Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, September 2, 2001   

INTRODUCTION: Notice with me the last words of Romans 8:28: "...the called according to his purpose." It is according to His purpose that He called us, and it is according to His purpose that all things work together for good. In verses 29-30, Paul traces God's "saving purpose through five stages from its beginning in His mind to its consummation in the coming glory" (Stoft 248). As you carefully read these verses, the five links in God's chain of redemption are clearly seen:

1. Foreknowledge: "For whom he did foreknow......"
   
2. Predestination: "He also did predestinate......."
   
3. Calling: "Them he also called .….."
   
4. Justification: "them he also justified….."
   
5. Glorification: "Them he also glorified…..."

1. VERSE 29a, LINK ONE- GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE
   1. "For whom he did foreknow..." There is no doubt about it; our redemption began with God's foreknowledge.
      
      1. According to the Word of God, a child of God is someone whom God did foreknow.
         
         1. This tells us that God is the initiator of salvation; and this is the way it must be. For man cannot initiate salvation because of his fallen nature.
            
         2. Man is dead in trespasses and sin and cannot save himself (Ephesians 2:1). He is a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). He is by nature an enemy of God, alienated (Colossians 1:21).
            
         3. The natural man has nothing within him to cause him, push him, to trust in God who he is at war with (I Corinthians 2:14; II Corinthians 4:4).
            
      2. Although God knows what will happen that is not what is spoken of here. For the word is not "what" He foreknew, but "whom" He foreknew.

   2. Foreknowledge goes beyond foresight to foreordination.
      
      1. God does not only see ahead; He ordains ahead.
         
         1. Acts 13:48- note the order in this verse and do not reverse it.
            
         2. The saved are the chosen of God according to His foreknowledge (I Peter 1:2).
            
      2. Foreknowledge speaks of a personal intimate relationship predetermined by God (Jeremiah 1:5).
         
      3. Jesus knows His sheep; He has a personal relationship with them; they are not goats; they are sheep (John 10:11, 14-15, 27-28).
         
         1. Yes, God knows who the unbelievers are, but He does not have a personal relationship with them. Matthew 7:23 says: "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
            
         2. Paul says of the elect, "...the Lord knoweth them that are his."
            
      4. God foreordained the way of salvation for those He foreloved (Acts 2:23).

   3. What we are discussing here is deep water; it is beyond our ability to fully understand. It is like sifting in the bottom of a well and looking up. In eternity, we will be able to see God's purpose fully and clearly.

2. VERSE 29b, LINK TWO- PREDESTINATION
   1. "Predestinate"-- Greek proorizo means, "to decide upon beforehand, to mark out to appoint."
      
      1. In Acts 4:24-28, we find that Herod and Pontius Pilate ultimately did what God had predestined to be done (verse 28).
         
      2. Looking back once again to Acts 2:23-24, we see that God the Father predetermined the death and resurrection of His Son. The Gospel was predetermined as the way of salvation.
         
      3. The word predestinated deals with purpose. God purposed every believer's salvation.
         
         1. "We love Him because he first loved us." That's predestination.
            
         2. We come to Him because he first came to us. "When I could not come to where He was He came to me."

   2. Verse 29c, "To be conformed to the image of his Son."
      
      1. It is God's predetermined purpose that all believers be $9 conformed to the image of his Son." Since it is God's purpose that believers be conformed to the image of His, it is impossible that any believer ever be lost. God will not fail in His divine, eternal purpose. Romans 8:1 says believers are not condemned. Romans 8:29 says that believers will be conformed to Christ's image.
         
      2. To be conformed to Christ's image- think of it!
         
         1. William R. Newell said: "...'Conformed to the image of his Son'. Here we come to words of plain meaning, but limitless reach! Christ the Son, for whom and by whom all things were made; Christ the Son, the appointed heir of all things; Christ the Son- center of all the Divine counsels! Christ the Son, God's Son the Son of His love!' Conformed to His image, nothing lacking, nothing short: like Christ- conformed to His image: in glory, in love, in holiness, in beauty, in grace, in humility, in tenderness, in patience! Our very bodies at last alive unto God!" (332).
            
         2. Conformed to His, Christ's, image:
            
            1. Bodily - I Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-55.
               
            2. Spiritually- we will one day be like Christ spiritually for we shall inwardly and outwardly be like Christ (I John 3:1-2).

   3. Verse 29d, "that he might be the first born among many brethren."
      
      1. We will be like Christ, brethren, with the first-born Jesus Christ. Christ is the only begotten of God. We are begotten of Him.
         
      2. He is not ashamed to call believers brethren (Hebrews 2:9-11).

3. VERSE 30a, LINK THREE: CALLING
   1. Believers are saved because God called them to Himself (II Timothy 1:9).

   2. Believers are saved because they believe the truth (II Thessalonians 2:13).

   3. Believers are called by the Gospel (II Thessalonians 2:14a).
      
      1. When the Gospel is preached with power, God calls sinners to Himself (I Thessalonians 1:4-5).
         
      2. There are two calls of the Gospel. One is the general call going out to all; and the other is the effectual call or divine summons whereby the spiritually dead are given life (Romans 10:17; John 5:24-25).

4. VERSE 30b, LINK FOUR: JUSTIFICATION
   1. Justification means to be declared righteous in the sight of God. It goes beyond forgiveness and acquittal.
      
   2. Romans 3:23 tells us that all are sinners, and Romans 3:24 tells us that believers are justified freely by his grace. This is the only way sinners can be justified.

5. VERSE 30c, LINK FIVE: GLORIFICATION
   1. Glorified, note that their future aspect of salvation is spoken of as having already taken place. That's how sure our salvation is!
      
   2. This the last link in the chain. It is a must. Those who are foreknown will be, must be glorified.
      
      1. "Our destiny is to be given new bodies in a new world, both of which will be transfigured with the glory of God" (Stoft 253).
         
      2. We groan (8:23) and the creation groans (8:22), but one day the groaning will be over.
         
      3. As sinners, we come short of the glory of God (3:23). In grace, "we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).