Pointing out to Jesus Christ as the
answer for our sinful nature, and the help rendered by the Holy Spirit, who
with inexpressible groans intercedes for us, Paul has offered us the solace
that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. In verses 29
and 30 of Romans 8, Paul lists out the reasons why a Christian can consider
himself a privileged person and rejoice.
Those whom God foreknew, He also
predestined to be confirmed to the likeness of His Son. This statement of Paul
is heavily loaded with theological dogma. A whole range of questions are
unleashed with this pronouncement.
If God chose those who will be saved,
then how fair is He that He should select some for being saved and reject
others? If God has already decided who is to be saved and who is not, then
where is our free will? What use of a free will? Are we then to believe in an
all-powerful fate?
In Ephesians 1: 4-5, 11, Paul
elaborates this doctrine. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of this
world …” Again, “In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons though
Jesus Christ, in accordance with His will and pleasure.”
It could be taken as God selected
some for saving them, while rejecting others or it could be taken as God foreknew
who will respond to Him and selected such people to be saved. Either way, God
is sovereign. He knows who will accept Him with a willing heart and is endowed
with a teachable spirit. He knew such people even before the foundations of
this world were laid down by Him.
What a comforting thought, that God
has always known us, you and me, individually, in all eternity, even before we
were born on this earth! He has loved us from eternity and His love will last
into eternity. We can take comfort from the fact that it was all settled long
time back.
It is definitely not fate. We, the
believers, use our free will to respond to the love of Christ and accept him as
our Saviour. That can be done only by us using our free will. We are convicted
by the holy Spirit of our sins and we repent and seek His forgiveness and
accept Christ and the forgiveness He offers with our free will.
There could be others, who repent of
their sins and still do not accept Christ, like Judas Iscariot. That is where
grace of God plays an important role. God did all the work for our salvation,
and all that we do is to submit ourselves to that love and accept that offer of
salvation, again as the grace of God takes hold of us and leads us. Without
that we will be lost.
That is why Dodd writes, “our
salvation is rooted in the depths of God.”[1]
It is a marvellous thing and is by the Lord, though there is a place for our
free will within the divine purpose of predestination.
Let’s further meditate on Paul’s
statement at verse 29. God foreknew whom he predestined to be confirmed to the
likeness of his Son, so that we might be the firstborn among many brothers. God’s
ultimate goal for human beings is to make each one of us reflect the image of
Christ, a likeness we lost in the Garden of Eden.
“But we know that when he appears, we
shall be like him…” 1 John 3:2. Yes, we will be like Him, and that again
is a great promise and a great privilege for us to behold.
Paul further explains them that they
will be the firstborn among many brothers. In the first century, those who
converted and accepted Christ as their Saviour, were definitely the first born
among all those who will follow them in the many centuries after them. To be
the first born was indeed a privilege, but also had a lot of responsibilities –
to spread the Gospel to the four corners of the world, to die for the Lord as
martyrs, to lead a pure and holy life as a model and example for those who
would follow them.
In some parts of the world even today
this might be the fate of those who believe in Christ. But nothing compared to
the first three centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ.
But it is all worth it, because the
Lord God selected us to be His people. In Hosea 13:5, the Lord of Israel
says, “I knew you in the desert.” It is wonderful to be known by God and be
cared for by Him. When God knows a person, it means He has a purpose and a plan
and a task to be performed by that person. God knew us.
More than anything God is sovereign
as He says, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed,
so it will stand.” Isaiah 14:24, 27. “For the Lord Almighty has
purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn
it back?” His plan for you and me will be carried through, in spite of all the
bad and debilitating circumstances of this life. Isn’t that a great solace?
Again, in Isaiah 46:9,10,11
the Lord says, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is
still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please…
What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I
do.” We have been saved by that great God and we need to have no worries on
that front – for we have been saved in the very purpose of God.
Those He predestined He called; those
he called he also justified; those he justified he also glorified. Paul goes
through the various stages in Christianity here. Those who are predestined, He
called for a higher purpose, that of service to His people; those whom He
called thus, He justified, by pronouncing them to be ‘not guilty;’ and those
whom He justified He also glorified, transforming them to have the glorified
body on death and resurrection.
Just to dwell on the stages in
Christian life, following the pattern offered by Paul here, we have 7 stages in
Christian life or our spiritual experience. First the Election or
predestination; second, being Called; third Justification; fourth, Atonement or
propitiation, Christ offering himself as a sacrifice in our place.
Fifth, Redemption, being redeemed by
Christ, who paid the price for us; Sanctification, becoming more like Christ, by
the work of the Holy Spirit in us, which is life-long; and Glorification, which
we will receive on our death and resurrection on the final Day.
As you carefully analyse all these
seven stages, you will notice that each stage is the work of God, and it is by
His grace that we are predestined, called, justified, atoned, redeemed,
sanctified and glorified. All that we do is to use our free will and accept
each of these works accomplished by the Triune God. To quote Dodd again, ‘All
stages are founded on the impregnable rock of eternal will of God.’[2]
Do we need any other reason to
celebrate and enjoy our security and status in Christ than these? What a
glorious salvation and what a wonderful privilege we have and what a great God
we have, who has provided us with all these privileges at His own cost and at
His own initiative, full of love and concern for us? Let’s be glad and
celebrate.
[1]
C.H. Dodd, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, p. 156.
[2]
C.H.Doss, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, p. 156.
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