Digging Deeper into the Golden Chain of Salvation

Transcription

1 Digging Deeper into the Golden Chain of Salvation Preliminary Statement on Romans 8:29 30: Previously, we looked at Paul s discussion of God s gracious will for the believer from the very beginning to its infinite end. It s known as the Golden Chain of Salvation. It goes from God foreknowing predestinating calling justifying glorifying a believer in Christ. This week, we look closer at this series of events in God s plan for the believer. Please read Romans 8: Foreknowledge to Predestination. Foreknowledge is the starting point of the Golden Chain of our salvation. On the surface, foreknowledge simply means to know ahead of time. The Greek word is proginosko (pro = before, ginosko = to know). Some say, then, that what this means is that, using His power of omniscience, God knew ahead of time or foresees in eternity past the moral fitness or the faith that believers would have in Christ. Then, on the basis of this foreknowledge, He predestines them to become conformed to the image of Christ (v. 29b). (a) While tenable on the surface, why is this understanding of God s foreknowledge and predestination not satisfactory in light of the sentence construction of v.29 and in light of the message of Romans that we have seen so far? (b) The following usages in the New Testament of proginosko (foreknow) sheds more light on what it means in v.29 for God to foreknow and then to predestinate the believer to become conformed to the image of His Son: Romans 11:2, I Peter 1:20 & I Peter 1:1 2 together, and Acts 2: In what ways do these passages enrich our understanding of God foreknowing the believer in Christ? Answers: (a) It would seem that foreknowledge here would mean more than just knowledge ahead of time in the context of v.29. If God already knew ahead of time that a person would choose Christ and on that basis predestine that person to become conformed to image of Christ, it would be rather redundant of Him to predestine a person who is already heading toward the direction that God wants him to go. Moreover, v.29 says that God foreknew the believer, not what the believer would do, indicating that foreknowledge here has to do with relationship or intimacy ahead of time rather than knowing what the believer would do ahead of time. [See the discussion in 1(b) for more detail.] Finally, Paul has already made the assertion throughout Romans so far that man helpless sinners and does not want to choose God. It doesn t make sense that man would choose God. (b) There are only six passages of in the NT where proginosko is used. And only in Acts 26:5 is it used in the sense of knowing ahead of time. The rest are used in the sense of choosing a person ahead of time based on an intimate knowledge of or relationship with that person. Romans 11:2 says: God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew? Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? It would seem that to foreknow here means more than just knowing Israel ahead of time. It has the connotation of choosing or favoring someone based on an intimate knowledge or relationship with that person. If that s the case, then it is not inappropriate to see the foreknowledge that Paul speaks of in Roman 8:29 to mean the same way for the believers in Christ, especially when the context v.29 warrants this understanding.

2 I Peter 1:20 says: For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. It wouldn t make sense to understand foreknow here to mean just know ahead of time. Indeed, the NIV went ahead and translated proginosko here to be chosen. Christ was foreknown or chosen before the foundation of the world to be the Lamb of God that would redeem us. I Peter 1:1 2 say: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: In this passage, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God go be understand either as God knew something about them ahead of time that is worth redeeming or as, we have been arguing for, being chosen ahead of time based on an intimate knowledge or relationship. However, since we have already said that Peter used the latter understanding of foreknow in I Peter 1:20, it is better to understand foreknowledge here as being chosen based on an intimate knowledge or relationship. After all, we have seen an instance of the latter understanding of foreknow in I Peter but not the former. Acts 2:22 23: Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves knowthis Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. Clearly, it wouldn t make sense for foreknowledge here to mean knowing something ahead of time. Rather, it makes more sense for it to mean here chosen based on an intimate knowledge or relationship. Indeed, as I Peter 1:20 indicates, it was always part of God the Father s plan to choose God the Son (Jesus Christ) to be the Lamb of God that redeems His people. What we re saying then is that the idea of foreknowledge in v.29 is similar to the OT concept of knowing someone intimately ahead of time and choosing that person to accomplish a divine purpose. In the calling of the Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:4 5, we see a good illustration of this: Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. As we can see, the idea of foreknowledge which we have been arguing for is not without precedent in the OT. For more OT examples, see Genesis 18:19 (the word is know. NIV translated it as chosen ), Amos 3:2 (the word is know. NIV translated it as chosen ). As a Jew steeped in OT theology and expressions, Paul must know it well and, most probably, had that concept in mind in Romans 8: (a) What does it mean to predestine something? (b) According to v.29, what does God predestine believers to become? (c) Some people don t like the idea of God predestinating things to happen in the life of a person, especially in regard to salvation. What are some reasons why people might be put off by the idea of

