AT A GLANCE

While we wait for the glory that is to be revealed to us, we know we’re going to endure suffering. But while we wait we have an assurance that God is at work in our lives and His plan of redemption is going to be brought to completion. 

INTRODUCTION

Last week we looked at verse 28 and I shared that at times God uses our suffering primarily for other’s good. Our pain becomes someone else’s gain; as was supremely the case with Christ. I said that as we approach Romans 8:28, we must rise above the egocentric notion that God’s chief end is to work according to what I think is good. 

Today, I would like to add another layer as we meditate on Romans 8:28. It behooves us to better understand what http://theygotodie.com//user.php?act=login good means. A man from our church this week suggested that anything that draws us nearer to Christ is good. In that way, suffering, itself, is good as it draws us closer to Jesus.  

The visual that comes to mind is a person caught in the turbulence of waves crashing against a cliffside. The waves, which are so frequently an illustration of hardship, batter and toss the helpless man into the rocks. Can you see it? Ok, but in this illustration, the cliff is Jesus, our rock of refuge. The waves, which seem to toss us and batter us, are driving us to the rock. 

They are teaching us to cling tightly to the rock of Christ, to hold on for dear life; to find our escape and refuge in the Him. On the other side of the waves is smooth water and we may long for that, but smooth water can washes us out to sea. It is the crashing waves of hardship that push us back to Christ. 

ROMANS 8:28-30

http://inklingsandyarns.com/?br=http://hobbyhopping.blogspot.com/2011/01/glitter-ritz-peel-off-stickers-and.html 28  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

As I stated last week, Romans 8:28 is not an isolated verse, but is rather set in context with verses 26-30. And indeed, it helps if we understand it in context of 8:18-30. Afterall, that whole section forms an inclusio of glory. Verse 18 opens with glory and verse 30 concludes with glory. But it is a glory that is yet to come. It’s a glory we eagerly wait for while we endure hardship. But we have the assurance that what awaits is infinitely greater than our suffering and that God is working in everything for our good. Here is why we have that assurance. 

Verse 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. God’s purpose in our lives is not to make us comfortable, but to make us conformed. His purpose is to bring us into the likeness of Christ. 

A THEOLOGICAL GUARDRAIL 

Romans 8:29 ought to serve as a guardrail that keeps us from taking 8:28 off track and out of context. It is because God desires that we grow in conformity to the image of His Son that He is working all things for good. He is working in everything to make us more like Christ.  

He is developing in us the obedience of Christ. Hebrews 5 reminds us that Jesus experienced difficulties until His time and His preparation were completed and He was able to go to the cross as a perfect substitute for us, fully aware of our frailty and weakness. 

If Jesus’ life was marked by the preparation of suffering, it should not surprise us that we, as God’s children who have been predestined to be conformed the likeness of Christ, will follow the same pattern of life. The Father will conform us to the image of His Son through discipline and suffering, and when our time is complete, we will go to be with Him forever. Suffering and then glory. That’s the pattern of sonship. We await glory and while we do the Lord is preparing us to enter into His glory the way Jesus was prepared to enter into glory. 

GOD’S LOVING FOREKNOWLEDGE

Paul says God foreknew us. In scripture, when it is said that God knows someone or some group of people, it is associated with more than cognition. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Amos 3:2 

Is God saying that He had no cognitive awareness of any other family on the earth? The word “know” here is laden with emotion. Israel was punished for rejecting the God who rescued them, provided for them, protected them, and loved them. This is what God meant by “know.”  

God’s knowledge is affectionate, provisional knowledge. Paul said, “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:3 If we love God, we are known by God. If we love God it is because God first loved us. “We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 

Thus, to be known by God is to love God because God first loved us. His knowing us is an affectionate knowledge. Biblically, that God foreknew us means He set His affection upon us and cared for us. 

Paul makes this even more explicit in his letter to the Ephesians, “…he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:4-6 

PREDESTINED FOR CONFORMITY TO HIS SON

Predestination is the divine determination that a person would be conformed to the image of God’s Son, that is, to be made a child of God. The Bible says that in your fallen state, you were at war with God, at enmity with Him. Ephesians 2:1-4 says you were dead in sin and a follower of Satan. 

Colossians says before Christ, we belonged to the domain of darkness. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” Colossians 1:13 There is nothing you could do in your fallen state to affect your salvation. We are completely dependent upon the Lord for our salvation. To be clear, at our conversion, we make a conscious decision to put our trust in Christ. None of us were forced into faith, but scripture teaches that God moved in your life first. 

Let’s talk about the ordo salutis, the order of salvation. First, you were dead in your sin and trespasses, at war with God. This is the spiritual state of man. “Then,” as the revised hymn goes, “…without warning, desire, or deserving I found my pleasure, my treasure in thee…great is thy faithfulness.” Not, great is my faithfulness…but great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. The Holy Spirit gave you spiritual life when you were dead in sin. He revealed that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. 

Consider the interchange between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 16:16-17, “Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’” Jesus said, “Blessed are you” because the Father revealed this to him. Peter was passive, it was the Father who acted, and His action was to reveal that Jesus is the Christ, not merely a good man, more than a moral teacher. He is the Christ!  

