Romans 8:31,32: “IF GOD IS FOR US , WHO CAN BE AGAINST US ?”

 

We now approach the end of Paul’s great exposition on the nature of the doctrine of our salvation, which he began in Romans 1:16.  

In  Romans 9-11  Paul will  address the matter  of the position of the Jews  in the light of this  doctrine, and in Romans 12-16  Paul will  make some  practical applications in the light  of this doctrine i.e.  How then shall we live?

Paul wrote this letter with a very practical and pastoral purpose in mind. He wanted to help the Christians in Rome to understand the profound nature of their salvation.  

A QUICK REVISION OF WHAT WE HAVE COVERED SO FAR IN ROMANS 

• He begins with a thesis statement in 1:16,17 - a statement of confidence in the saving power of the gospel – the good news that God takes care of our  sin through  His Son Jesus Christ.  
• From there he explains why God’s wrath is towards mankind in 1:18- 3:20 is so profound. He shows that the whole world (Jew and Gentile) is guilty of sin. 
• He then makes known the answer to that dilemma: Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God (Rom.3:21-31).  Christ alone can justify us- make us righteous-  in the eyes of a holy God!  To achieve that, God Himself must take the initiative to justify us. We cannot do that.   
• Paul illustrates this by using the example of Abraham (Rom 4) who is the father of the Jews. How did Abraham become a righteous man in the eyes of God?  How was he justified?  It began when Abraham was sovereignly  called by God in Genesis 12. He believed God and the promises of God that foreshadowed Christ, so that Jesus could say in John 8:56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad" .  
• Believing in God and His promises in Christ produces the peace with God which comes through faith alone in Christ alone (5:1-12). 
• Then in Rom. 5:12-21 Paul explains the nature and pervasiveness of sin which came through Adam and the grace which comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
• In Romans 6   Paul addresses some false conclusions that people come to concerning sin and grace. We cannot sin to make grace look better.  
• In 7: 1-6 the purpose of the law is explained. The law defines sin, but law-keeping itself can and will not save us. We MUST appeal to Christ. The struggle with sin is real, and only by looking to Jesus Christ can we deal with the pervasive problem of sin.  
• In Romans 8 Paul then deals with the great theme of Christian assurance: How do I know that I am truly saved? The chapter begins with this assertion: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” How do we know this? The Holy Spirit (mentioned 20 times in this chapter) helps us.  Paul says that the Holy Spirit confirms this in our spirits, giving us an inner assurance that we are the adopted children of God (8:2-16).
• In 8:18 Paul addresses the problem of suffering. Suffering is one of the greatest temptations to our faith. It easily robs us of our assurance.   How can we stay focused in the midst of suffering?  Paul says, (i) Through considering our heavenly future (8:18-25) (ii) Through the help of the Holy Spirit (8:26,27) and (iii) by understanding that our salvation is rooted in God’s doing. God is the one who saves from first to last - past, present and future (8:28-30). He predestines, calls, justifies and glorifies. Our salvation is all of God!

ROMANS 8:31-39

In 8:31-39 we come to the conclusion of the matter - a summary to the whole letter so far. The summary is provided in the form of 5 questions leading to one affirmation: 

If God is for us who can be against us?  

The  5 questions  are introduced by this leading question: "What shall we say to these things"?  

• Firstly, “If God is for us, who can be against us”? 
• Secondly, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also with Him graciously give us all things?” 
• Thirdly, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” 
• Fourthly, “Who is to condemn?”  
• Fifthly, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ…?”

Following these 5 questions, Paul,  in the last three verses (8:37-39) asserts this glorious truth:  

All true believers will ultimately persevere ! 

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

In summary we learn:  

• 8:31 No conceivable power can stand against God
• 8:32 If God gave us His very best - Christ, will He not give us all things?   
• 8:33,34 No one can bring any charge   against or condemn God’s people. 
• 8:35 Nothing at all can separate a believer from the love of Christ. This glorious assertion is repeated in 8:39 :  “nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

This is one great and powerful statement on Christian assurance –  This is how we may know that we have a right standing with God. 

If  Romans  8 is that great majestic mountain, called Assurance, then 8:31-40 is the mountain peak. 

This we  shall consider now  and  we will only deal with 8:31,32

ROMANS  8:31,32

1.       8:31 No conceivable power can stand against God!

When Paul asks, "If God is for us, who can be against us?", he is not saying that we have no troubles, no opposition and no enemies. In fact, Romans 8 has had a lot to say about Christian suffering.  The list in 8:35-36 leaves us in no doubt about that.

The question is this: Can our salvation hold up under these things? 

• Is there someone or something out there that  can  make us loose our salvation? 
• Is there someone or something out there that can undo the work of Christ on the cross for His people? 