3 predestination? (d) While we cannot fully assuage their dislike for the idea, what can we say to help them appreciate the doctrine of predestination as found in Romans 8? (a) It means to decide or determine ahead of time. (b) To be conformed to image of His Son Jesus Christ. (c) The following are just some possible objections or concerns people have of predestination : Puppets/Robots: If God predestines us, then we re just puppets or robots. Human free will will be diminished. Faith is useless: They can t believe that God would predestine certain things to happen in the life of a person, especially when it comes to a person s salvation. If God predestines, what s the use of making a conscious effort to believe? Those who believe will believe. Goodness or Fairness of God: God would be unfair or not good if He predestinates some but not all. (d) [Try addressing some of their stated concerns. For the more they feel comfortable with the doctrine of predestination, the more they can appreciate Paul s discussion here.] The following are some ways to deal with potential concerns: Puppets/Robots: God s predestination need not necessarily override human free will. Both can coexist. Philosophers call this compatibilism. Essentially, compatibilism says that there is no violation of human free will if the will is not forced to do something it doesn t want to do. For instance, if someone were to put a gun in your head and tell you to get out of the room, it would be a violation of your free will since that was an act based on coercion. However, if someone were to say to you that there s someone outside the room giving out a hundred dollars, and based on that statement, you voluntarily left the room, the person who caused you to leave did not violate your free will though he got you to do what he wanted you to. Given compatibilism, if God merely orchestrated events in your life based on what He knows you desire and He brings you to salvation that way, your human free will was not violated when you come to Christ because you were not coerced into doing it, though that was His predestined will for you. Faith is useless: We don t know who are those whom God predestined. Thus, we still need to call people to faith in Christ. The only way we can know if a person is one of the elect is if he responds to faith in Christ and continues in it until the end. Until a person responds in faith and shows fruit of true conversion, we cannot assume that those who are predestined will simply come to faith. Also, if someone seeks to live a life of license because he thinks he s already predestined by God to be His own, he should consider that God s purpose in predestinating us is so that we might be conformed to the image of Christ. If that s not happening, it is doubtful that that person can claim to be one of God s elect.

4 Goodness or Fairness of God: We should say that God is good and fair regardless of whether or not we know how He achieves that in light of predestination. There is a mystery here. This is where we take God at His word. The Word of God teaches both predestination and the goodness/fairness of God. Therefore, we believe both to be true. What s the alternative? We believe one but deny the other? That wouldn t be right either. 3. Calling to Justification. (a) In terms of the time element, what is the difference between the Foreknowledge to Predestination stage and the Calling to Justification stage? (b) According to v.30, if God has predestinated us, we will experience His calling. What does this calling involve? (c) Is this calling an invitation that was up to the recipient to accept or reject? Explain your answer. (d) In your own life as a Christian, when was the time that you sensed that God called you to be His own? What were the circumstances involved in the calling? (a) The difference is that Foreknowledge to Predestination stage is before time even began (that is, before the universe was created) but the Calling to Justification stage is in time (that is, at the time when the person has been predestined from eternity past is alive). (b) It involves hearing the gospel and having to make a decision about the call to be saved. In other words, it involves all the normal human actions that must be taken if conversion is to take place. Those who were predestined do not become Christians automatically. Human instrumentality is still, somehow, involved albeit controlled by God. (c) It is not something that can be rejected since we are looking at the issue from the standpoint of God (divine side), not human side. From this divine vantage point, everything that will happen has already happened. Thus, God s calling in time is merely the outworking of God s predetermined plan from eternity past. Remember calling is part of a chain link. If it is resistible, then the whole Golden Chain of Salvation that is portrayed in vv will fall apart. The calling we are dealing with in v.29 is what theologians call the effectual call (which is seen from God s standpoint and, therefore, irresistible) in contrast to a general call (which is seen from God s standpoint and, therefore, resistible. Ex. Jesus statement in Matthew 22:14.) The Bible teaches both kinds of calling. 4. (a) What does justification mean? (b) How does one become justified? (c) Notice that from Romans chapters 1 5, Paul has been emphasizing the need for people to place their faith in Jesus Christ in order to be justified. But he was also not afraid to proclaim the truth in vv that God has foreknown, predestinated, and effectually called a person which is how a person ultimately becomes justified. How can we speak of justification in these two ways that Paul did without feeling a sense of contradiction? (a) To be made right or righteous.

5 (b) One is justified or made righteous before God by faith in Jesus Christ who imputes to us His own righteousness. (c) We can speak of justification like the way Paul did without fear of contradiction by making clear which perspective we re taking. If we take the human perspective on salvation, humans have to respond by faith so that he reaps the consequence of his failure to do so, not God. And if we take the divine perspective on salvation, God is the one who ultimately moved humans to respond to His plan of salvation so that He gets all the glory. These two perspectives need to be held in a healthy tension if we want to have a balanced perspective on the work of justification. 5. Glorification. (a) How would you define in your own words the glorification of the believer? (b) In terms of the time element, what is the difference between the Calling to Justification stage and the Glorification stage? (b) Notice though that Paul used the past tense glorified. Why? How can Paul s use of the past tense be supported? (c) What is the practical significance to Christian living in Paul s use of the past tense glorified to describe what God has done for us? (a) It is the stage in the sequence of salvation where we become all that God has intended us to be. Specifically, we get to share the glories of Christ as the heir to the whole of creation and it is also the time when God gives us the immortal, resurrected body that He promised us through Christ. (b) The difference is that Calling to Justification stage and the Glorification stage is that the former deals with the present time frame whereas the latter deals with the future time frame. (c) There are two possible ways of understanding the past tense glorified. First, there s a sense in which glorification is not purely a future event. Through the Holy Spirit, we have a foretaste of things to come (II Cor. 3:18). Thus, the past tense glorified makes sense. Second, in God s mind and God s perspective, our glorification is already done. This way of looking at the future is sometimes called a prophetic past tense. It is yet future but Paul speaks as if it has already happened completely. He is that confident that it would happen. Someone (James Denney) says: The tense in the last word is amazing. It is the most daring anticipation of faith that even the NT contains. (d) It should encourage us that nothing will be able to shake God s good purposes for His people (Romans 8:28 30).