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SUBJECT: Romans 8:30 –Predestination, call,
justification and glorification
QUESTIONS: What are the definitions of these 4 terms.
Who has been called? How is one justified? Has anyone been
glorified? The word “glorified” is in the past tense; does
this mean people have been glorified already?
ANSWER:
Romans 8:30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and
whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.
You have two, completely different concepts, mixed up. The
concepts of foreknown/foreordained is totally different from
the justified and glorified.
FOREKNOWN: By
God that He would call you
FOREORDAINED: It
is appointed before you were born that you would be called,
as if it were put on a specific schedule as to time and
place you would be called.
JUSTIFIED: A
person is justified when his or her sins are forgiven, has
received the Holy Spirit and is doing good works by means of
Jesus Christ living through the person. We call all this
"Faith". We are justified by Faith.
GLORIFIED: This
takes place when we are changed to Spirit Beings.
Following now are some excerpts from our Doctrinal
Statements which will give you some insight to Justified and
Glorified:
Once a person has repented and professed a sincere faith in
the person, message and sacrifice of Christ, he may be
baptized by immersion for the forgiveness of sins. This
baptism is a type of Christ's death, burial and
resurrection, which is our means of reconciliation to God
(Romans 5:10) since He paid the death penalty for our sins.
Baptism symbolizes the death and burial of one's old sinful
way of life and the beginning of a totally new spirit-led
life of obedience and submission to God. After baptism the
new convert receives the Holy Spirit through the
laying-on-of-hands ceremony performed in accordance with the
commands and examples of the apostles (Acts 8:12-17;
19:5-6).
God's Spirit is an absolute necessity for the spiritual
creation process of salvation as it serves many functions.
It begets one as the son of God; it strengthens him to face
trials and tests, to overcome problems and to build godly
character, and it converts and changes the person's whole
direction of mind from being carnal to being spiritual
(Romans 8). As such, the Holy Spirit is the seed of eternal
life within us which at the resurrection will overtake our
mortality with immortality and clothe us with eternal life
(Romans 8: 11; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5). It is the guarantee to
a Christian of eternal life which can only be negated by
willful neglect or deliberate rejection.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is clearly the focal point of
the salvation process. He was "put to death for our
trespasses and raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25).
We "were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Romans
5:10) and are thereby justified through faith in that
reality (Romans 5:1). Yet salvation must go beyond
justifying the past, it must continue into the future
throughout one's life. The true Christian is admonished to
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 2:5). Indeed, the active participation of Jesus
Christ in one's life through His Holy Spirit is absolutely
essential for ultimate salvation. As Romans 5:10 concludes
"much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life."
This whole salvation process is by "grace" (Greek
"favor"—Ephesians 2:8)—It is unmerited and freely
given by God and cannot in any way be earned. The Christian
totally depends upon God's grace, initially for the
forgiveness of sins he may commit subsequent to baptism.
Nevertheless, the individual must meet certain criteria in
order to be given this free gift.
First, the person must live by and grow in faith—a total and
real conviction. One must have faith that God exists; faith
that He will perform all of His biblical promises including
that of granting him salvation (Romans 4); faith that the
death of Jesus Christ will pay the penalty for one's sins
and reconcile him to God; and faith that the resurrection of
the living Jesus Christ will enable him to attain eternal
life.
Furthermore, a Christian must not be disobedient, since
continual sin that is not repented of disqualifies one from
God's kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Salvation is surely
not earned by obedience, because salvation can in no way be
earned (cf Romans 4:4). Nevertheless, Christ's response to
one who asked Him what must be done in order to be saved was
that the commandments must be kept (Matthew 19:17).
Furthermore, Christ told His disciples that at the
resurrection He shall “reward every man according to his
works" (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12).
Note: We are Justified
by faith. We must be totally committed to the Salvation
process (overcoming sin and
becoming like Christ). Salvation is NOT earned.
Christ must live through you however. If Christ is living
through us, we are justified.