Paul says, NO! No enemy can be against us when God is for us.  And since God is for us, to use the words of  8:28, then it stands to reason that all things work together for our ultimate good, even those things which our enemies  and Satan intend for our harm.

The God who foreknows, predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies His people, He is for His people.   

And therefore, in ALL THINGS He is the Sovereign God who rules and overrules all things for the sake of His people. He is   their faithful God. He is the God whose love is steadfast.  “Righteousness and justice are the FOUNDATION of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14). “With Him there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17).

• He is the God who said to Isaiah in 46:10,11b, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
• He is the God who holds the hearts of all the kings of the earth in His hands: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever He will (Prov. 21:1).  He does this ultimately for the sake of His people. He does it for the suffering church in Iran and in the Ukraine and in China and in North Korea and in northern Nigeria and in the entire African Sahel region.  The Ayatollahs, Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Boko Haram of Nigeria are on a long leash, while the sovereign God is purifying His church and making the church ready for His presence.
• He  is the God who in Daniel 4:34-35 turned the heart   of that wicked Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar  to  worship him : “I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honoured him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”.  
• He is the God who hardened the heart of the Egyptian Pharaoh (Ex. 4:21;7:3,13,14 etc.). 
• He is the God who hands people over when they persist in their rebellious ways (Rom.1:24,26,28)
• He is the God of whom David said in 1 Chronicles 29:11-12: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.    
• He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, weak and fallible in themselves, but mighty in His hand. He is the God of Daniel and of all the prophets. He is the God who called fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John and a tax collector called Levi (Matthew) and sceptics like Nathanael and doubters like Thomas    to become His apostles. Last of all He also called a violent persecutor named Saul to become His apostolic servant to the gentile nations (Acts 9).
• He is the God that opened the eyes of 3000 on the day of Pentecost (2:41). 
• He is the God that enabled a lame beggar to leap and praise God (Acts 3:8); 
• He is the God that made Samaritans turn in great numbers to Him (Acts 8:25). 
• An Ethiopian is converted  as God directs Philip to him (Acts 8:26-40);  
• A Roman centurion  called Cornelius heard the call of God (Acts10); 
• the  heart of Lydia was opened by God  (Acts 16:14,15) and  also that of  the Philippian jailer and his entire family (Acts 16:30-34); 
• Thousands were converted by the power of God  in the various apostolic journeys  undertaken by Peter and Paul and Barnabas  and  their many associates. Churches were planted everywhere. God was in it all, even in the midst of ridicule, rejection, hostility, being disliked, and being killed. 
• Stephen, being stoned by a mob saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55,56). Many early witnesses, including most of the apostles died in His service, they were ultimately not lost to death. They were immediately delivered into the hands of their Saviour, for to depart is to be with Christ, (which) is far better” (Phil.1:23).   
• Christians  must  be helped to think like  Hezekiah in 2 Chron. 32:7ff  when  he encouraged his people  with these words in the face of an overwhelming enemy :  "Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there is one greater with us than with them . . . with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles". 

No conceivable power can stand against God! If God is for us, who can be against us?

2.       8:32 If God gave us His very best -  Jesus Christ, will He not give us all things?  

"He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also with Him graciously give us all things?”  The second point is powerful. God gave us His very best – His beloved Son (John 3:16). 

How on earth will He then deny you lesser things?   

If God loves you so much that He did not spare to give you His own Son for your sin,  then  how can you doubt that God’s love and providential care may be taken away from you in lesser matters?

·    Are you getting the picture?  What shall we say then? If God is so much for you, who can be against you?  You know the answer! Doesn’t this strengthen your faith with great assurance dear believer? And if you are not  a believer yet- I call you NOW to stop doubting and believe the gospel.

We will end here for now, and pick up  Romans 8: 33ff,  God-willing  on the next Lord’s day.  

ROMANS 8:29-30 THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF SALVATION

 

In Romans 8 Paul has been unpacking the doctrine of Life in the Spirit. 

Being a Christian is no ordinary life. It is a life of miraculous enablement and intervention. It is a life in which God works in a believer, even against our natural sluggishness, our slowness to believe, our humanistic thoughts and responses.  If we are in Christ, Paul points us to the help we receive from the indwelling Holy Spirit as we wrestle against the realities that our flesh (our physical nature) presents. He shows us that we, amid this great battle are wonderfully sustained. 

Above all He points us to the future glory that is our inheritance. The best is yet to be. People  that feel hopeless need to hear this!  Wait a little longer. Your Saviour is near.  He asserts that those who love God (and those alone) - who are called according to His purpose, ALL things ultimately work for good (8:28). 

