Romans 8:29,30
by:
Dan Hill, PhD
Pastor, Southwood Bible Church
7655 South Sheridan Avenue
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74113
E-Mail: hill918@aol.com
Romans 8:29
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.
God's purpose is to conform the believer to His Son Jesus Christ and to
do this for many.
NOW THE PURPOSE OF GOD FOR US can be seen in two ways:
First as to its character:
1. The purpose of God works according to the will of God:
Ephesians 1:11, "Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been
predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel
of His will."
2. The purpose of God does not change:
Ephesians 3:11, "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which
He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord."
3. The purpose of God reveals God's grace plan:
2 Timothy 1:9, "Who [God] has saved us, and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which
was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."
4. The purpose of God works according to his power, not according to our
works:
Philippians 2:13, "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will
and to work for His good pleasure."
5. The purpose of God is fulfilled in His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord [previous
two verses].
Secondly as to the objectives of God's purpose:
Since the fall, God's purpose has been to restore mankind to the relationship
He had with man in Genesis chapter two. This is demonstrated by God seeking
fallen man. Genesis 3:9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to
him, Where are you?
In His provision of skins instead of fig leaves.
Genesis 3:21, "And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and
his wife, and clothed them."
Garments of skins which required a sacrifice that looked ahead to Jesus
Christ.
His purpose was demonstrated in the flood that preserved Noah and his family.
In Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the 430 years Israel incubated in Egypt,
in Moses, in the Law, in the monarchy, in the division of the kingdom, in
the captivity, in the prophets, all the up to the coming of the promise,
Jesus Christ.
This purpose is realized when man believes by faith alone in Christ alone
and when the believer is restored to fellowship with God.
Psalm 51:12, "Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, And sustain me
with a willing spirit."
But God's purpose also extends back prior to the time of the Garden to the
angelic conflict:
I John 3:8, "The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil
has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
that He might destroy the works of the devil."
Satan's work against man began at the fall and continues today in the dual
attacks of independence [I do not need God] and fear [I am afraid of God].
Jesus Christ, in whom the purpose of God is fulfilled, showed us how we
can be victorious over the attacks of independence and fear. The only way
to see this is in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. That is why Satan always
attacks grace. Apart from grace the attacks of independence and fear have
their victory even in the life of the believer.
The prehistoric purpose of God is to demonstrate that He is a God of love
and justice and equity to Satan who accused Him of unfairness in condemning
him to eternity in the Lake of Fire. In accomplishing one purpose regarding
Satan the accuser, God also accomplishes His purpose of restoring fallen
man.
Jesus Christ said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
In the Garden man and woman has the communion with God, the knowledge of
God, and the Life of God. These were lost at the fall. In the book of Job
they are presented as being forever lost by Job's three friends. But Jesus
is the way, back to communion with God. He is the truth, the way back to
the knowledge of God. He is the life, the way back to the life of God.
But God's purpose does not merely deal with the past but also looks ahead
to the future.
God's purpose is to bring us to glory, total, complete, extensive, never
ending, glory in His very presence as adult children in His family.
Romans 8:30
and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these
He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
There are five steps that God takes that stretch from eternity past to eternity
future that stand as being greater than anything we would ever encounter.
These steps fulfill the purpose of God.
1. Whom he foreknew: God's foreknowledge is the result of
His omniscience. The omniscience of God knows all that is knowable. That
which will happen, that which could have happened. Omniscience is unlimited
and knows all the actual and all the alternatives of every decision of freewill
made by every member of the human race.
Omniscience knows it all . . .
a. Foreknowledge is that part of all that is know which will
actually occur.
b. Foreknowledge does not mean fore-ordination. Just because something
is foreknown does not mean that the person having the knowledge before hand
causes the event to occur.
c. Acts 26:4-5 Paul speaking to King Agrippa: So then, all Jews know
my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among
my own nation and at Jerusalem; since they have known about me for a long
time previously, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee
according to the strictest sect of our religion.
They knew but they did not cause.
d. With God's foreknowledge He knows and He plans for blessing and provision
for man based on this foreknowledge.
Simple Illustration: If you have foreknowledge that it is going to rain
that day, you take a rain coat or umbrella to work.
e. The foreknowledge of God deals with existence and long before the foundations
of the earth were set, he knew you and I would exists.
f. And in His foreknowledge He knew that man would sin and that man would
need a Savior.
Acts 2:23, "This Man [Jesus], delivered up by the predetermined plan
and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless
men and put Him to death."
g. God's perfect knowledge of all that would occur allowed Him to establish
His perfect purpose of salvation, restoration and glorification of man.
