But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
-William Cowper
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 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. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" -Romans 8:28-32
One dimension of the Gospel that is often neglected and under-emphasized is that part of the Gospel wherein we experience satisfaction through Jesus Christ. Among the things that God secured for His people in the death of Christ, He secured a lasting joy and satisfaction for them through Jesus Christ. One of the things that happens in regeneration is that we are made alive to perceive spiritual realities and to taste spiritual pleasures and, upon seeing with new eyes by the grace of God, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we are captured in a sense of joy and satisfaction to Christ with that satisfaction as the basis of our faith. So essentially, one important element of faith that must not be neglected is the element of joy in faith. In this life we see the glory of God through faith, as in a dim mirror, but one day in heaven we shall see that glory face to face. As Paul tells the Galatians, "We walk by faith, and not by sight."
In this passage, Paul makes the statement that "All things work together for good," which he clarifies in stating that it is for "those who love God" and "those who are called according to His purpose." Paul then begins his line of logic to support the statement that all things work together for good. He begins verse 29 with the word "for," and then proceeds with a chain of reasons that we know all things will ultimately work for our good.
1. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
First of all, it must be made clear that we must not soften Paul's intention in using the word "foreknew." There is a deep Biblical background for the use of "know" and "foreknow" in the Bible. God used it of Abraham when he said "For I have known him." He did not mean simply academic knowledge, but a knowledge in a loving, relational sense. In Amos 3:2, God says of Israel, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." Again, not in simply knowing them ahead of time, but of a loving relational kind of knowing. As a last example, the Bible says of Jesus that He was "foreknown before the foundation of the world." So we understand that foreknow is not simply God looking down the corridors of time and seeing faith, but is actually synonymous with the term "fore-loved." It is a relational term. God knew us before the foundation of the world, chose us apart from and distinction in us, and according to that foreknowing, He predestined us to be conformed to the image of Christ. The predestining has a two-fold purpose.
1. That all whom God has chosen will ultimately become like Christ
2. That through our conforming to Christ, He will be the firstborn, or the preeminent one,
among many brethren.
Both of these are ultimately for the glory of Christ. When we become like Christ, we enlarge our capacity to love and glorify and delight in the manifold perfections of Christ. We will be one day perfect as we behold Him, and we will reflect His glory in our bodies. Then also Christ will be magnified as the firstborn, or the prominent One among His people. He will be the crown of His good and glorious creation, and all will worship Him as Lord and King.
2. Those whom He predestined, He also called
This call is in reference to the effectual call of God to His people. Those who are God's people will experience this effectual call and brought to faith and delight in Christ. It is sure, and it is irresistible.
3. Those whom He called, He also justified
Those whom God has chosen need not worry about providing their own righteousness. That righteousness has already been purchased for them in Christ. It is something that is purchased by Christ for all who will believe. As we believe on Christ, we are imputed His righteousness, and God declares us to be righteous because of our faith. Not that we are righteous in and of ourselves, but God declares it to be so.
4. Those whom He justified, He also glorified
We have the sure hope that those in whom Christ has begun the good work of salvation will continue in that until the day in which He glorifies us and we are like Christ. Our enjoyment of Him will be complete on that day that we will be glorified, for we shall be like Him, and we shall truly see Him as He is.
This is what is often called the "Golden Chain of Redemption." It is how we know that all things will ultimately work for our good-because God is sovereign, and His thoughts are always good towards His people. All things are aimed at the ultimate purpose of making us satisfied in Christ, whether it is by suffering or by comfort. All things are to bring us our ultimate satisfaction by making us like Christ so that we may better enjoy Christ.
The final verses in this section assert, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Indeed, if we are one of those who love God and that He called according to His good purposes in grace, who can do us evil when God purposes it for good? It is this faith and delight in the future grace of God that should transform our life.
The logic of verse 32 is especially beautiful- If God did not spare His Own Son, the greatest treasure in the universe for us and for our joy, why would He not with Christ freely give us the things that are best for us? If God has already given the best, the Object of the most supreme worth in the universe, why would He hold back now? If He has determined that He will be for His people and invest the life of His own precious Son for our joy, to enable us to taste and see His glory and be captured by it, why would He not with Christ always give us the best gifts? Christ died to secure our joy. And our joy finds ground in the fact that no matter what happens, though all of hell and principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this age should encamp round about us, why should we fear their intentions? As we see in the testimony of Joseph, "You meant it to me for evil, but God intended if for good." May we by faith see that God will always give us the best gifts, whether it be the gift of suffering, or the gift of martyrdom, or the gift of the death of your children. Whatever it may come, we stand sure by faith on the sovereign goodness of God, and thereby we are made to be "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." May we live in this kind of a serious joy in Christ.
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