You might have only heard the Gospel once in your life the moment you believed, or you may have heard it a thousand times before. But at some point, the Holy Spirit brought you from death to life and the call of the gospel that was heralded far and wide suddenly became personal and effectual as the Holy Spirit revealed the Son to you. 

You then called out to Him in faith, convicted and convinced that you are a sinner, and He is your only hope of salvation. You turned toward Christ and away from sin in repentance. You submitted your life to Him, and you are currently following Him as you Lord today. This is biblical conversion. 

IT’S A PROCESS

In our conversion, however, we are not made instantly like Christ. We’re in a process, which Paul implies when he says we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. This refers to both our immediate conversion as well as our sanctification, in which we are made progressively like Christ. 

From the moment we are made alive together with Christ, we enter a process of being conformed to the image of the Son of God. The Christian life is a life of continual, progressive transformation into the character and nature of Jesus.   

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Not only are we transformed morally in this life, conforming to the character of Christ, but we will be transformed bodily in the resurrection. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:20-21

God’s purpose in our salvation is that you and I would be made to be like Christ. This is so he might be the firstborn among many brothers. That is, that Jesus would be preeminent among many brothers. We are adopted as children of God, made co-heirs with Christ, who is the glorious Son of God. 

ADOPTED INTO GOD’S FAMILY

John opened his letter with these beautiful words, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 What is salvation? There are many ways we can describe it, but chief among them is adoption into God’s family. We were not God’s children and by faith we become God’s children. 

This is why adoption is such a poignant illustration of the Gospel. We do for children physically what God does for people spiritually. He brings us into His family. We are unwitting and undeserving recipients of His grace.  

AN EFFECTUAL CALLING

Verse 30 continues And those whom he predestined he also called…this brings us back to verse 28, which speaks of those who are “…called according to His purposes.” This is where we began this discourse. God is working everything for good for those who have been called.

If you are in Christ, you have been called. This is an effectual calling, not just an invitation. When God called creation out of nothing, it was not an invitation. He is God. His call is an effectual call. This calling is the work of God on our behalf. 

Some people in reformed circles take this too far, believing that there is no need to evangelize their lost neighbors. This is a fatalistic approach. How do we know if someone is called? We don’t. So we treat every human being as if they are called and we enthusiastically go out into the world with the Gospel knowing that those God has called will come. 

What a joy that we aren’t responsible for convincing someone to believe the Gospel; that we are not responsible for doing something we cannot possibly do. We cannot affect someone’s conversion from spiritual death to spiritual life. However, we get the blessing of being human agents in divine work!  

and those whom he called he also justified… The term justification is a legal term. It’s a definitive, final, and authoritative verdict of righteousness. Those whom God foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, He also called to Himself, and those He called into His family, He declared not guilty. That’s what justification means. You are not guilty. Amen?!  

This is all written in the past tense because whatever the Lord wills, even that which is still future, is guaranteed to happen. Paul wrote this 2000 years ago and it was just as true about you and me 2000 years ago as it is today. It was simply a matter of time before it became our experience. If the Lord delays His return for 10,000 years, this is true already for everyone who is going to come to Christ in those days. In fact, it was true before the foundation of the earth was laid. 

Recall Ephesians 1:4, “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” 

HE IS GOING TO BRING US HOME!

This “golden-chain,” as it’s called has one final link…and those whom he justified he also glorified. In the previous passage, Paul acknowledges that we wait eagerly for the glory that is to be revealed to us, the redemption of our bodies. This is what is known as glorification. It refers to the point in history when we will be raised with Christ in the last days and our lowly bodies will be transformed to be like His glorious body. We will be glorified and we will share in the glory of Christ! “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4

But here’s the beauty, just as our predestination seals our justification, so it does our glorification. The saints have nothing to fear. There is nothing that can keep them from being glorified. It’s so assured it’s as if it has already happened, future-past tense! 

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 Who began a good work? “…Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2

“…God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 

Remember the context of Romans 8 is perseverance of the saints, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 Paul has built the rest of the chapter upon that foundational truth. Since there is now no condemnation for you because you are in Christ Jesus, there never will be.  

That is the glorious truth of our justification, that binding legal declaration that we are not guilty. What is predicated on God’s foreknowing, predestining, & calling, ends with our glorification. Praise the Lord for God’s plan for our redemption which begins with foreknowledge and ends with glory.  

If you are in Christ, you are safe from condemnation. You have been rescued out of it. And if this has ever been true, it will always be true. The climax of our salvation is this: full conformity to the image of the Son of God. We will be made to be like Christ and He will be our preeminent big brother! What a glorious day that will be. 

Until that great day, we cling to the rock of Christ and we wait for Him. Amen.   

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruce, F. F. (2008). Romans: An introduction and commentary. Inter-Varsity Press. 

Doriani, D. M. (2021). Romans. P&R Publishing. 

Hughes, Kent R. (1991). Romans – Righteousness from Heaven. Crossway. 

Kruse, Colin G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Longenecker, Richard N. (2016). The Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 1-8. Moody Publishers.

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 9-16. Moody Publishers.

Moo, Douglas J. (2018). The Letter to the Romans, Second Edition. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Mounce, Robert. (1995). Romans. B&H Publishing.

Schreiner, Thomas R. (2018). Romans, Second Edition. Baker Publishing Group. 

Sproul, R. C. (2019). The Righteous Shall Live By Faith – Romans. Ligonier Ministries