Even now, in this world, saints are God's children—but men cannot see it! They might catch glimpses through certain moral characteristics, but the adoption is not manifested. The children are not yet openly declared.

Among the Romans, a man might adopt a child and keep it private for years. But there was a second adoption—a public one. The child would be brought before the authorities, the old garments stripped away, and the father would clothe his new son or daughter in raiment suitable to their new condition of life.

"Beloved, now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet appeared." We are not yet arrayed in the apparel which befits the royal family of heaven! We are wearing in this flesh and blood just what we wore as the sons of Adam. But we know that when He shall appear—the firstborn among many brethren—we shall be like Him. We shall see Him as He is.

Cannot you imagine it? A child taken from the lowest ranks of society, adopted by a Roman senator, would say to himself, "I long for the day when I shall be publicly adopted! Then I shall cast off these plebeian garments and be robed as becomes my senatorial rank!" Happy in what he has received—for that very reason he groans to get the fullness of what is promised him.

So it is with us today. We are waiting to put on our proper garments and be manifested as the children of God. We are young nobles who have not yet worn our coronets. We are young brides, and the marriage day has not yet come—and by the love our Spouse bears us, we are led to long and sigh for the bridal morning.

Our very happiness makes us groan after more! Our joy, like a swollen spring, longs to well up like an Iceland geyser, leaping to the skies—and it heaves and groans within our spirit for want of space and room by which to manifest itself to men.