And from there he proceeds to connect us to God’s great, eternal plan of salvation.

28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

We have a massive statement here. This is truly holy ground.  Paul is giving us insight into God’s eternal mind and purpose in terms of His saving purpose for mankind.  Here we find the sequence known as the golden chain of salvation.  Here is a statement outlining the way in which God saves His people. 

• Here we are helped to see that this salvation is all of God, from first to last.  
•  Here we learn that our salvation begins in the mind of God the Father. 
• Here we are reminded  that our salvation is accomplished by Christ’s finished work on the cross.
• Our salvation is applied by the Holy Spirit. He helps us to see and believe in the finished work of Jesus.   
• Our response to God in repentance is the outcome and proof of our salvation.
• Our love for God is the result of a heart set free.
•  We learn that our salvation never came about because we  made a decision for God or  by being born into a Christian home.  

Augustine of Hippo said, "God elected believers in order that they might believe, not because they already believed."[1] God's choice of us precedes our choice of Him. If the Lord had not chosen us, we never would have chosen to believe in Him.

THE FOUNDATION OF  ROMANS  8:28   – A SURE SALVATION

The First Link of the Chain: Foreknowledge

“For those whom he foreknew …” The Greek word for "foreknew" [2]  literally means to know beforehand.  It is more than simply to be aware of a future event – a passive foresight of human actions, like, “God foreknew that Robert Good was going to choose to become a Christian”. That is not it!

God’s foreknowledge is not passive. It is active. It is loaded with love for His people (see Romans 5:8). He lovingly foreknows them before they are born (Jer. 1:5; Gal 1:15). There is an active  intimacy in that foreknowledge. 

Let’s look at this in another way:  In Matthew 7:23 in context of His future judgement Jesus says to false believers, “I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”  Jesus obviously “knew” who these people were and what they had done. So, when Jesus says, “I never knew you”, He means, “I have never been in a loving, saving, covenant-love relationship with you, and you show it by the lawlessness (lack of love for me) of your lives.”

To foreknow is to fore-love. We shall see this again in Romans 11:2 where Paul mentions God’s eternal, covenant love for Israel: “God has not rejected his people whom He foreknew” (Rom. 11:2).  There is profound substance to God’s foreknowledge.

The Second Link: Predestination

8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.   Predestination[3] is not synonymous with foreknowledge. Predestination follows foreknowledge.  Foreknowledge is what is in God’s heart concerning His people right from the very beginning. What is in God’s heart? Love for His people! Predestination follows from that. It points to God’s eternal decree to bring something to pass in time.  God’s ultimate purpose is the establishment of the church – the sum total of His adopted sons and daughters (8:15) consisting of OT (before the cross) and NT (after the cross) believers.

Predestined to which end? Now, notice how Paul completes that thought, “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”. The ultimate purpose of salvation is not just to obtain forgiveness from sins (we must and we do!), but to be conformed into Christ's likeness. Remember? We are called to be God’s holy people (1 Pet.2:9,10).  That is what it means to be a Christian!  Those in Matt 7:23, whom Jesus did not know, even though they said that they acted in His Name, did not actually act like Him!  They did not portray family likeness in what they did.  Christians are predestined to become like Jesus - spiritually, morally, and eventually physically as we inherit a resurrection body.

This is what it means “to be conformed” to his “image”.

Also note that Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers (and sisters). The term ‘firstborn’  refers to the fact that our Lord Jesus was the first human to have escaped the bondage of death (cf. 1 Cor. 15:20-23). In that sense He is the firstborn brother (the new Adam) of the new human race (see also Col. 1:15,18). We are predestined  to be imitators of Christ.

The Third Link: Calling

8:30a “And those whom he predestined he also called…”.  This is the “effectual call“. This is the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of one that is foreknown and predestined.  It comes in time, and the drawing power is unmistakable. It some that calling works in an instant; in others, over time.  But the point is that this call is effective.  

There may be two people who sit under the same gospel message: Both are called, both are invited to come to Christ – one responds and the other doesn’t.  How does that work?  In one sense God calls everyone, in that the gospel is freely and indiscriminately preached to all, BUT in the end only those who will effectively hear will experience that calling as a strong drawing to trust in Jesus.  In that sense “Many are called but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14).  In 1 Thess1:5  we read that the gospel came to the Thessalonians “not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”  The gospel landed on fruitful soil. They heard the gospel call, they believed and they became fruitful, but it is all due to the sovereign grace and mercy of God. In Romans 1:6-7, Paul refers to those “called to belong to Jesus Christ”… “loved by God and called to be saints”

We proclaim the gospel indiscriminately and universally to all people. That is a general call, but hearts are dead to the truth of the gospel. Unless God by His Spirit  supernaturally calls people from  the state to spiritual death to spiritual life, they will and cannot hear the life giving Word.  

