hopes for this change.”

“In hope,” apart from the personification, means that this was God’s original plan. Creation would remain in such a lamentable state only for a time, while men remained in the same state.

When they enter the glory foreordained for them, then it too will be clothed in the bright garment of incorruption.

The Apostle strictly maintains the correspondence between the states of man and visible creation.

Saint Chrysostom says: “What does it mean that ‘creation was subjected to vanity’? It became corruptible. For what reason and because of what? Because of you, O man.

“Since you received a mortal body, subject to sufferings, the earth too was subjected to the curse and brought forth thorns and thistles.

“And that heaven also, having grown old, will finally have a better lot, listen to the Prophet: ‘In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands.

“‘They shall perish, but You remain. They all shall grow old like a garment, and like clothing You shall fold them up, and they shall be changed’ (cf. Ps 101:26-27).

“Do you see how creation, having served vanity, will be freed from corruption? He says, ‘Like clothing You shall fold them up, and they shall be changed.’

“Paul says the same thing later. Here he speaks about creation’s bondage to corruption and shows whence it came, considering us ourselves to be the cause.

“What then? Since creation endures this for another, does it suffer injustice? Not at all. It exists for my sake.

“If it exists for my sake, what injustice is done to it when it endures this for my correction?

“Besides, one cannot even apply the notion of just and unjust to what is inanimate and without sensation, except by placing creation in a ministerial relation to man.

“But the Apostle does not enter into such reasonings. He hastens to set forth another thought.

“What are you saying, he reasons, that creation suffered evil through you and became corruptible? No injustice has been done to it by this, because through you it will again become incorruptible.

“This is what ‘in hope’ means.”