“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:29–30, NASB95)[1]

THE PROGRESSION OF SALVATION (Romans 8:29-30)

PREDESTINATION (Romans 8:29b)

The second part or link in the chain of salvation is predestination. Paul writes, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined …” (Romans 8:29b, NASB95)[2] When we looked at foreknowledge three weeks ago we were looking at the beginning of God’s purpose in His act of choosing, His predetermined choice He then predestined, this looks at the end act of God’s purpose in choosing. Remember that all of this takes place in eternity, unbound by time. The word translated predestined means to mark out, appoint, or to determine beforehand. As the word suggests God has predetermined the destiny of every person who will trust in Christ for salvation. Wherever this word is used in Scripture it has a predetermined destiny attached to it.

For example in Acts 4:27-28 we have a prayer of thanksgiving by believers for the deliverance of Peter and John, in this prayer they prayed, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” (Acts 4:27–28, NASB95)[3] What was God’s predetermined destiny for Jesus Christ? That He would die for mankind, with that said these evil and powerful men who crucified Christ could not have done anything to Him if this had not been God’s predetermined plan or destiny for Him. Because of the predetermined destiny of Jesus Christ God has predestined every believer to salvation through Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross.

Let’s look at what the believer chosen by the foreknowledge of God is predestined to, first, right here in verse 29 of Romans 8 we are told that God’s predetermined destiny for the believer is for him or her to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. In Ephesians 1 Paul uses this word predestined as well and encouraged the Ephesian believers with these words in Ephesians 1:4-5, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,” (Ephesians 1:4–5, NASB95)[4] God choosing us before the foundation of the world speaks of His foreknowledge and because foreknowledge speaks of a relationship in which we are loved by the One who chooses us, in that love God before the foundation of the world predetermined our destiny, which is to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, and this adoption in love is according to the kind intention of His will. In other words, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation are not Christians because of their decision to trust Christ but because of what God decided about us before the foundation of the world. We were able to choose to believe in Jesus Christ because God first chose us according to the kind intention of His will. All of this is due to God loving us and choosing us according to His will. Paul expressed this truth again just a few verses later in Ephesians 1:7-9 where he wrote, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him” (Ephesians 1:7–9, NASB95)[5] Riches of His grace He lavished on us; according to His kind intention both speak of His love for us. Third, in verse 11 he writes, “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,” (Ephesians 1:11, NASB95)[6] God’s predetermined destiny is according to His purpose, in other words what God has determined for those whom He foreknew will come to pass because this is God’s predetermined destiny for those chosen in love that He might lavish on them His grace and the kind intention of His will. God is not obligated to save anyone, our sin condemns us to hell, if we received what we deserve we would all be in hell, but according to the kind intention of God’s will He predetermines our destiny to be adoption, inheritance, and conformity to the image of His Son, and because He is sovereign His predetermined purpose will be fulfilled. How do we respond to this? Can we wrap our finite minds around God’s foreknowledge and predestination? I know I do not fully understand it, but I know that God’s Word teaches this doctrine and because of that I can glory in the fact that I was in God’s plan from eternity past and my salvation is a supreme illustration of the grace and love of God for me.

CALLING (Romans 8:30a)

Paul goes on in verse 30 to give us the next link in the chain of salvation, or the next part in the progression of salvation, and it is calling. Paul writes, “…and these whom He predestined, He also called…” (Romans 8:30a, NASB95)[7] In the progression of salvation from God’s perspective predestination leads to calling. When we speak of calling this is where God’s eternal plan intersects our lives in time. Those who are called are those whom the Holy Spirit is working in to lead them to salvation through faith in Christ. Understand that this is God’s inward call to salvation, not the general call that comes from the preaching or proclaiming of the Gospel. That outward or general call we know is necessary because in just a few chapters Paul is going to write in Romans 10:14, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14, NASB95)[8] This general or outward call is necessary, but unless God has already called them inwardly by His Spirit they will not and cannot respond to the message.

This inward calling of believers by the Holy Spirit is just another confirmation that we are eternally secure in Christ. We are saved because God called us because of His sovereign purpose of bringing us into His family. Paul wrote concerning this truth to the believers in Thessalonica in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14, NASB95)[9] As I have said over and over, salvation is God’s work, it is nothing that we do, but what He is doing in us and we cannot undo what God has done by His power. It is God who saved us, and it is God who keeps us saved, and this is the foundation upon which our eternal security is built.

With that said, I must strongly emphasize that no where in the Bible does it teach that God chooses unbelievers for condemnation. For the human mind it would be easy to assume this as the result of God’s calling believers by His grace to salvation in Christ. But according to the Word of God, God predestines believers to eternal life, to adoption, to inheritance, to conformity to the image of Christ, but no where does it say in God’s word that He predestines unbelievers to eternal hell. This may seem to be a paradox to you which simply defined in this sense is a truth or truths that seems self-contradictory or not possible when in reality it is possible, and I can assure you that these truths are in perfect harmony with God.

