By Diane Barstow
”And we know that God causes all things! To work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
”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;
“and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these who He called, He also justified; and these He justified, He also glorified.”
I cannot thank and recommend enough Pastor Steve Carr’s video on this subject. Please watch it on YouTube
Remember that suffering is the context of these verses. He wants us to have confidence in Him no matter the circumstances. Either we believe that God is in control of everything regarding us as believers, or we believe that we are the victims of random happenstance. There is no hope in victimhood, there is no hope in this life unless we believe that an all-knowing, eternal, supreme, and benevolent God is in control. I’ll tell you the conclusion now – love is evidence by trust, trust is the challenge, and hope is the result!
So what we find in these 3 verses are 8 Cs - 4 confidences and 4 challenges.
Let’s look at verse 28 very slowly because the first two Cs are cleverly hidden there. BTW RA Torrey calls this verse, “A soft pillow for a tired heart!” I advise you to lay your tired heart on this soft pillow of comfort!
”And we know that God (works) causes all things(!) to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Our first C (confidence) is that its all about God; what we may know about what He is doing, how His character is expressed, for whom is He working, and His ultimate purpose for what He is doing.
The word know (perceive, discern, know) is in the perfect tense. That means an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated, with the future relevant application, or which renders a permanent state. As seen as in the past, and in the present, and in the future, all at once! We can know now and forever!
Secondly, we know that it is God who is working. The word works or causes is in the present tense, (this represents a simple statement of fact, or reality viewed as occurring in actual time in most cases this correspond directly with the English present, tense some phrases which might be rendered as past tense in English will often occur in the present tense in Greek). We can understand it to say that God is causing or God is working right now! We don’t often understand, or even believe that certain circumstances could ever turn out to work for good! Let me tell you his story about a young man named Ian. He was born with a neurological condition called nystagmus, it’s where the eyes shake uncontrollably. As a child, it didn’t bother him until someone asked him not to look directly at them because it was freaky! He found that when he was stressed or nervous, it got worse. As an adult Christian man he took a mission trip to India. At the orphanage he visited, the girls were lined up to meet the visiting American missionary. Two little girls walked up to him and then ran away quickly! He was saddened that his eyes scared them! But that was not the case, they ran back to their friend and dragged her to meet him. Why? Because she too had nystagmus! Meeting someone who had her same affliction changed her entire life. Up until this point she had been very shy and self-conscious, but ‘Uncle’ Ian’s boldness to travel around the world sparked self-confidence in her! Now as a boy and a growing man, could he have known that his ‘thorn in the flesh’ would be used by God in such a powerful way - not only did it affect her life, it has affected everyone who’s read his story! Only God can do that!
Remember also, not all things are good, but God is good, His purposes are good, and He works all things for good! For whom does God work all things together for good? Only for Christians - those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! And for what purpose - for us to be conformed into the image of His Son (verse 29)! Who by the way, is the very Image of God (Hebrews 1:3)
Our confidence is that we can know for certain that God is at work in all our circumstances because we are called to be His, and that because He is good, His goal is for our good! All of God’s thoughts and purposes for us are good! The challenge is to know His character (that He is good) and to trust Him! Remember according to Wiersbe, “The believer never need faint in times of suffering and trial because he knows that God is at work in the world, and that he has a perfect plan. God has two purposes in that plan: our good and His glory! Ultimately he will make us like Jesus Christ. Best of all - God‘s plan is going to succeed. It started an eternity past when He chose us in Christ.” Will you look above and beyond your circumstance and trust the love and goodness of Jesus? From Newell’s commentary - “We now come up on the high, celestial mountains of divine sovereign election, and find those who love God are further defined as those who are called (not invited, but given a Divine elective calling) according to His purpose. Meditation upon the purpose of the eternal God greatens every soul thus occupied. God is infinite; man, a bit of dust. If God had a purpose, a fixed intention it will come to pass for he has limitless resources.”
29A) ”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;
The word ‘for’ in this verse points back to His purpose!
Here we find our second set of Cs! Our confidence is that He has known you and I for a very long time! He foreknew us, that word means He has always know everything about us from eternity past to eternity future! Who has Jeremiah 1:4-5, “ Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you a profit to the nations.’” Do you see that God in eternity knew everything about Jeremiah from eternity past and future? How comforting is that? To know that God has known you since before you were born and has a specific plan for your life and eternity!! Who has Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Do you see here both God’s foreknowledge and predestination? Remember like peanut butter and jelly, foreknowledge and predestination always go together.
29B) ”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;
Because God knew that you would respond, He called you. Because He knew you would be fit for His kingdom, fit to be conformed to the image of His Son, He predestined you - because He knew! Conformation is the end goal - everything He allows, He allows for that very purpose!
The confidence is that we are being conformed into the image of His Son! Everything He allows is connected to his bottom line – conformation! Who has 1st John 3:2-3, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” The evidence of a changed/changing life bolsters this confidence! The fruit of the Spirit, love for the brethren - proof that you and I are His! Who has Psalm 17:15, “As for me, I shall behold Your face and righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” This satisfaction is part of ‘eternity’ God has planted in our hearts. Who has 2nd Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” As we behold Christ, we will be transformed into His image - I’m calling this transformation by behold-ation and adoration! The challenge? Will you choose holiness? Who has Ephesians 1:3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 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 and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace with which He has favored us in the beloved.” It’s His good pleasure for us to be holy and blameless before Him. In love He chose us, in love He’s conforming us, in love He has given us everything we need - the Holy Spirit! Will you choose to abandon any compromise, any distraction that is retarding this process of conformation?
30) “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these who He called, He also justified; and these He justified, He also glorified.” HE SEES ALL HIS WORK AS ALREADY COMPLETE! There is a logical progression here - calling, predestination, justification, and ultimately glorification - and these are all IN CHRIST! In His foreknowledge because He predestined us, He called us. He then justified us (just-if-I’d never sinned) by faith, He then glorified us to be joint-heirs of the glory of Christ, co-beneficiaries of His reward for obedience, and an equal standing with all who lived by faith! Remember, Paul is speaking to Gentiles here reminding them that they are equally as saved as the Jews - a very novel concept! God has predestined the outcome in each step of His work - oneness like He and the Son have, and oneness with each other. The 4th confidence is complete - God sees this work, His work, from His throne in heaven, as already done!
God is infinite and supernatural - some of His ways are visible and we can understand them! What I cannot see or understand in this finite body/mind/heart, I CAN BELIEVE! I must bring into the captivity of the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5, “We are destroying arguments, and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”) {This, by the way, includes both being obedient to Christ regarding our thoughts, and the benefit of His obedience to God!} those things that the Word declares are true, but I cannot grasp with my intellect! The challenge, will you choose to treasure in your heart (like Mary) {safe deposit box} the things you cannot understand, or will you elevate your intellect above God’s truth? I’ve seen this happen, and the people who refuse to believe when it's hard to understand suffer shipwreck!
Here’s a simple summation of these four verses. We are predestined for good, we are called to salvation, we are justified by His righteousness, and we are glorified along with Jesus.
Now a reasonable question arises - if it’s true that we are called and predestined to be His, because of His foreknowledge, then does He predestine the others to hell? I don’t have time to answer this question, but Pastor
Steve and his video of the section of scripture answers it perfectly! Please, if you or anyone you know, has this question, go to his YouTube page and listen to to his answer.
