I preach what I think is a ‘no-nonsense gospel message’ …last Sunday I shared with you a controversial verse in Scripture that seems to present the idea that God’s desire for you is to give you a comfortable existence…that is not God’s desire for you.
A verse that seems to suggest that when bad things happen in your life God is somehow obligated…mysteriously…and magically to intervene to turn bad things into good things because Scripture says…NO He doesn’t.
For some that’s an unpopular way of presenting the Gospel because it doesn’t present a self-motivating carnal message that temporarily allows you to feel better about yourself…your lifestyle…your relationship with God…or the fact you might be outside of God’s will for your life.
For those of you familiar with the name Martyn Lloyd-Jones…he describes how preachers should present God’s Word…”any man who speaks dispassionately about the Scripture has no right to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 97.
The problem is that American Christians interpret Scripture through the lens of being an American…that God’s intention is to bless America…protect America …that our form of government is the most favored by God…fostered in part because we sing God Bless America during seventh inning stretches at baseball games.
I’ve preached the same way for over 50 years…they have a name for it…didn’t know it had a name until I went to seminary…it’s called expository preaching.
It’s a form of preaching that details a particular passage—by explaining what the text means—by what it says—by carefully drawing out the exact meaning of the passage in its original context.
Last Sunday that controversial verse that seems to present the idea that God’s desire for you is to give you a comfortable existence was Romans 8:28.
28 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]
A verse that has been misused for years to suggest that when bad things happen in your life God is somehow going to intervene to turn whatever was bad into something good…that’s an Americanization of that verse…NO He doesn’t.
This verse is frequently used as a source of comfort BUT…in actuality it is one of the most misused verses in the Bible.
At first glance it might be hard to imagine how such a simple, straightforward verse could be so misconstrued…misrepresented…and abused.
If you have been in church any length of time you’ve probably heard this verse applied to virtually every hardship…disappointment…and trial that believers encounter…it’s an all-purpose catch-all spiritual salve for every situation… here’s the Biblical truth:
KEY 1) God is working in all circumstances not to fulfill OUR purpose for our lives…but to fulfill His purpose through our lives.
Although the verse says: …that in all things God works for the good…we should be careful to understand what the promise is not:
…it is not for our circumstances to change
…it’s not the promise of a new and better job
…it’s not the promise to give us a more comfortable existence
…it’s not the promise of a complete physical healing
…of acquiring money
…it’s not a promise for our ease and comfort
…it’s not that God is going to ‘fix’ what is bad so you can go through life as though nothing happened.
So what is the ‘good’ that God wants?…the answer is found in the following verse: to be conformed to the image of His Son.
God is not working to make us happy…BUT…to fulfill His purpose.
This morning we’re looking at the next two verses of Scripture that is tied to this verse…verses that are extremely controversial…there is an on-going argument regarding these verses that has gone on for hundreds of years…there are books written for and against what Paul seems to be suggesting in these two verses.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Paul starts the ‘discussion’ with the word ‘for’…the words ‘for’ and ‘because’ are more accurately classified as terms of explanation…often functioning as connective words which seek to make something clear and understandable.
In this case the word ‘for’ is the connecting word that shows the reason why… all things work together for good to them that love God.
Paul explains in verses 29-30 what the good is that God is working to achieve in your life…they are the foundation for verse 28…beginning in [29] Paul reveals what has been known throughout Church history as the Golden Chain of Salvation.
Paul shows us a chain God has bound us with…yet another verse that confirms and secures our salvation…a chain that stretches back into eternity past and stretches forward into future eternity…a chain that will never be broken.
There are five links in this golden chain…each link in this chain is tightly tied to the other links in an orderly way so as to provide absolute security for God’s people…the links are: foreknowledge…predestination…called…justified… and glorified.
Notice…nothing to do with redemption…no mention of regeneration…of faith…repentance…or sanctification…clearly the point is not to provide us with a picture of our salvation…rather…Paul’s desire is for us to know that these five links define how invincible our salvation truly is.
