When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, the world was ruled by an empire that promised peace, prosperity, and glory. Augustus Caesar was hailed as the one who had ushered in a new golden age; an age of peace and abundance. Temples, monuments, and poems all declared: “You’ve never had it so good and it’s all because Caesar’s heir is on the throne!”
But Paul knew better. He looked around at the crucifixions, the oppression, the endless wars, and said, “This isn’t peace. This isn’t glory.”
As theologian N.T. Wright puts it, Rome’s so-called golden age was “a parody of the truth.”
That’s because there is only one true golden age, and it isn’t found in political power, military peace, or human progress. It’s found in Jesus Christ.
The False Promises of a “New Age”
The Roman dream isn’t ancient history. Every generation has its own version of the promise: “Things are about to get better.” “This time, we’ll fix it.” “A new age of peace and progress is right around the corner.”
We hear it from leaders, movements, and technologies. We even hear it in the church sometimes; a quiet assumption that because Jesus came, life should now be smooth and pain-free.
But then the suffering hits - the diagnosis, the heartbreak, the loss - and we’re left wondering, “Wait, wasn’t I living in the age of victory? Why does it still hurt?”
That’s when doubt creeps in. We feel caught between two worlds: the one that’s been promised and the one we’re still living in.
Children and Heirs
Paul meets us right there in Romans 8:17-21. He reminds us who we are:
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…”
That’s our identity. We’re not outsiders trying to earn God’s favor. We’re not employees trying to keep our place. We’re family. We’re children of God.
And if that’s true, then everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to us: his victory, his glory, his resurrection, his life.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He adds something we’d rather skip:
“…if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Suffering isn’t a detour from glory, it’s part of the path. It’s not a sign that God has forgotten us, it’s the mark of belonging to Christ.
We want the golden age without the iron age. We want resurrection without the cross. But Paul says they’re inseparable. The suffering is not meaningless; it’s a reminder that this world is not yet what it should be.
Creation Groans with Us
Paul then lifts our eyes beyond our personal pain:
“The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed… in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.”
All of creation - the mountains, the oceans, the stars - is groaning for redemption.
Our world is beautiful but broken. The pain we feel in our own lives echoes in the pain of the planet itself. Yet this groaning is not hopeless; it’s like the pain of childbirth. Something new is coming.
God’s plan is not just to save souls but to renew everything. Every act of kindness, every moment of forgiveness, every tear shed in faith points toward that renewal.
Your story is part of something much bigger than you.
The Ultimate Golden Age
Rome’s golden age was built on conquest and propaganda. The true Golden Age, the one Paul describes, will be built on resurrection.
“The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
That’s the end of the story: Every injustice will be made right. Every tear will be wiped away. Every part of creation will reflect God’s beauty and peace.
That’s the glory waiting for us. That’s the inheritance of the children of God.
Living Like Heirs
So what do we do while we wait? Paul would say: Live like heirs.
Live with courage. You belong to God. You are not ruled by fear or failure.
Live with endurance. Don’t shrink back when life hurts; suffering shapes you into the likeness of Christ.
Live with hope. Nothing is wasted. God is working in your life and in creation itself.
Live with expectation. One day, glory will be revealed, and all that groans will be set free.
Because the real Golden Age isn’t found in empires, politics, or comfort. It’s found in Christ, and you get to live in its light even now.
Even as creation groans, even as we wait, the glory of God is already breaking in. And one day, the waiting will end, and everything - including you - will be made new.
“Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
That’s the promise. That’s our inheritance. And that’s the Golden Age that never fades.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Zac
Questions to Ponder: