God’s Grand Purpose (Rom. 8:29)
This sermon was preached on 11/3/2010
In this verse, Paul describes God’s eternal purpose for his people. He mentions God’s attitude towards them, his plan for them, and their relationship with Jesus in the eternal world to come. His attitude was one of love, his plan was glorification, and the relationship is one of brothers. Paul sweeps across the whole of eternity, focussing on what God was doing in the past eternity and what he is to do in the eternity to come.
As we think about the details in this verse, we realise that we are reflecting on matters that we could never have deduced by ourselves. This is true of the sinful mind, which is blind to all aspects of God’s plan of salvation. It is also true of the spiritual mind because even regenerate sinners cannot discover the great plans of God by themselves. For example, think what would have happened if all they had been told by God was John 3:16. That verse highlights many important details and is sufficient as far as information regarding salvation is concerned. It speaks of God’s love for a sinful world, of the sacrifice of Jesus, of the need of faith, of the danger of perishing without faith in Christ, and the promise of eternal life to those in trust in Christ. These details are important, but they do not specify the doctrines mentioned in Romans 8:29. In order to know about them, we need more of God’s special revelation, which we have received in the complete Scriptures. I mention this obvious point because I suspect that we often take our spiritual privileges for granted, and one of them is the range of doctrines that are revealed to us.
God’s foreknowledge
The first point to consider is what does Paul mean by ‘foreknow’. Many interpret this word as if it means God’s future knowledge of events, suggesting that Paul has in mind God looking down the ages of time and taking note of what would happen. That interpretation fails to notice that Paul does not say ‘what’ God foreknew but ‘whom’ he foreknew. Paul does not mean by this term that God foresaw who would have faith in Jesus and then predestined them on that reason. His concern is not about their future relationship to God in time, rather his focus is on God’s relationship to them in the past eternity.
To understand this point, we need to ask, What does the Bible mean by the words ‘know’ and ‘knowledge’? At times, the biblical authors use the words to describe intellectual knowledge; yet usually they use the words to describe experiential knowledge. Here are some examples:
The psalmist in Psalm 1 says that the Lord knows the way that the psalmist takes. David does not merely mean that God is aware of the path that David is on. He also means that the Lord knows the path because he has been on it with David and so has experienced it.
Another example is what the Lord said to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 : ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ The Lord does not say that he knew what Jeremiah would do; rather it is an affirmation that he knew the prophet in a special manner.
The Lord says concerning Israel in Amos 3:2: ‘You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.’ This does not mean that the Lord was ignorant concerning the other nations. Instead it signifies that he had a special relationship with Israel, a relationship that required particular punishment.
There is also the Saviour’s words to the lost on the Day of Judgement: ‘And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” ’ (Matt. 7:23); it is inconceivable that Jesus did not know about them, but he did not know them in the sense of having fellowship with them.
The term is commonly used to describe the love relationship of husbands and wives.
When we add the prefix ‘fore’, we note that the term now means to experience beforehand, that God was involved with his people in the past, before they were Christians. It raises the question, ‘What is the “before” that Paul has in mind?’
It could mean before they were born, which was what the Lord said to Jeremiah, but that is not the answer here because God knew them all simultaneously, whereas they were born thousands of years apart.
It could mean before the universe was created, and that is a true answer. Yet I suspect it is an insufficient answer because it could imply that God knew other matters before he knew his people – for example, he could have had a relationship with the angels in heaven and then decided to have one with his people.
I think Paul is saying that God knew his people before anything else existed, in other words that God has always known his people. Throughout his eternal existence he knew them, that there never was a moment when he was not thinking about them and delighting in them.
As we think of this relationship, several aspects of it can be mentioned. The first detail to consider is that it was brought about by God’s free, sovereign choice. This relationship is an expression of the liberty of God. He was not compelled by another power to enter into this relationship, but he did so because he desired to do so.
A second detail is that this is a relationship of love, of God’s love to his yet non-existing people. Here we are stepping into the world of mystery, probing into the heights that are always beyond our capacity to climb to the summit. Why did God love them? It was not because of anything in them. The answer is to be found only in the heart of God.
Thirdly, we should note that God’s people are a limited number, confined to those who will yet be in heaven. This, too, is a mystery beyond our understanding. God’s eternal love was selective. Why did God choose them? Again, it was not because of anything in them or that they would do. The answer is to be found only in the will of God.
This doctrine has been abused by many. The devil uses it to confuse genuine seekers after God and suggests that they should become fatalistic. We are familiar with the complaint, ‘If I am elected, then I will be converted,’ with the implication that the person may want to be converted, but that he or she may not be elect. Such a scenario is a travesty of the biblical picture.
It may help us to note that God’s love operates at different levels or in various ways. For example, there is the love that he as the Creator bears to his creatures. Then there is his saving love expressed towards all sinners in the words of John 3:16, which is a description of God that is true and has to be given its full worth. The gospel offer is a serious expression of God’s love. It is this aspect of God’s love that we should focus on before we even think about his electing love.
Although the number God foreknew is limited, this does not mean it is a small number. Paul also says in the verse that Jesus will be the firstborn among many brethren. Therefore, the number that God foreknew is a large one; indeed it will turn out to be a number that no one can count (Rev. 7:9).
The fourth aspect of this divine foreknowledge that Paul mentions is that it has a longterm view, ranging from eternity to eternity. God’s delight in them was such that he longed to give them eternal pleasures.
God’s predestination
Predestination refers to the destiny that God marked out beforehand for those he had chosen. Election refers to the act of choosing and predestination refers to the future state that God planned for those he chose. Their destiny is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This is a shared destiny that will be experienced by all those who were foreknown by God.
Obviously this destiny is a holy one. Conformity to Christ’s image means becoming fully like him in character. When we think of Jesus’ character, it is helpful to think of him displaying from the heart, in a balanced manner, the fruit of the Spirit, which Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.’ As we think of our eternal destiny, we can insert the words ‘totally’ and ‘permanently’ and ‘individually’ before each of these aspects. This prospect should fill us with joy.
We should often meditate on the words of 1 John 3:2-3: ‘Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.’ Or the words of Philippians 3:20-21: ‘But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.’ What a destiny we have!
The pre-eminence of Christ
Great as the future glory of believers will be, they have to remember that the Centre of the Heaven will be Jesus Christ. He will be the firstborn among many brethren. The title ‘firstborn’ does not suggest that Jesus had an origin (he is eternal); instead it indicates that he has the place of pre-eminence. Although he is our Brother, he is also our Sovereign and we will confess throughout eternity that Jesus is Lord. As our Brother he came to our rescue, a plan that involved his becoming a man, obeying God’s law on our behalf, and suffering God’s wrath against our sins on the cross. In the process he was journeying to the place of honour that was given to him by the Father as the reward of his obedience unto death. We hail our wounded Elder Brother as the eternal King.
But he is also our Brother and will be so throughout eternity. As our Brother he will use his gifts for our benefit. He is the Prophet who will explain to us the Father’s name, he is the Priest who will lead us in the praise of God, he is the King who will protect us, who will rule for us as well as over us for ever. He is our Shepherd who will lead us into the heavenly pastures of the experience of God. In that eternal world, inhabited by a number that no person can count, Jesus the Elder Brother will never forget one of his brothers, not even for a moment.
This verse should be a comfort to us – the God who thought about us in the eternity past wants us to be with him in the eternity to come. He will not allow anything to prevent it taking place. The verse should give us confidence to face the future, even death itself, because nothing can prevent it happening. Of course, it should challenge us to live for the next world, to become more like Jesus day by day.
The verse should also cause us to worship more intelligently and more exuberantly. We have a great God who is working out a grand purpose. And we have a gracious God who is doing it for sinners like us.
As we think about the details in this verse, we realise that we are reflecting on matters that we could never have deduced by ourselves. This is true of the sinful mind, which is blind to all aspects of God’s plan of salvation. It is also true of the spiritual mind because even regenerate sinners cannot discover the great plans of God by themselves. For example, think what would have happened if all they had been told by God was John 3:16. That verse highlights many important details and is sufficient as far as information regarding salvation is concerned. It speaks of God’s love for a sinful world, of the sacrifice of Jesus, of the need of faith, of the danger of perishing without faith in Christ, and the promise of eternal life to those in trust in Christ. These details are important, but they do not specify the doctrines mentioned in Romans 8:29. In order to know about them, we need more of God’s special revelation, which we have received in the complete Scriptures. I mention this obvious point because I suspect that we often take our spiritual privileges for granted, and one of them is the range of doctrines that are revealed to us.
God’s foreknowledge
The first point to consider is what does Paul mean by ‘foreknow’. Many interpret this word as if it means God’s future knowledge of events, suggesting that Paul has in mind God looking down the ages of time and taking note of what would happen. That interpretation fails to notice that Paul does not say ‘what’ God foreknew but ‘whom’ he foreknew. Paul does not mean by this term that God foresaw who would have faith in Jesus and then predestined them on that reason. His concern is not about their future relationship to God in time, rather his focus is on God’s relationship to them in the past eternity.
To understand this point, we need to ask, What does the Bible mean by the words ‘know’ and ‘knowledge’? At times, the biblical authors use the words to describe intellectual knowledge; yet usually they use the words to describe experiential knowledge. Here are some examples:
The psalmist in Psalm 1 says that the Lord knows the way that the psalmist takes. David does not merely mean that God is aware of the path that David is on. He also means that the Lord knows the path because he has been on it with David and so has experienced it.
Another example is what the Lord said to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 : ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ The Lord does not say that he knew what Jeremiah would do; rather it is an affirmation that he knew the prophet in a special manner.
The Lord says concerning Israel in Amos 3:2: ‘You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.’ This does not mean that the Lord was ignorant concerning the other nations. Instead it signifies that he had a special relationship with Israel, a relationship that required particular punishment.
There is also the Saviour’s words to the lost on the Day of Judgement: ‘And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” ’ (Matt. 7:23); it is inconceivable that Jesus did not know about them, but he did not know them in the sense of having fellowship with them.
The term is commonly used to describe the love relationship of husbands and wives.
When we add the prefix ‘fore’, we note that the term now means to experience beforehand, that God was involved with his people in the past, before they were Christians. It raises the question, ‘What is the “before” that Paul has in mind?’
It could mean before they were born, which was what the Lord said to Jeremiah, but that is not the answer here because God knew them all simultaneously, whereas they were born thousands of years apart.
It could mean before the universe was created, and that is a true answer. Yet I suspect it is an insufficient answer because it could imply that God knew other matters before he knew his people – for example, he could have had a relationship with the angels in heaven and then decided to have one with his people.
I think Paul is saying that God knew his people before anything else existed, in other words that God has always known his people. Throughout his eternal existence he knew them, that there never was a moment when he was not thinking about them and delighting in them.
As we think of this relationship, several aspects of it can be mentioned. The first detail to consider is that it was brought about by God’s free, sovereign choice. This relationship is an expression of the liberty of God. He was not compelled by another power to enter into this relationship, but he did so because he desired to do so.
A second detail is that this is a relationship of love, of God’s love to his yet non-existing people. Here we are stepping into the world of mystery, probing into the heights that are always beyond our capacity to climb to the summit. Why did God love them? It was not because of anything in them. The answer is to be found only in the heart of God.
Thirdly, we should note that God’s people are a limited number, confined to those who will yet be in heaven. This, too, is a mystery beyond our understanding. God’s eternal love was selective. Why did God choose them? Again, it was not because of anything in them or that they would do. The answer is to be found only in the will of God.
This doctrine has been abused by many. The devil uses it to confuse genuine seekers after God and suggests that they should become fatalistic. We are familiar with the complaint, ‘If I am elected, then I will be converted,’ with the implication that the person may want to be converted, but that he or she may not be elect. Such a scenario is a travesty of the biblical picture.
It may help us to note that God’s love operates at different levels or in various ways. For example, there is the love that he as the Creator bears to his creatures. Then there is his saving love expressed towards all sinners in the words of John 3:16, which is a description of God that is true and has to be given its full worth. The gospel offer is a serious expression of God’s love. It is this aspect of God’s love that we should focus on before we even think about his electing love.
Although the number God foreknew is limited, this does not mean it is a small number. Paul also says in the verse that Jesus will be the firstborn among many brethren. Therefore, the number that God foreknew is a large one; indeed it will turn out to be a number that no one can count (Rev. 7:9).
The fourth aspect of this divine foreknowledge that Paul mentions is that it has a longterm view, ranging from eternity to eternity. God’s delight in them was such that he longed to give them eternal pleasures.
God’s predestination
Predestination refers to the destiny that God marked out beforehand for those he had chosen. Election refers to the act of choosing and predestination refers to the future state that God planned for those he chose. Their destiny is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This is a shared destiny that will be experienced by all those who were foreknown by God.
Obviously this destiny is a holy one. Conformity to Christ’s image means becoming fully like him in character. When we think of Jesus’ character, it is helpful to think of him displaying from the heart, in a balanced manner, the fruit of the Spirit, which Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.’ As we think of our eternal destiny, we can insert the words ‘totally’ and ‘permanently’ and ‘individually’ before each of these aspects. This prospect should fill us with joy.
We should often meditate on the words of 1 John 3:2-3: ‘Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.’ Or the words of Philippians 3:20-21: ‘But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.’ What a destiny we have!
The pre-eminence of Christ
Great as the future glory of believers will be, they have to remember that the Centre of the Heaven will be Jesus Christ. He will be the firstborn among many brethren. The title ‘firstborn’ does not suggest that Jesus had an origin (he is eternal); instead it indicates that he has the place of pre-eminence. Although he is our Brother, he is also our Sovereign and we will confess throughout eternity that Jesus is Lord. As our Brother he came to our rescue, a plan that involved his becoming a man, obeying God’s law on our behalf, and suffering God’s wrath against our sins on the cross. In the process he was journeying to the place of honour that was given to him by the Father as the reward of his obedience unto death. We hail our wounded Elder Brother as the eternal King.
But he is also our Brother and will be so throughout eternity. As our Brother he will use his gifts for our benefit. He is the Prophet who will explain to us the Father’s name, he is the Priest who will lead us in the praise of God, he is the King who will protect us, who will rule for us as well as over us for ever. He is our Shepherd who will lead us into the heavenly pastures of the experience of God. In that eternal world, inhabited by a number that no person can count, Jesus the Elder Brother will never forget one of his brothers, not even for a moment.
This verse should be a comfort to us – the God who thought about us in the eternity past wants us to be with him in the eternity to come. He will not allow anything to prevent it taking place. The verse should give us confidence to face the future, even death itself, because nothing can prevent it happening. Of course, it should challenge us to live for the next world, to become more like Jesus day by day.
The verse should also cause us to worship more intelligently and more exuberantly. We have a great God who is working out a grand purpose. And we have a gracious God who is doing it for sinners like us.
Comments
Post a Comment