Paul begins with ‘foreknew’…in the Bible God alone has foreknowledge… foreknowledge is based on the omniscience of God…God alone knows everything beforehand…nothing is outside of His knowledge—past, present, or future…nothing is hidden from God.
It is only a fool who thinks he can hide from God (Psalm 10:11; Psalm 11:4-5; Proverbs 15:11; Isaiah 29:15-16 )…God knows completely the thoughts and actions of every human being (Psalm 139:1).
What then does it mean for God to “know” people?
For whom he did foreknow…
The starting point of Paul’s chain of events begins with ‘whom He foreknew’. “Knowing” in Scripture refers to an intimate, personal relationship… as when Adam “knew” his wife Eve and she conceived…[Gen 4:1] or Mary’s surprised reaction when ‘she was found to be with Child’ and her response was ‘how will this be since I do not know a man’ [Luke 1:34].
When the Bible speaks of God “knowing” someone, it is speaking of an active love…not a merely passive knowledge about people…that’s why salvation is not just the knowing about Jesus…it’s having a personal relationship with Him.
Paul’s chain of events begins with God entering into an intimate relationship with people…God first knew and loved us…and therefore attracted us to the saving knowledge of who He is (Mt 7:23 / 1Co 8:3 / 2Ti 2:19 / Joh 15:16 / Php 3:12).
This is seen in Paul’s statement in Galatians [4:9] …“But now that you know God—or rather are known by God”.
Because of God’s intimate relationship with us Paul describes where that relationship is heading…he moves from one difficult term to another…this is where thing get real confusing real fast.
Without making this complicated…Paul moves from being foreknown where God enters into an intimate relationship with people…to being predestined by God:
whom He foreknew He predestined
Three Things Concerning Predestination
1) God has always had a predestined plan regarding His Son
Before the world was even created…God had a plan to provide salvation to all people through His Son Jesus Christ….for all who would believe.
2) God has predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son.
Goes back to 8:28…what is the ‘good’ that God is going to do?…the answer to what the ‘good’ is: to be conformed to the image of His Son.
That is the whole essence of the Christian life…to know God more intimately… finding our place in His purpose for our lives…to have our character molded into the likeness of Jesus…and to walk in His ways and be conformed to the
likeness of His Son.
3) God has a predestined purpose for His people
God’s purpose for people was not an afterthought….it was predestined…a plan that was purposed before the foundation of the world…God loves you enough to give you a place in His plan.
Any Christian who has an understanding of predestination believes the Bible clearly teaches it…before the world began God purposed a plan for everyone who chooses to become a Christian.
It’s a plan that is in accordance with His will…God gives us opportunities for service…it was never God’s intent that once we become Christians we just sit around and wait for heaven…problem…not all Christians understand what is meant by it.
KEY 3)…some elect to seek that purpose for which God “predestined” them …. others openly reject it…
In a nutshell the issue of foreknowledge and predestination is this…two views… which will produce hours of debate…that you don’t care about…trust me…you really don‘t care.
Depending on if you agree with James Arminius or with the Augustine-Luther-Calvin line of thinking…when explaining the concepts of God’s foreknowledge and predestination…both are in disagreement with each other…but both attempt to explain how God draws non-believers to Himself using the same Bible verses… see how confusing that is.
That’s what happens when people read into Scrip¬ture their own ideas and they don’t properly consider the way a word is used in the Bible.
Here’s the Reader’s Digest summary:
…Arminians believe that God draws everyone to Himself
… Calvinists believe that God draws only a limited number…just hope you’re in the limited number group
…Arminians believe that God’s grace can be rejected
… Calvinists believe that God’s call to grace cannot be rejected.
I prefer to agree with John Wesley’s concept of how God draws everyone to Himself because it’s Biblical…it’s not just a limited number…God didn’t look into the future and choose whom he would save based on foreseen faith.
God’s call for salvation is unlimited…it goes out to every person…this is where the phrase “you were called” comes in.
And those whom He predestined He also called…
What does this mean? …God has known you from eternity past…at a specific moment in time God’s grace comes in contact with our lives…God’s purpose for you occurred before time began…but your calling occurs in time.
It’s the moment when you hear God’s call…it’s the moment when blind eyes see and dead hearts are awakened to God.
There is a time in the life of every human when we are drawn to God…making us WANT to come to God and enabling us to have faith in God…everyone is called.
“You were called” – 2564—καλέω — (kal-eh’-o) that word called in the Greek means to summon or invite…“called” here refers to “an invitation” …an invitation that can be refused…same word that is used in Matthew 22:3 – “He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet.”
If you’re familiar with the Parable of the Wedding Feast you know that Jesus says Many are called 2822 κλητός…but few are chosen 1588 (ἐκλεκτοί).
On the surface that seems to agree as John Calvin suggests…that God’s call to join Him in eternity is only given to a select few…a call that cannot be refused…
I disagree with that view and I think you should too.
Because the parable says that many did refuse the call…it wasn’t that God didn’t call them…He did…they refused the invitation…people are refusing God’s call to salvation every day…as a result not all were chosen.
This isn’t something new…John says many of Jesus’ disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him [John 6:66]…this is in agreement with John Wesley’s Order of Salvation…that God invites us to join Him in eternity…but it’s an offer that can be refused.
With respect to 8:29-30 perhaps it’s more correct to interpret these verses in terms of the doctrine of assurance rather than who is foreknown and predestined to be saved and who is not…which is what these verses are referring to as part of the Golden Chain of Salvation.
Paul’s point in Romans 8:29-30 is not attempting to answer the question of who God saves and who He rejects…but rather to KEY 2…assure you that your eternal security is based on God’s eternal purpose and not on anything you do.
If Scripture says that God predestined us…So what did God predestine us to?…
Paul then adds another link in the golden chain that is for those who didn’t refuse the call:
He also justified
This is an important link in the chain of salvation…justification is something I’m not going to spend too much time on simply because this is the grand theme of the entire book of Romans…a concept seen time and time again all through these chapters.
Justification is an amazing truth…but not understanding what being justified means prevents you from experiencing your right as child of God…justification is what occurs when we repent and believe…it’s a onetime event in which God declares us to be what we’re naturally not, righteous.
Jesus’ own righteousness is credited to us…justification is bound up with God’s sovereign purpose and plan…it has everything to do with the cross… justification is the gift God gives to those who accept His Son.
The first thing that we need to understand is that through Jesus you are justified before God…meaning that it is just as if you had never sinned…you’re acquitted …made righteous…which gives you confidence to go before God knowing that He’s not there to judge you…that you face no condemnation from him.
We now arrive at the end of the golden chain:
And these whom He justified, He also glorified.
While all of the chain leads us to rejoicing in what God has done for us… glorification should hold a special place in the heart of every believer…our glorification is the last redemptive act of God.
Glorification is the grand finale for the Christian…the Bible says that God will glorify us, His children. So, what does that mean?
Just as we were (predestined)…just as we were (called)…just as we were (justified)…so one day we will be (glorified)…this is our future: glorification.
It brings to completion the process which begins when God called us… glorification is the completion of the whole process of redemption.
Glorification for every believer will occur at the rapture…our bodies will be
transformed for eternity…perfectly conformed to the image of Christ…when we will receive glory from God in the form of praise…and rewards.
BUT WAIT…when you look at verses 29-30 in the Greek…all the links in the chain…foreknowledge…predestination…called…justified…and glorified are in the aorist tense…indicating completed action.
The wording in the Greek indicates otherwise…do you find it strange that Paul puts this in the past tense? …isn’t glorification an event that is yet to come? Something in the future? Why then the past tense?
Reading this in English, you miss out on the blessing God wants us to know… we assume Paul is referring to a distant time in the future…he’s not.
Paul wrote this in the past tense to show that in God’s mind it’s as if they have already been accomplished…Paul is so certain that all these links in the life of a believer have already taken place that he speaks of them as already happened. The glorification of God’s predestined…called…and justified people is absolutely certain…none can be lost…the chain is unbroken because the links are part of God’s eternal purpose.
In this golden chain there are no dropouts…no weak links…no weak spots…no kinks…nothing can break this chain…because the sovereign purpose of God is eternal and invincible!