***********************
True faith must come from God and has many facets, though
the primary ones relate directly to Jesus Christ. Faith in
its simplest but most profound manifestation is a deep
personal belief in Jesus Christ; in the fact that He is our
Savior; in the truth that His death paid the individual
penalty of our personal sins. Faith is the full confidence
in the message Jesus brought. This faith in Christ is the
belief that leads us to baptism. (Baptism
is merely an outward symbolic testimony that we have inward
faith in Christ) Paul speaks of this faith in
Galatians 2:16 when he remarks we "have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ."
Note: We are justified
when we believe in Jesus Christ and have faith in Him.
*******************
The focal point of Paul's letter to the Galatians does not
deal with the abrogation of the law but rather with the
question of how one is justified. Justification means
forgiveness for past sins—being counted as just and pure
through Jesus' blood.
Note: We become
justified when our sins are forgiven.
*******************
James repeatedly emphasizes that "faith without works is
dead" (vv. 17, 20, 26), that the best way to show real faith
is by works (v. 18), that by works faith is made perfect (v.
22) and "that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only" (v. 24). James 4:11-12 is a proper conclusion to this
theme, putting the question directly to any who would do
away with God's law: "if thou judge the law, thou art not a
doer of the law, but a judge."
Serving human beings is indeed one of the most spiritually
penetrating concepts revealed in the Bible. Only by loving
one's fellow man can prayer, Bible study, meditation and
fasting have any real meaning,
James put it succinctly: "So faith by itself, if it has no
works, is dead ... and I by my works will show you my faith
... You see that a man is justified by works and not by
faith alone" (James 2:17, 18, 24).
It is with this overall understanding of God's ultimate plan
well in mind that the Christian, as a truly begotten son,
develops his intimate relationship with his spiritual Father
through prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting and the
full living of the active Christian life.
Note: We are justified
by works. These works are principles invoked by the power
of Jesus Christ in us. These are NOT works by our own
hands. It is Christ living through us.
*******************
We are joint-heirs with Christ, and as a sure result, we
shall all be glorified together with Him (Rom. 8:17).
Note: The key words
here are "shall all be". No one has been glorified yet (except
Christ).
********************
REGARDING THE STATEMENTS ABOUT WHO HAS ETERNAL LIFE:
Whether New or Old Testament, God knew who He was going to
call and give the Holy Spirit. He knew He would call
Abraham, Moses, Noah and Elijah. He knew He was going to
call John, Peter, James and Paul. All received the Holy
Spirit. All were faithful until the end. None have been
glorified YET. They are dead and in the grave. They will
be glorified at that moment they become Spirit beings and
begin eternal life.
This verse is showing the whole process from before the
world was made to after Christ returns. Let us break it
down:
"whom he did predestinate"-----This was done before the
world was made
"Them he called."-----This takes place during the life of
the one predestinated.
"Them he also justified"-----by Faith, by forgiveness of
sin, by the Salvation process, by Christ living through them
and them accepting all this to take place in their lives.
This being done in the lifetime of the person called.
"Them he also glorified" -----This has NOT happened yet
Romans 8:30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and
whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.
Take a look at what the commentary says on that final phrase
and why it is past tense:
"them he also glorified":
Romans 8:30
And whom he justified, them he also glorified-brought to
final glory (see Romans 8:17-18). Noble climax, and how
rhythmically expressed! And all this is viewed as past;
because, starting from the past decree of "predestination to
be conformed to the image of God's Son," of which the other
steps are but the successive unfoldings, all is beheld as
one entire, eternally completed salvation.
~from Jamieson, Fausset, and
Brown Commentary
Note: It is in the past
tense so that the plan of God is beheld as one entire,
eternally completed salvation. NO ONE HAS BEEN GLORIFIED.
NO ONE HAS YET RECEIVED ETERNAL LIFE. Moses and Abraham
died with a promise of eternal life, but they do not have it
yet.
Being "glorified" and "receiving eternal life" ARE THE SAME
THING.
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