So What Does It Mean? Part One

So, What Does It Mean? Part one

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30

Sometimes on Tuesday night’s I attend a men’s bible study that has in its attendance, brothers from various churches in my area. We decided to take a look at Wayne Grudem’s book titled “Christian Beliefs”. This small book is based on his much larger “Systemic Theology” book. This stuff gets “heavy mental” and had lead into some great apologetic discussions.

The book has 20 basic questions that start with “What is the Bible?” to “What is Heaven?”. I just recently lead a Tuesday night and my question was “What does it mean to become a Christian?”. There were a few points that I had covered from that chapter and I would like to share them with the Freedom Fighter Brethren.

The first is “Effective Calling”. As Grudem put it this is a summoning from the King of the Universe Himself. It is through the human proclamation of the Gospel and it results in saving faith. God calls his people “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) and calls them “into the fellowship of His Son” (1 Cor. 1:9; cf. Acts 2:39). But I would like to dig slightly into the aforementioned verse.

In verse 29 of Romans 8 God foreknew us in the past. But it is not enough to say that God foreknew those He knew would repent and believe. He knew everyone who would ever be born. It’s in that foreknowledge that God embraces those whom He foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son. It is knowledge with purpose that could never be frustrated. It is His foreknowledge that insures repentance and belief.

At verse 30 it is the predestined who are called in time. Not only do we hear the Gospel but there is response to it. This makes it a conversion-producing effective call of God. Those who respond are “also justified” and clothed with the righteousness of through the merits of Christ. Then those who are also justified will be “also glorified” as if we have already received it.

This part of the Roman epistle is one of the strongest passages that the New Testament speaks on the eternal security of the believer. For it is for every million who are foreknown and predestined by God, every one of that million will be called, justified and glorified. Take a look at John 6:37 and compare the “all.” Are you one of the million? And have you been called? -- Today's Freedom Fighter was written by Colony grad, Chris Hughes. I love this brother.

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 3

Great Quote: Wheresoever God may lead you, there you will find Himself, in the most harassing business, as in the most tranquil prayer. Francois Fenelon