Monday, October 23, 2006

Romans 8:28-29

I will now steal something from a professor at RTS: It's always humbling to go to the Bible and get a taste of the love of God for His people. But sometimes it becomes especially clear and sobering. For example, take Romans 8:29-30. for those He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren; (30) and these whom He predestined, he also called, and these whom He called, He also justified, and these whom He justified; He also glorified.

If we work our way backwards through the verses the conclusion is astounding. The conclusion of verse 30 is that God's people will be glorified. One day all Christians will be made perfect in holiness! Why am I glorified, because I am justified. Our glorification is guaranteed because Christ's atoning work on the cross has made us right (justified) with God. Why am I justified? Because I've been called. When God calls a person into a relationship with him, the person receives Christ's righteousness and is justified. Why am I called? He who is called is predestined. God chose to call me before the beginning of time. And because of God's sovereign plan, his predestination brings about his purpose of conforming His people to the image of His Son (vs. 28). Why am I predestined? I am predestined because God foreknew. God in his eternal plan set his love upon me way, way before i was even a thought in my mother's eye. Why did God foreknow me? The chain of events stops!

Why has God saved sinful, rebellious me and brought me into a loving relationship with Him? I don't know? At this point we drop the knee, thank God for his loving mercy and give him the worship due his name. Why did God call the pagan Abram out of from Ur of the Chaldeans? Why did God call Paul, a persecutor of his people, into his Kingdom? Because in His sovereign plan for His world. He is redeeming wretched sinners to bring Himself glory and join in His task of redeeming the world. Our response is to stare in amazement and simply worship the living God for "While we were YET sinners, Christ died for us."

Feel free to get back to the Cutcliffe debate! It is always a dandy.

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