“The sufferings of this present time” — what Paul meant, and the promise in the verses that follow.
Romans 8 is part of Paul's letter to the church in Rome, widely regarded as his most systematic explanation of Christian belief. The chapter follows several chapters wrestling with sin, law, and grace, and turns to a sweeping argument that nothing can separate believers from God's love — verse 18 opens that turn.
Romans 8:18, King James Version.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18, King James Version
"For I reckon"Romans 8:18a, King James Version
“Reckon” is an accounting term — Paul is presenting a calculated conclusion, not just an emotional hope.
"that the sufferings of this present time"Romans 8:18b, King James Version
Paul doesn't minimize suffering; he names it directly, likely including the real persecution the early Roman church faced.
"are not worthy to be compared"Romans 8:18c, King James Version
A deliberate weighing of two things against each other — not a denial that suffering is real or hard, but a claim about its relative weight.
"with the glory which shall be revealed in us"Romans 8:18d, King James Version
The comparison point isn't relief from suffering, but a future “glory” Paul says will be revealed — language he expands throughout the rest of the chapter.
Ten verses later, Paul writes one of the Bible's most quoted lines: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28) — often read as the completion of the thought verse 18 begins.
Paul catalogs his own beatings, imprisonments, and shipwrecks elsewhere (2 Corinthians 11:23–27), which gives extra weight to a claim about suffering coming from him specifically.
Romans 8 ends with Paul's declaration that nothing — not death, life, or anything else — “shall be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38–39).