We have many truths in the Bible that for us are paradoxes but because they are clearly taught in Scripture, we believe them. Let me give you just two examples. The Bible clearly teaches that God is one, but just as clearly that this one God exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, existing in a single Godhead. The Bible also clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. Both of these are paradoxes to our finite minds, yet both of these seeming paradoxes are foundational truths of God’s Word and though we do not fully understand them we believe them because God teaches them in His Word.

Therefore, we must understand that if a person goes to hell, it is because he rejects God and His way of salvation. In the Gospel in John, the apostle quoted Jesus in 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18, NASB95)[10] Earlier John had stated in chapter one, verses 12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13, NASB95)[11] Clearly stating that man’s salvation is a work of God alone, but no such corresponding statement is made in regard to unbelievers here or anywhere else in the Bible. Unbelievers are condemned by their own unbelief, not by the predestination of God. Scripture is very clear that God wishes that all would come to salvation. In 2 Peter 3:9 Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NASB95)[12] Paul had also spoken of this truth to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3–4, NASB95)[13] As believers it is only because of God’s grace that we have eternal life, but for the unbeliever he himself and he alone is responsible for his eternal damnation.

God in choosing believers for salvation does not choose on the basis of who that person is or what that person has done but chooses solely on the basis of His sovereign grace and love. For His reasons alone, we are going to learn in chapter 9 that God chose Jacob over Esau. I do not claim to understand God’s choosing of me for salvation, I am solely indebted to Him and can only thank and glorify Him for choosing me before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight and I will be eternally grateful that He called me by His irresistible grace to be His child, to be conformed to the image of Christ, to be adopted into His family and be an heir of God and a fellow heir of Christ Jesus.

JUSTIFICATION (Romans 8:30b)

Paul moves on in verse 30 to give us the next link in the chain of salvation, calling is linked to justification. Paul writes, “…and these whom He called, He also justified…” (Romans 8:30b, NASB95)[14] I am not going to spend a lot of time on justification as we covered it quite thoroughly back in chapters 3-5. After God calls us to salvation, He then justifies us. Just as every link in this chain, foreknowledge, predestination, calling are all a work of God, justification is also a work of God alone. Simply defined justification is a believer being made right with God by God. Because we believe that Christ’s death paid the penalty for our sin and God’s wrath was satisfied in the suffering of Christ, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ we are declared righteous before God by God. Paul stated our justification this way back in Romans 3:21-24 when he wrote, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Romans 3:21–24, NASB95)[15] Our justification is a gift of God’s grace when we receive by faith the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. This justification is often called the great exchange as Paul stated it to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB95)[16] We are justified by God so that we are ready at any moment to stand in His presence without fear of condemnation because we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

GLORIFICATION (Romans 8:30c)

The last link in the chain of salvation is linked to justification and with the final link our salvation is complete, that final link is glorification. Paul ends verse 30 with these words, “…and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30c, NASB95)[17] As with every link in this chain glorification cannot be separated from foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, all five make up salvation and one cannot be separated from the others, and one cannot be removed or it is not salvation. As each of these is an exclusive act of God, so glorification is also the work of God alone. If we are justified by God, then He will also glorify us and again this speaks of our eternal security, the God who saves us, keeps us saved, will bring us to the completion of our salvation in glorification. In other words, no one whom God foreknows will fail to be predestined, no one whom God predestined will fail to be called, and no whom God called will failed to be justified, and no one whom God justified will fail to be glorified, inseparable links in God’s progression of salvation. This simply means that we can know with absolute certainty that there is waiting for us as Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 4:17 “…an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17b, NASB95)[18] If you have not noticed, glorification or our future glory is a recurring theme in the book of Romans. Let me give you just a couple examples: in Romans 5:1-2 the apostle wrote, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, NASB95)[19] In this chapter in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18, NASB95)[20] When Paul wrote of the groaning of creation, he wrote in Romans 8:21, “that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21, NASB95)[21] This theme of future glory is not only in Romans, but is seen in many of Paul’s epistles, Paul told the Thessalonians that glorification was the very reason that they were redeemed, he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, “It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14, NASB95)[22]

This was Paul’s sure hope of salvation, this promise of future glory was so certain for Paul that inspired by the Holy Spirit he wrote the phrase “these He also glorified” in the past tense. God had made the promise of eternal glory and because God promised it was if it had already taken place. If we are justified by God, then we are also glorified by God. This is God’s own guarantee of our eternal security.

CONCLUSION:

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:10, “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:10, NASB95)[23] This morning we have looked at the chain of salvation, or the progression of salvation from God’s point of view. God is the one who carries out each of these links of salvation, and He will complete the whole chain, and no one can undo what God has done. The One who chose us in eternity past and predetermined our destiny and called us to Himself and declared us right with Him will bring our salvation to completion when He glorifies us. Do we understand all this and how God works? No, but we believe it because the Bible teaches it and we believe that God’s Word recorded for us in infallible and inerrant and we rejoice in our salvation knowing that it is completely and only a work of God in us, and He who saved us will keep us saved and bring our salvation to completion. Our eternal security is in the faithfulness of God.

[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[21]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[22]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

[23]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

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God's Purpose - Part 2 (Romans 8:29-30)