What are believers waiting for while they groan within themselves?
Believers who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan within themselves while waiting for the adoption. In the context, the soul and spirit are already redeemed, but the body is what remains to be consummated. So their groaning anticipates the adoption, the final completion of the body.
Les directs attention to Romans 8:22–23, where the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. He then shows that not only creation, but believers themselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan within themselves and wait for the adoption. Earlier he explained that in the eternal state we must be body, soul, and spirit; if the soul and spirit are totally redeemed and have experienced absolute salvation, then the body is what waits to be consummated. The adoption therefore points to that future completion, which he says will be covered further regarding death and being in the presence of the Lord.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
More Questions
Why do believers who have the Spirit groan within themselves in Romans 8:23?
Christians who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan within themselves while they wait for the adoption, which is the redemption of the body.