The Fourth Link: Justification

8:30b “…and those whom he called he also justified…”  We have spent considerable time on this doctrine in earlier chapters. We will make this point in summary form:  When God calls someone, He justifies them, meaning that He forgives their sins and imparts the righteousness of Jesus to them, removing all charges against them. Their legal status before God the Great Judge of all has changed, and we return to Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation…”

The Fifth Link: Glorification

8:30c “…and those whom he justified he also glorified.”  We have also deliberated on the subject of glorification (see 8:17,18,21,23).  Glorification is the final step in God’s saving work. This is the future transformation of believers into the perfect, sinless likeness of Jesus Christ, both physically and spiritually. It occurs at Christ's return, resulting in resurrected, immortal bodies, the total eradication of sin, and eternal communion with God. It is interesting to note here that Paul uses the past tense to describe our glorification. This is odd, since our glorification is a future event, but clearly Paul sees this here as good as done – he speaks of it as having already occurred. This is the so-called   cherry on the top of the doctrine of salvation. When that has happened our salvation is accomplished and fully applied

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS OF THIS DOCTRINE

Here we have the golden chain of salvation, from eternity past to eternity future. 

It leaves us breathless doesn’t it?

1.       8: 29-30 provides the foundation for the promise found in   8:28. Based on this promise we have confidence that God will truly work in all things for our ultimate good.  Even our strange providences, those difficult, strange things that happen to Christians along life’s highway, will ultimately work out for our good. In these experiences, God sanctifies us, and in that process, He draws even nearer to us. Thank God that there will be an end to all this testing when He finally calls us home, frees us from the presence of sin and equips us with bodies fit for heaven and His presence.

2.       Nothing ultimately will hinder His eternal good purpose for His foreknown, predestined, called, justified ones. They will all reach glory! God cannot fail.

3.       He will lose no one in the process!  All whom God foreknows will ultimately be glorified.  Your salvation is utterly secure.  The conclusion of chapter 8 makes that very clear.

4.       Make sure that you are indeed in Christ. Make sure that you know Him and are known by Him (2 Cor.13:5). Again, be reminded that the proof of the life of Christ in the soul is that you bear fruit. At the heart of this text is the ultimate goal: God wants you to be conformed to the image of His Son.  Right now that may look very different for all of us.

·       Some of you are young Christians. You are barely out of starting blocks- you are beginning to blossom and look like Jesus.

·       Others have walked with Jesus for many years. Your godliness is seen, felt and appreciated.

·       Some of you may be backslidden or stagnant or joyless.  Get back to your first love. Deal with the idols. Smash them!

·       A word to the unconverted. Conversion is not mere morality, education, or baptism. Don’t rely on superficial religion. You must have   a thorough change of heart, mind, and life brought by the Holy Spirit. This is the heartbeat of Romans 8. The Holy Spirit makes the difference.

 

 

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[1] "On the Predestination of the Saints" Book I, Chapter 17. In this work, written around A.D. 428–429 near the end of his life, Augustine was defending his doctrine of grace and unconditional election against the teachings of Pelagius.  He cited John 15:16, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you".

[2] προέγνω (proegnō), - aorist active indicative form of the verb proginōskō.

[3] Proorizō -  to determine beforehand, foreordain; There are six texts in the NT where this verb is used. Two of them are here in Romans 8:29-30. The other four are these: Acts 4:27-28; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Eph. 1:3-6; Eph. 1:11-12

ROMANS 8:28-30 DO ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD?

 

Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones (1899-1980), the great Welsh Preacher,  is probably best known for his lengthy sermon series on the  epistle to the  Romans. It has been  published in 14 volumes.  He preached 72 sermons on Romans 8 alone. In his commentary on the 8^th chapter of Romans, he says that this chapter is “the brightest gems of all”[1]. It is a great chapter on Christian assurance. This  subject  and chapter is a tonic for our souls, and that is why we are taking our time to savour its contents. 

Assurance (Jesus loves me this I know!) is a vital component of spiritual health for all Christians. When you are secure in your faith and in God's love for you  it moves you from fear-driven performance to joyful obedience. 

Assurance is important when you experience the inevitable  attacks of the devil and when you go through personal struggles,  because  your faith is rooted  in Christ who has overcome the world.  

 REVIEW

This chapter begins with, “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation.”   God is so good!

·       Rom. 8:1-4. Here we find the governing thought of this chapter: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.”  In Romans 7 Paul showed us the real struggle between the righteous demands of the law and our inability to keep it.  This can be a very depressing problem. It  easily robs us of joy and assurance.  Who will deliver us from our sin? Thanks be to God – Jesus our Lord!  Therefore, we must learn to  look to Him- continually!  In this we are  helped also by the  indwelling Holy Spirit  by reminding us of the work of Christ: “the law of the Spirit of life has set us free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death”.  When this has happened we can grow in  the grace and the knowledge of God, even though we still must contend with indwelling sin.

·        Rom. 8: 5-11 shows the difference between the Christian and non-Christian. A Christian has their mind set on the things of the Spirit. The product is life and peace and the hope of eternal life. The non-Christian has their mind on the things of the flesh. They are hostile to God; they do not and cannot submit to God’s law.

·       Rom. 8:12 – 17   shows us that Christians, by the help of the Holy  Spirit can live differently to the world. A Christian  is  an  adopted son/ daughter of God. Belonging to a new  family they are not dominated by the spirit of slavery that makes them fall back into fear, but they are enabled by the Spirit of adoption to lean on God, their heavenly Father in the inevitable  trials of life.  

·       Rom 8:18 – 30 reminds   us   of the reality of suffering in a fallen world.  Our focus must not be on the suffering . It must be on the glory to be revealed.  In this, Christians in their weakness have the help of the Holy Spirit. He  intercedes for them with groanings too deep for words. And His prayers on their behalf are understood and heard by the Father –  A wonderful assurance!   

This brings us to 8:28-30. These three verses provide us with profound encouragement.  This is one of the most quoted passages in Romans. 

ROMANS  8:28-30    

1.       8:28a  Everything is ordered by God for our good

Even our sufferings! This is our context.  “ALL things work together for good!” All things?  Yes, everything!  Before we consider this strong assertion, we need to understand what Paul is not saying.

•  Paul is not saying that all things which happen to believers are good in themselves.  There are things that happen to us which are not good. There are evil things that others do to us which are not good. There are choices we make that are not good!   
• What Paul is saying is that God can use the evil things done to us, even our own poor choices,  for our ultimate good.  
• The comforting thought is this: We are not in the hands of an almighty devil; we are not in the hands of an evil world; we are not even finally in our own hands and of our bad choices, which can be very painful.  We are in the hands of a good God. He  is able  to work all things for good in the life of the believer. 

This needs to be seen in context of Rom. 8:26,27. 

What has Paul just said?  

He has said that the Holy Spirit helps us in our times of weakness.  These are times when you have no words to pray.  If you are in that position, then Paul has another word of comfort for you!  

1. Not only do you have a certain future hope when this difficult life is over 
2. Not only does the Holy Spirit intercede for you when you can’t pray 
3. But it is also true that God uses every event (even the messy ones) in your life to work for your ultimate good.  

He begins with this statement, "And we know that for those who love God ALL THINGS work together for good”.  We know!  We may not like to know this, but if you love God, then you know that He is with you in whatever happens …  a death; a severe illness of a loved one; the reality of recurring marital problems; problems with rebellious children; job retrenchment, and even some worse things.   

How can God be in this? How can these things be for good?  We don’t always know, and often it is very hard to see…even for a long time. But we know that God is not the Originator of sin. We also know that God is able to bring good out of evil. Just think what God did on the cross.  God turned a cruel cross into victory. 

Can He turn your cross into victory?  It is often hard to see…

This is where faith in the Word of God and the God of the Word becomes a Christian’s source of hope. A Christian is one who is loved by God (we shall see this now in 8:29,30) and who loves God., even in suffering and  times of trial. In God's  economy there is no wasted suffering.  It may be painful, and it may appear meaningless at face value, but it isn’t, because God remains your Father and you His beloved adopted child, and  as such He is committed to your  welfare,   even in the valleys of life.  

2.        8:28b This is a promise for believers alone!  

“For those who love God…”.  This is a word of comfort for Christians. We cannot use these words to an unbeliever whom you are visiting in hospital.  It belongs to those who love God… those who are called according to His purpose (the same thing).  And the reason they love Him is because He has called them. 

3.       8:29,30 God’s persistent love for His children

This is so big! Our life in Christ is in the hands of omnipotent love- whatever our experience!  

1. Paul says that there is no event in life that God doesn’t use for the good of believers (8:28a).                       
2. God’s promise is for believers alone (8:28b)
3. And now Paul shows us God’s glorious saving purpose from the beginning to the end (8:29,30). His involvement in the life of His children is all encompassing. It extends through their life in this fallen world with all its trials and tribulations. It continues until they are glorified, and back with Him in heaven.  This is so big!  This is the golden chain of salvation - an unbreakable, five-link sequence of God’s redemptive work.  And Paul  put’s it like this: Those God foreknows and predestines, these he  also calls, justifies, and ultimately glorifies - this is the golden chain of salvation. What mighty  assurance  we find here! 

THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF SALVATION 

a.        God foreknows His children. "For those whom He foreknew…". Some have thought that God foresaw that we would choose Him, and therefore, based on our choice, He chose us. That is not biblical. God’s choice of us never rested on our love, our works, or our decision. God‘s choice of us rests in His love for Jesus, His Son, to whom He has given a people, a church (ekklesia),a bride.  As such Jesus dies for those that the Father has given Him out of the world (John 17:2,6,9,10,24).  IN HIM  we  are loved by the Father.  We are  blessed  in the beloved. (Eph 1:6) 

b.      God has predestined His children to be conformed to the image of His Son.  God’s foreknowledge forms the basis of our predestination. Christians are predestined to be  conformed to the image of His Son.  They want to be like Jesus in His moral perfections.  They want to be holy as He is holy.  They want to share in His glory.  Paul also says here that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. We will share in the glory of our older brother! He is the first fruit of the resurrection. When He appears we will be like Him! (1 Jn 3:2) 

c.        Predestination is followed by the calling: While our predestination occurs before the beginning of time, our calling happens in time.  When you become a Christian, you hear the call of Jesus to come and follow (e.g. Matt. 1:18-22; Lk. 5:27,28). This call is irresistible, because it is the voice of the Good Shepherd. It is the voice of Home.

d.      Calling is followed by justification:  Justification is the legal declaration by God that a sinner is righteous i.e. not guilty. God does this by imputing the blood of His Son Jesus to  the sinner's  account.  Jesus our Lord was delivered up for our trespasses and raised  for our justification (Rom. 4:25).  There is now no condemnation (Rom. 8:1)  Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies (Rom. 8:3)

e.       Justification is followed by glorification.  This happens after death, when we, like Jesus following His death, will be clothed in our resurrection bodies.  The text here reads in the past tense, "And you have been glorified."  He speaks of it as if it has already happened. It is as good as done.

CONCLUSION

When we consider the big picture, then all our losses and crosses, all suffering, all unfairness, all our bad decisions, all sin against us, everything.... becomes bearable. Therefore we must persevere. We must be patient.  We must know that this temporary life, with all its hardships and sufferings is just that: temporary. And in the meantime, we must know  that  our Father in heaven is not going to exempt us from doing life with all its complexities.  But He will make sure that we have more than sufficient grace to manage our challenges- many of which will be expressed in groanings, which the Holy Spirit bears on our behalf to the throne of grace.  

But, everything will ultimately work for good,  and  we know this  finally and especially  when we  shall  stand in His presence clothed in our glorified bodies!

 

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[1]  Martyn Lloyd Jones, ROMANS 7:1-8:4, p.258f, Banner of Truth,1973

Isaiah 52:1-12 - "The Lord’s Coming Salvation" (PALM SUNDAY)

As we focus on the  last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, we begin with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 

This  event is described in all four gospels [1] and it  is  specifically prophesied  by the prophet Zechariah (Zech.9:9) and in so many other indirect ways  in the  Old Testament, such as this passage in  Isaiah, which precedes  the  famous Isaiah 53 passage  which we shall  consider on Easter Friday.

Today we remember the occasion   when Jesus,  the  chosen  servant of God[2] came riding on a humble donkey   to fulfil  the work that the Father  had given  Him to do in laying down His life for His people[3]. 

As He entered  the city, He was received  in the manner of  a conquering King, although “he had no  form or majesty  that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him…”  (53:2), and yet the crowd  received Him  with  these words, 

"Hosanna[4] to the Son of David”. 

This   was tantamount to saying (and so  it was understood  by the Pharisees e.g. in Lk 19:39) that He was the long expected Messiah of Israel.    

In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry, Jesus  following His entrance into Jerusalem is deeply disturbed at what He sees. 

He weeps over Jerusalem  (see Lk  19:41- 44 ; and see  also  Lk  13:34 – 35).  

This is followed  by the famous  temple cleansing (Lk. 19:45-48; Matt 21:12-17)

It is particularly   Lk  13:34 – 35 that gives us an insight  into  the spiritual state of Jerusalem. 

It was this city  that  had killed the prophets. 

It was this city that would kill the Son of God, and amazingly, Jesus  knew that  this was going to happen! 

What was the purpose for which Jesus rode into Jerusalem to lay down His life?   It was  to hand Himself over to wicked men  to do what they had wanted to do all along, BUT  in this  atrocious act  He  would  also make atonement for the sin of the world! 

