Romans 8:28-39, “Eternal Security.”
Of all the passages in the New Testament, this is perhaps the one in which God's sovereignty is most apparent.
Romans 8:28... God works for our good.
God is not an absent god who created the universe just to leave it to its own
devices; but He is actively working, day by day, to sustain and to maintain it.
God works for the good, and we have His promise that in all things He is actively
working for our good.
God works through everything that happens to us, i.e., in all circumstances.
Whatever situation we are in, and this includes our sufferings, as mentioned in
verse 17, and even our groaning (v. 23).
Paul is not claiming that bad things happen to us for our good - but that when
bad things happen, God works good through them anyway. The emphasis here is
not on the “all things,” but on God Himself, for it is He who works in and through all
things.
God works for good on behalf of “those who love Him.” This in no way means
that God is not also working to bring those who do not yet love Him to Himself, for
(Luke 19:10), “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’' For those
who believe, there is a special sense in which God is always at work - in all
circumstances, at all times, in every way, to cause us to be more like Him.
All of this is linked with His purpose for those who love Him, in whose lives He
works, those called according to His purpose. God is working in us, toward His
ultimate purpose: that we might be united with Him in Christ Jesus. This is indeed a
great mystery!
Throughout the bible, we see this paradox of God using adverse circumstances
and even the most extreme wickedness of mankind to achieve God’s own good
purpose. For example, Joseph (Old Testament, son of Jacob who became Israel),
who was done great harm by his brothers, in the end Joseph says to his brothers
(Genesis 50:20), “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to
accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Peter describes (Acts 2:23) the crucifixion of Jesus as the work of “wicked men,’'
yet “by God's set purpose and foreknowledge.” And (Acts 4:28) says, these wicked
men “did what [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”
Paul expects what he is teaching here to not come as a surprise to his hearers;
we are to understand that this is basic to our faith and belief.
Romans 8:29-30... God works things for the good of those who are called
according to His purpose, but what is that purpose? First, we must understand that
God foreknew us; then he predestined us; then he called us, justified us, and He
will glorify us. But what do all these things mean?
Let’s look at them in order:
God foreknew us. God has known us since before our birth, even before the
foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6), “He chose us in Him before the creation
of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be
adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will--
to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He
loves.”
Psalm 139:15-16, “My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the
secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw
my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written
in Your book before one of them came to be.”
The biblical concept of knowing someone includes intimacy [agape] love, those
God foreknew, He foreloved.
God also predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.
Predestination is a difficult doctrine, and we cannot cover it adequately here today;
but I want you to understand the most basic truth in relation to it: God chose us
before we chose Him; in fact, we choose Him because He had already chosen us.
The major point is, our salvation relies on God, not us:
Ephesians 2:4-9, “because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you
have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show
the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can
boast.”
Jesus says (John 15:16), “You did not choose Me, but I chose you,’’ and (John
6:44) “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.’’
In John 5:39-40 Jesus says to the pharisees, “You diligently study the Scriptures
because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures
that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” We see that there is a human decision that must be made concerning believing in Christ. So, how can
we reconcile God's sovereignty and man's free will? We can’t! On the way up to
heaven the billboard reads, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved,” but as we pass by and read the back of the billboard it says, “chosen before
the foundations of the world were laid.” I don’t understand this, but I believe it.
Notice (v. 29), Jesus is described as “the firstborn among many brothers.’’ We
are called Jesus' brothers and sisters! Elsewhere we read (Hebrews 2:11), “Both
the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”
So, God foreknew us, He predestined us, He also called us. I believe this
calling refers to the specific moment in our life when He draws us to Himself; for
me that was August 1, 1978. This is the working out of the eternal here on earth,
for at the moment of genuine belief (August 1, 1978), I became an eternal member of God’s family. God's call is first of all to repentance: (Matthew 4:17), “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is near,’' (Mark 1:15), “The kingdom of God is near. Repent
and believe the good news,’' (Luke 5:32), “I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance.’’
Those He called, He also justified; those who respond to God’s call repent, and
God justifies them - just-if-I’d never sinned (see Romans 10:9-10, 13).
In Christ, we are freed from sin, our condemnation is removed (see Romans
5:8; 8:1). Justification is something that God does, and once it has been done, it
can never be undone (Romans 5:1), “since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God,’’ (Romans 11:29), “for God's gifts and His call are
irrevocable.” It is a finished work and it cannot be lost, stolen, or given back.
Those God justified, He also glorified. This refers to our being made perfect in
heaven. Paul uses a Greek word in the aorist tense, meaning this is something that
happened in the past, no implication of continuance or momentariness, but already
considered completed. Paul says our future glorification is so certain that he can
write about it as though it has already been accomplished.
God knew us before He made the world: He chose us, called us, and counted us
righteous by justifying us, and He will bring us to perfection (glorify us) in Himself.
Romans 8:31-39... “What, then, shall we say in the response to this?'' Paul
presents five rhetorical questions, of which only the last is explicitly answered
(though the answers to the other four are clearly implied.)
1) If God is for us, who can be against us?'' We are to fear no one and nothing!
It just doesn't matter who or what is against us (1John 4:4), “You, dear children,
are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world.”
Not only that, but (v. 32), 2) “Will He [God] not graciously give us all things?''
He has even given us His own Son to save us. In fact (v. 33), 3) “Who will bring
any charge against those whom God has chosen?''
Although there is no shortage of people who will accuse Christians and
Christianity of all sorts of things; in fact (Revelation 12:10), Satan himself is called,
“the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night.’'
Paul's response to this is, “It is God who justifies.’’ If God has justified us there is
no need not fear any condemnation from any source (v. 34), 4) “Who is he that
condemns?'' Listen, Christ Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is interceding for
us.''
Then Paul asks (v. 35), 5) “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?'' And
in verses 35-39 Paul lists some of the things that can't separate us from God's love:
trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life,
angels, demons, the present, the future, any powers, nor height, depth, and, in
fact, not anything else in all creation.
Yes, it is very true that we will suffer in this world, for (2Timothy 3:12), “In fact,
everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” But Paul
is completely convinced that (v. 37), “in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us.'' In fact (v. 39) nothing is “able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.''
We can take comfort and security in knowing the answers to Paul’s questions: If
God is for us, who can be against us? No one is as powerful as God! Will God not
graciously give us all things? Yes He will! Who will bring any charge against those
whom God has chosen? No one that matters! Who is he that condemns? No one
with any authority! Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Absolutely no
one in heaven, in hell, or on the earth!
In his book The Message of Romans, John Stott writes: “Our confidence is not in
our love for [God], which is frail, fickle and faltering, but in His love for us, which is
steadfast, faithful and persevering. The doctrine of “the perseverance of the saints”
needs to be renamed. It is [more accurately] the doctrine of the perseverance of
God with the saints.”
With God we have all we need now and forever; we have eternal security, and
therefore we are free to serve Him obediently, honorably and victoriously, here on
earth.
Pastor Mike