Romans 8:18 (ESV)
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
This verse comes from a section of Romans where Paul the Apostle is discussing the future hope of believers. Paul was not writing as a man unfamiliar with suffering. He endured imprisonment, beatings, shipwrecks, rejection, and constant hardship. Yet he looked at all of it and concluded that future glory would so outweigh present suffering that comparison itself would be inadequate.
What Paul Is Not Saying
Paul is not minimizing pain.
He is not saying suffering is pleasant, easy, or insignificant. Scripture never treats human suffering lightly. Jesus Himself wept. The Psalms are filled with cries of anguish. Paul acknowledges suffering as real and often severe.
Instead, Paul is magnifying something else: the greatness of what God has promised.
The Perspective of Eternity
Most of us naturally evaluate life through the lens of today.
We think about today’s disappointments, today’s health concerns, today’s financial pressures, today’s griefs, and today’s frustrations. Paul invites us to view life through a much larger lens—the lens of eternity.
If a person only sees the present moment, suffering can seem overwhelming and final.
If a person sees eternity, suffering becomes temporary.
That does not make it painless, but it changes its meaning.
How This Applies to Us Today
Many people are carrying burdens that others never see.
Some are dealing with chronic illness.
Some are grieving a loss.
Some are struggling financially.
Some are battling loneliness or anxiety.
Some are discouraged by the apparent success of evil and the apparent silence of God.
Romans 8:18 reminds us that the present chapter is not the entire story.
God’s work is not finished.
The Christian hope is not merely that circumstances will improve. The Christian hope is that God Himself is preparing a future so glorious that every sorrow will eventually be swallowed up in His presence.
A Lesson in Endurance
This verse also teaches endurance.
A marathon runner continues because he sees the finish line.
A farmer plants because he expects a harvest.
A believer perseveres because he trusts God’s promises.
Hope gives strength to continue when circumstances alone would tempt us to quit.
A Personal Reflection
What strikes me most about this verse is Paul’s choice of words: “I consider.”
This is a deliberate conclusion, not merely an emotion.
Paul is not saying, “I feel like suffering is small.”
He is saying, “After weighing both sides, I have reached a judgment.”
He places all the suffering of this present age on one side of the scale and all the glory God has promised on the other. The scale does not merely tip toward glory—it overwhelms the comparison.
For believers today, Romans 8:18 is an invitation to lift our eyes beyond the immediate pain of the moment and remember that God has not promised us a life free from suffering. He has promised something greater: that suffering will not have the final word.
The final word belongs to glory.