By His  death He would  secure  eternal life for  all his own people,  for all those “who did receive Him, who believed  in His Name” (John 1:12). It was  ultimately  to secure for them a  future, not in this earthly Jerusalem, but  in the new, the heavenly Jerusalem, the home of every true believer  which Jesus went to prepare in John 14:1-4  and of which  we read in   Revelation 21.

Now we know from the history of Jerusalem  that she had been  besieged and captured many times. In the days of  Israel’s  occupation of Jerusalem[5], this city was  sacked  eventually by the Babylonians in around  586 BC. She  was  burned and destroyed and her  people taken into exile in  Babylon, just as  Isaiah and Jeremiah and others had said. But before that, approximately 135  years  earlier,  in the days of Isaiah,  this city  was also threatened by the Assyrians  who did in fact capture the northern territory of Israel and with it 10 tribes, who were sent into  exile in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:5ff).   All prophets, particularly the  major  prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, and later the Lord Jesus, God’s final Revelation (Hebr. 1:1-3) saw  that the continued rebellion  of this city  that had experienced  so much  of God’s favour, in terms of hosting  the temple of God, and therefore  the visible presence of God in Israel, that this city  would  face the wrath of God.  This leading  city  of the Jews   had lost the vision   of God in her midst.

Isaiah’s  prophecy  can be divided into two parts. 

The first part, chapters  1-39  focus on God’s judgement on Israel and the surrounding nations  for idolatry, injustice and reliance on foreign powers rather than on God

The second part in chapters 40 – 66,  is known as the 'book of the messianic  servant'. It offers  comfort to  the exiled people, and  the promise of the return of a remnant. 

Isaiah’s vision is big!  

Not only does he  include future events from his own perspective in about 722 BC;  Isaiah also  sees  the restoration of Israel  after the Babylonian captivity, much later in 520 BC, when he was long dead. 

But more  than that, Isaiah’s  prophecy anticipates  the  ministry and mission of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ (whom we shall meet as the suffering servant in  Isaiah 53) more than 700 years later! 

And from our perspective Isaiah  foresees  even more than that. He foresees  the rule  and restoration  of all things under Christ  in  days to come, which,  even from our perspective is STILL  in the future!

From the present perspective  of Isaiah, and from Christ’s perspective, when He rode into Jerusalem, and also  from our own perspective, this earthly Jerusalem  was and is  anything but a holy city.   

But  Isaiah  sees  beyond that,  and he, like His Messiah, the Lord Jesus look  to the far future  when things will look very different. 

And it all began  on that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. 

On this day  He came to  Jerusalem  to  secure the future  of  the inhabitants  of a far greater Jerusalem. He came to  do this   in His death  and resurrection, described  in Isaiah 53. 

In preparation for that let's  take a look at  this text[6] which precedes the phenomenal  events of Isaiah 53,  and view it  just as the triumphal entry  precedes the phenomenal events of the week that lay ahead:

1.Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Obviously,  the prophet is not speaking here of  a political  entity  called  Jerusalem. He is speaking  of  that future city where  there  shall be no sin – the heavenly Jerusalem of  Revelation 21. That  is the city that Jesus ultimately  came to establish when He came riding into  this sinful Jerusalem, that killed the prophets, and therefore the prophet continues …

2. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 

What did the Lord Jesus  achieve  in his death and resurrection?  He  purchased  freedom  for a people in the dust, a people enslaved by sin. He freed them  for citizenship in the new Jerusalem,  by the shedding of His blood.

3.  For thus says the Lord: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” What does this   mean?  In context  this  would refer to the Babylonian captivity. Babylon acquired   Judah and paid nothing for  her when they took her captive in 586 BC. However,  roughly 70 years later under Cyrus  the Persian and then Artaxerxes [7]  she was freed  without the payment of money,  when men like Ezra and Nehemiah led the people back to Jerusalem  from captivity, being in fact supported by the Babylonians to rebuild Jerusalem[8]. But in a greater sense it would mean  that the sin which our  first father Adam committed, and of which we had borne the fruit, would now  be borne  by Christ in His death, BUT no  one has  to pay for their redemption. It was free for those who would take it.    

This  was the purpose for which  Jesus  came to ride into the city! 

4 For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. 

Israel’s first stint away from their   earthly Jerusalem in Canaan  was  experienced when they had lived  for 430 years in  Egypt, after which they returned under Moses and Joshua  to Canaan, their promised land.  Then  David  established the   physical Jerusalem  for Israel, but under  the often foolish rule of his  grandsons, substantial chunks of the kingdom were gradually lost – first under the  Assyrians, who   claimed the northern kingdom of Israel.  

