I would like to call your attention this evening to the words found in Paul's Epistle to the Romans in Chapter 8, verse 26 and 27,

in the 8th chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans.

Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities,

for we know not what we should pray for as we ought,

but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us

with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts,

knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints

according to the will of God. Now here we come to a fresh statement.

The word likewise at the beginning of verse 26

reminds us immediately

that the apostle is at any rate

adding on to what he has just been dealing with.

There we've seen in verses 24 and 25 that the

apostle was summing up his great argument about the place of tribulations and trials

in the life of the Christian and showing him how he should overcome them. He sums it up, he says, we are saved in hope.

That's the whole position in which we are.

And then he goes on to drive it home as we've seen

by saying that hope that he's seen is not hope for what a man sees as why does he yet hope for.

And that therefore our position must be this, that we go on in hope for that which we see not. And we do so with patience and yet earnest expectation. We are earnestly waiting through patience for that hope which we have not yet seen, but which we believe and of which we are assured.

Very well. Now then he goes on, likewise. And here at once we are confronted by a question.

What exactly is the connection introduced by the word likewise?

And here there are two main suggestions which have been put before us by the various commentators

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