If any decision of man would have frustrated that perfect purpose God in
His omnipotence predicted that decision from becoming a reality.
NOTE: God does not change the volition only the outworking of volition.
2. From foreknowledge comes PREDESTINATION:
God knew from eternity past that you and I would believe in His Son as our
Savior and He has made a wonderful provision for us and it is called predestination.
a. Predestination is for the believer only and has nothing
to do with man prior to individual faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:5, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
b. Predestination deals with God's goal for the life of His child, the
believer.
Romans 8:29, For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.
c. God predestines us to be conformed to the image of Christ. In this
purpose He provides equal opportunity for every believer.
d. Equal opportunity is founded upon what He gives to us, that is why
it is equal for all believers.
All have the indwelling of the Spirit. All have the pattern of faith alone
at salvation that provides the mechanics for the spiritual life.
Colossians 2:6, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk in Him,
All believers have grace, all believers have the Holy Spirit and the Lord
Jesus Christ praying for them. All of us have the same potential for God
the Holy Spirit producing in us the character of Christ, the fruit of the
Spirit.
e. Predestination does not relate to our eventual destiny in heaven and
certainly not to the UB eventual incarceration in hell. It has to do with
God's goal for us now, in time.
f. God predestine plan for us allows us to say God is in control. He mixes
together just the right amount of prosperity and adversity that we will
be dependent upon Him and all that He provides for us.
3. The third step sees God calling us.
He foreknew that we would put faith in Christ, he provided a perfect plan
for us once we did. Now He calls those for whom set a perfect plan.
a. This is the point at which we get into the picture. Up
until now God in foreknowledge and predestination has acted according to
His mind and His purpose.
b. God calls us by sending His Holy Spirit to draw the sinner to faith
in Christ.
c. Matthew 22:14, For many are called, but few chosen.
The word CALL in that passage looks at a broad call to all who would come.
It was used to call people to a public gathering.
Here in Romans 8:30 the word CALL is KALEW which means to call those who
are expected to come and call in order that they may participate.
Used of a shepherd calling his sheep and of a father calling guests to a
wedding feast.
Calls to privilege, call to duty, call to purpose.
d. So the ones God knew would believe in His Son, and the ones God provided
for once they believed, are now called or drawn by the Holy Spirit to faith
in Christ.
e. Harry Ironside told of giving his testimony as a young man and telling
a crowd of how God called him, how God saved him, how God cleansed him,
how God made him whole in Jesus Christ. All giving glory to God for what
he had done.
A rather legalistic believe came to him afterwards and said Harry, you have
told what God did for you, well what did you do for God.
Harry responded by saying I am sorry, I really should have mentioned that
too. For my part, I was running away from God, I was sinning, I was rejecting,
I was refusing to come to faith . . . but God after me faster than I could
run away.
f. God called you to a purpose and the plan for reality of that purpose
has been in place for you since eternity past.
4. After calling us and when we place faith in Christ the fourth thing
happens, He justifies us.
All along in Romans, especially in Romans 3 and 4, we have being looking
at what it means to be justified. It is God giving the believer in Christ
His +R.
In doing this God gives us the gift of worth, we are worthy in Christ .
. .
II Corinthians 5:21, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Justification declares the believing sinner +R and it is because of that
that we are acceptable to God in the beloved.
Romans 15:7, Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted
us to the glory of God.
5. Once in the plan of God, with equal opportunity, the goal of God in
our lives is that He glorifies us.
Glorification stands at the end of sanctification. But Paul uses an aorist
tense indicating that this has already started and it has. In the process
of progressive sanctification, the believer comes to glorify God more and
more and in turn, is glorified by God in time and eternity. When God glorifies
the believer it is always a reflection of Christ in us...He is honored,
He receive the glory.
Romans 15:9, For Christ has become a servant for the Gentiles to glorify
God for His mercy; as it is written, Therefore I will give praise to Thee
among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Thy name.
The end of God's purpose is that we receive the glory God's plan holds for
us. We have a place in heaven and at the rapture of the Church and our presentation
in heaven we will share in the glory that Christ now has.
Glorification begins at justification, when we are saved. The Holy Spirit
is given to us and the indwelling Holy Spirit becomes the means by which
we glorify God. Glorification (Greek word DOXAZW) means to elevate to a
position of honor. In heaven, every believer will be there in a position
of honor.
And as a result of sanctification some believers will have rewards and therefore
more honor than others.
Romans 8:31 is the application of these steps that God has taken for us
to us:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against
us?
What can we say to all this? THANK YOU!
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