In Christ’s day the  Jews were oppressed  by the  Romans, and the Jews hoped for  their Messiah  to return to  deliver them from the  Roman yoke. But was this ultimately the yoke  that  they needed to be  delivered from? Was not the yoke of sin their ultimate problem?  And who alone could effectively deal  with sin, if not the Son of God? And so Jesus rode into Jerusalem …

  

5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised. Many a time when Israel was  attacked by her enemies (no doubt, due to their own foolishness, which resulted in the hand of God being lifted from them),  their enemies  were  blaspheming the  name of God  when they  taunted  Israel: “Where now is your God?”  (e.g. Ps 42:10;  115:2; Joel 2:17). In truth, this was also  the  general attitude of the Jews   to Jesus. When he hung on the cross they mocked Him, saying: “He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One.”(Lk. 23:35). The truth was that in continually  mocking Christ they were continually mocking the work of God. 

And so Christ rode into Jerusalem on  this day  to make a distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous!  

6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” In the  historical context  the  release from Babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of Jerusalem would be  a true testimony  to the power of God.  Nehemiah confirms this in Neh.6:15,16  when he says, “… all the nations around us …perceived that this work  had been  accomplished with the help of our God !” But in a greater sense  the greatest work  would be the   establishment  of the  eternal city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, which would be populated by  those who had been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  

Jesus came riding  into  Jerusalem  to  declare that He would do this ON THE CROSS!   

This  is  therefore what gives rise to the next verse!  Here is the gospel  of the good news   for all the people… for all the nations !

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Paul quotes this passage in Rom 10:15.  The point is that whatever historical situation brought  the good news  in Isaiah’s day, he was looking much further, when our  Messiah  made the gospel  terms  effective  by His death and resurrection.

For this reason Jesus came riding into Jerusalem.

8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy;  for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.  In the  historical setting this  was accomplished  when God restore the Jews to liberty under the leadership of men  like  Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Yet again,  and in a greater sense, these things were fulfilled in Christ’s coming into Jerusalem  for this purpose – that He might lay down His life for a great number of people  and to establish  for them a city whose foundations cannot be shaken.

9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.  Historical deliverance happened  under Cyrus, (2 Chron. 36:22,23). The  Lord  displayed his power among the Medes and Persians, but afterwards he made it visible to all the nations. But again, see the ultimate fulfilment  in this  text. The Abrahamic covenant  is being fulfilled, as not only Jews but  gentiles  were participating in the salvation of God in Christ. 

All this began  to be fulfilled  in Christ riding into Jerusalem  to lay down His life for  Jews and gentiles. 

11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. In context  this was a call to  all  the Jews to leave Babylon, and to leave the things of Babylon behind. Those  that were  carrying the vessels of the Lord ( i.e. the vessels  for the temple), the priests, these were to be  especially consecrated. 

The redeemed would not need to  leave in haste as they had done when they left Egypt in the Exodus. They were completely free. God would go before to lead them and behind to protect them as they journeyed to their Promised Land (cf. Exodus 13:21-22; Exodus 14:19-20). In our context, it is important that we need to leave the city of destruction and make sure that we are on the  road to the heavenly  Jerusalem. (Pilgrims Progress)  

Here then,  in this  part of  Isaiah’s prophecy  the dual implications of the prophet's promises are very clear.  

1. The Babylonian captivity  formed the background  to what  Isaiah  said, 

2. ... but  Isaiah  had the larger issue of  SIN SLAVERY  in mind.  Return to the land was in view, but even more so, the opportunity to return to the Lord through spiritual redemption was His greater focus. 

God would deal with the result in Israel's case, captivity, but He would also and more importantly deal with the great cause of  every man's   problem, namely sin !

All this Jesus  came to do when he rode on that donkey  into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  

Hallelujah, what a Word! 

Hallelujah, what a Saviour! 

AMEN .

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[1] Matthew 21: 1- 11 ; Mark 11:1-11 ; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19

[2] Note the four servant   passages  in this regard :  42:1-9; 49:1-7 ; 50:4-11 ; 52:13-53:12

[3] i.e. as the Lamb of God for His sheep

[4]  Lit. “save now”

[5] This city was captured by David from the Jebusites  in  2 Samuel 5:6-10 , after which it was called “the city of David”

[6] The proper  parameters for this text is  Isaiah 51:1-52:12. The chapter division at 52:1 is unfortunate . Similarly  the chapter division should not begin with 53:1, as it does, but should start at 52:13.

Outline of Ch.  51:1- 52:12 : 1. A threefold  call  to listen :  i.e.  51 : 1; 4; 7   2. A threefold  exhortation to awake  : 51:9;17 & 52:1  

[7] Ezra 1:1; 4:7

[8]  Ezra 1:2ff ;Neh. 2:8