Q142_091126 Rom. 8:22 The Whole Creation Is Going To Be RedeemedQ142_091126 Rom. 8:22 The Whole Creation Is Going To Be Redeemed
How it Happens with Colin Cook
Colin Cook reflects on Romans 8, linking the universal groaning of creation with addiction, suffering, and the deep longing many people feel. He explains how this shared pain points towards God’s mercy and the hope of future redemption.
14:31•11 Sept 2026
Groaning, Glory and Mercy: Colin Cook on Romans 8 and Addiction
Episode Overview
- Suffering is contrasted with future glory, suggesting present pain is temporary compared with what is promised.
- The whole creation, including unbelieving humanity, is described as groaning with a deep, unnamed longing for redemption.
- God allows people to chase idols that ultimately enslave them, bringing them to the end of themselves so they cry out for mercy.
- Christians share similar suffering to unbelievers and can use that shared experience to help others name their inner emptiness.
- Even believers with the first fruits of the Spirit still groan, waiting for the redemption of their bodies and the return of Christ.
“God has imprisoned all under sin that he may have mercy on all.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? This episode of *How it Happens with Colin Cook* leans hard into that question by turning to Romans Chapter 8 and linking biblical hope with the daily grind of addiction and suffering. Colin focuses on the idea that "the whole creation groans" and connects this groaning to the unnamed ache many people feel, whether it shows up as alcohol dependence, drugs, food, sex, or obsessive worry.
He argues that this inner pain isn’t the sorrow of death, but "the pain and sorrow of a woman about to give birth" – pointing to a new, eternal life emerging rather than a hopeless end. You’ll hear Colin repeat Paul’s sweeping claim that "God has imprisoned all under sin that he may have mercy on all," using it to challenge images of God as a distant judge eager to condemn.
Instead, he presents a God who allows people to run after their idols – technology, money, relationships – until those idols fail, so they finally reach the end of themselves and cry out for mercy. For anyone in recovery, Colin’s message about suffering is especially relevant. He stresses that Christians aren’t pain-free superheroes: "Rubbish.
Stop talking unrealistically and in denial." Even those who have "the first fruits of the Spirit" still groan, waiting for the "redemption of our bodies." That shared experience of struggle becomes a bridge to talk honestly with unbelievers about their own longing and emptiness.
The episode blends scripture teaching with practical spiritual advice: help people name the deep longing they can’t explain, gently point to God as the only one who can fill that emptiness, and remember that fixing your eyes on "the glory to come" can put present suffering in a different light.
If you’re wrestling with addiction or supporting someone who is, this perspective on universal groaning and universal mercy might prompt you to ask: what is that ache inside really pointing you towards?
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