<p>8:20- see on Rom. 8:7.</p><p><i>For the creation</i>- Given the way Paul writes of &ldquo;they&rdquo; as opposed to &ldquo;ourselves&rdquo; in 8:23, the creation here perhaps refers to all peoples (or maybe even, all created things) apart from the believers.</p><p><i>Was made subjected to vanity</i>- The connection with the opening of the entire section in Romans 1 continues. There Paul used the same word to describe how sinners &lsquo;become vain&rsquo; (Rom. 1:21). They willingly glory in the fallen state of creation, seeking out every opportunity to gratify sinful desires. Although we are indeed &ldquo;subject to vanity&rdquo;, we don&rsquo;t need to in our own turn &lsquo;become vain&rsquo;. If we can be made free from the daily grind in order to serve God, let us chose it. Let&rsquo;s not fill our minds and lives with the things of basic human existence, gathering food, reproducing, indulging sexual desire. In one sense, as part of God&rsquo;s creation, we are subject to vanity- and perhaps that&rsquo;s why Paul uses the same word in the practical section of Romans to say that we &ldquo;must needs be subject&rdquo; to worldly powers (Rom. 13:1,5). By doing so we accept how things are in creation at this time. The idea of submission is quite a theme in Romans. Our natural mind, the status / person &ldquo;in Adam&rdquo;, isn&rsquo;t submissive to God&rsquo;s law and never can be (Rom. 8:7); the natural creation, of which our fleshly, human side is a part, is subject, in submission to, vanity. Yet we are to submit ourselves- our real selves- to God&rsquo;s righteousness (Rom. 10:3).</p><p><i>Not of its own will</i>- This continues the parallel between the believer in Christ&rsquo;s fallen and weak state, and the state of the entire creation. Again, this is a development of the theme of Rom. 7:15-25- that we sin because of our weakness in dealing with the state we find ourselves in, but our sin isn&rsquo;t wilful- it is in fact committed not willingly, &ldquo;that which I would / will not&rdquo; (Rom. 7:19).</p><p><i>But by reason of Him who subjected it in hope</i>- A reference to God. This is a major deconstruction of the popular idea of &lsquo;Satan&rsquo;, who was and is supposed by many to be the one who has tied the world down under the consequences of sin. But it is&nbsp;<i>God</i>&nbsp;who has done the subjecting, and therefore He has done it &ldquo;in hope&rdquo;, which He will be the One to bring to realization.</p>