“ … to those who love God, to those who are the Called according to His purpose.”( Romans 8:28)
Those who “love God” and “the called” are not two different groups of people but the same group! Those who love God are those who are the called!
- Called out of darkness into His marvelous Light. -( 1 Peter 2:9)
- Called Through the Gospel message -{2 Thessalonians 2:13}
- Called into Fellowship with the LORD Jesus Christ- (1 Cor 1:9)
- Called to a life of Holiness- Transformation in the life- {2 Timothy 1:9}
- The word “Church” means “The called out ones!” Called out from and called into the family of God!
- Called with a purpose!
But what is that purpose?
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”-{Romans 8:29-30}. We see the Believers’ security and assurance in salvation as the work of God.
“CALLED”- This verb is in the past tense. God did this! The irresistible work of God in salvation. And as a result to not only to experience and confidently by faith know, and rest in the truth that He is working all things together for good, beneficial, and useful, for not only temporal but ultimately our eternal good and His Glory! Salvation is of God and to God for all eternity be the focus, praise, adoration, thanksgiving, and Glory! “When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they *sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”-{Revelation 5:8-10}
There is more to this life than this life, it is ultimately the calling by God to Himself -to the good of eternity.
Where we see God in eternity past as it was determined by God through His…
Foreknowledge – Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:2; 19-20. Foreknowledge {proginosko} is not reactionary, where God looks down through time and reacts to how people respond.
“When the Bible speaks of ‘foreknowledge’, it refers to God’s establishment of a love relationship with that person. The word “know” in both the Old and New Testaments refers to much more than mere cognitive knowledge of a person. Such passages as Hosea 13:4-5:Amos 3:2{KJV} and Romans 11:2 clearly indicate this. For example, 1 Peter 1:20 says Christ was “foreknown before the foundation of the world.” Surely this means more than that God the Father looked into the future to behold Christ! It means He had an eternal, loving relationship with Him. The same is true of the elect, whom we are told God “foreknew”-{Romans 8:29} That means He knew them – He loved them- before the foundation of the world. “-{John Mac Arthur.}
“The foreknowledge of God is far more than His ability to “see the future”; His foreknowledge is a true “knowing” of what will come to pass, based on His free choice. He decrees what will come to pass. In other words, foreknowledge is not just intellectual; it is personal and relational.” -{gotquestions.com}
Both of these look backward to what God has done! These verbs are in the past tense. God did this!
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”-{Romans 8:29-30}
Paul Is looking out and pointing the believers towards the believers’ future beyond their suffering, beyond the troubles of this life to a glorious future with God Himself!
Glorification – Eternity with Him! Forever with Him! Our salvation is sure and secure as Peter also writes that our salvation is “ kept by the power of God.” “ Kept,” is a military term, to “ Guard… Protected,” God Himself is guarding both now and forever the believers’ salvation! Glory it is not you or me “keeping, protecting, guarding” our salvation. For if that was so we would be damned but it is God Himself, not a host of Angels but Himself who is presently guarding and will guard and does guard and Sovereignly protect our salvation, “Kept by the POWER OF GOD!”
And His crowning purpose?
His Son receives His Bride – Conformed to the image of His Son – Our Eternal good to be with Him-
God’s ultimate good is to work for our Eternal good and His eternal glory, always His Glory, the exaltation of His Name and fame! Eternal security and so these sufferings of this present age as horrific as they were for Paul, read 2 Cor 11; not even these tremendous sufferings could stop or deter God’s ultimate purpose in his life, glorification in the calling of him to Himself for all eternity to dwell with Him!
There is a bigger picture to be fulfilled beyond this life.
This here on earth for the child of God, born of the Spirit of God is not living our “best life,” how can we even say that in light of some of the horrific suffering some people suffer through? No, our best life lies in eternity and Paul in Romans 8:29-30 has believers look through the clouds of time to the clarity of endless eternity of bliss with God Himself and that is the purpose ultimately of saving the believer from the penalty, power, presence of sin, of unyoking from the authority of satan, delivering from the wrath of God to the safety of being eternally His child in His family, accepted in the Beloved, fully forgiven, standing in the favor of God having been justified and Jesus with God and access to Him now in whom one day we will see face to face! Glory! And this is what we have to look forward to.
Not someplace to go but Someone to see and be with Him forever!
THERE IS MORE TO THIS LIFE THAN THIS LIFE- AND GOD IS MAKING SURE OF THAT!
Be Encouraged, Praise Him,
God Bless,
Aidan,