Rom 8:17

In verse 17 Paul lays the foundation for the rest of the chapter. He declares that if we are sons, then we are also co-heirs with Christ, but then goes on to talk about sharing in His sufferings and in His glory.

Sharing in His glory is not just about what happens when we go to heaven. Part of what the glory of God means is His excellent character. Paul said in Rom 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. We all fall short of God's excellent character. In Rom 5:2 he says we rejoice in the hope of glory. In Chapters 7 and 8 he has been contrasting seeking to serve God in the new way of the Spirit or by law (Rom 7:2). The promise of the Gospel is that we will become like Christ, and although we only fully see this after Christ returns, we can experience the first fruits of this now.

However, we need to understand that God uses sufferings in order to achieve this (Acts 14:22). In the rest of Chapter 8 Paul talks about the future glory and the difficulties and trials we encounter in life. The trials are not just something to go through or endure, but are the refining process that helps to achieve true glory in our lives.