“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. For whom he did FOREKNOW, he also DID predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 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.” (Romans 8:28-30 KJV)
This is a very powerful passage. Apostle Paul wrote this and He also wrote basically the same truth in his letter to the Ephesians in the first chapter of Ephesians in the New Testament.
Who exactly is “the called” in this passage? What exactly is ‘his purpose’? Well, we just need to look at each point of the passage and the the truth is very clear.
1. GOD FOREKNEW
God foreknew all that would accept the gift of salvation. God lives outside of time because HE CREATED TIME. For us living inside of time it is hard for us to grasp but for God He sees all time as the forever now. That is He is the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. God is not a created being. He ALWAYS existed, otherwise He is not God you see?
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 KJV)
That is why the two words “I AM” in reference to God is so important. Not He was, not He will be; “I AM”. God lives in the forever present and sees every moment of all of time from the beginning of time to the end of time because God created time. He lives outside of time and inside of time. God created time, space and matter. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the part of the Triune God that created all THINGS in the universe. In John 1, we see that the Word was God. Notice that it is capitalized as “Word”. Why? Because it is a name. Later we see who this Word actually is; Jesus, the Christ.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.” (John 1:1-3..14-15 KJV)
So God foreknew, before He created time, space and matter, ALL THINGS CREATED and ALL THINGS that would happen. He created all time, space and matter and He also foreknew who would accept Christ as saviour and Lord in acceptance of the gift of salvation Jesus would one day in time purchase (John 3:14-18).
2. GOD PREDESTINATED
Knowing who would in one moment in time, accept Christ in belief, God predestined those in salvation. That is, He CALLED THEM and appointed to them and ordained them to receive all that comes with that gift of salvation. God reserved them from before time began and reserved them who would receive Him and choose Him, in salvation. Understand that God created each of us with a FREE WILL and it is not that God ordained us to be condemned to hell or to enter Heaven through salvation in Christ. In fact, Scripture tells us that the lake of fire was not created for humankind but for the devil and his fallen angels.
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41 KJV)
God knew all that would happen and He is using everything to His purpose. And His purpose is to save as many people as would believe. We are the ones that make the choice to accept the gift of salvation in belief or reject salvation in unbelief.
Before the creation of the universe and humankind God drew a dividing line in the free will of humankind. This dividing line is that every person must choose a side. Choose Christ in belief and live. Choose the devil in unbelief and you will die and end up where he is going. The devil wants us to use PRIDE and be our own god. God wants us to be humble and choose Him. That is the dividing line in humanity.
3. GOD CALLED US
This passage reads that God CALLED us and even though we have free will to believe or reject salvation through Christ Jesus, God is the one that creates the situations in our life to bring us to the moment of decision regarding which side we will choose. It is God that reveals who Jesus really is to a person (Matthew 16:15-18 ). God does all that He can to keep our free will intact in this process, in fairness and justice, that each person will accept Him; knowing those who will and will not. He loves us so much that as Peter wrote,
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, NOT WILLING that any should perish, but that ALl SHOULD come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)
The English translated word “repentance” is defined by the Bible as ‘change of mind”. Change of mind about what? Change of mind about how we are justified by God, not by works but by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
4. GOD JUSTIFIED US, GLORIFIED US
Because of Jesus’ once for all blood sacrifice atonement for all sins on the cross (Hebrews 10:10, 1 John 2:2), all who will accept this great free gift of salvation through belief on Christ (John 3:18) are deemed justified and righteous before God. In fact, God made all who will believe on Christ for righteousness (1 Cor. 15:1-4), complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) and the very righteousness of God, in Christ (2 cor. 5:21), and has ALREADY sealed them in salvation (Eph. 2:8-9, 4:30) and given them ETERNAL LIFE (John 3:14-17, Colossians 2). Colossians 2 shows a present event takes place when a person believes on Christ for salvation and righteousness. Yet, it reads that at this present event in time, God foreknew we would believe on Christ and so 2000 years ago in the past tense, such a person WAS placed on the cross WITH CHRIST and it explains what happens to the person in the present tense moment they believed. Watch the tense of the words to see this truth!
“And YE ARE (present tense) complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also YE ARE (present tense) circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried WITH HIM (past tense) in baptism, wherein also YE ARE (present tense) risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who HATH (past tense) raised him from the dead. And you, BEING (present tense) dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, HATH HE quickened together WITH HIM (past tense), having FORGIVEN you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that WAS (past tense) against us, which WAS (past tense) contrary to us, and took it out of the way, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS (past tense); And having spoiled principalities and powers, he MADE (past tense) a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 210-15 KJV, added parentheses for tense of words & clarity)
This is how God glorified believers in the Spirit.
This is why we see Jesus’s words during His Earthly first coming ministering to the Jewish people in a manner saying ‘all that the Father give me’ such as in John 6 (KJV),
“35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: HE THAT COMETH TO ME shall never hunger; and he THAT BELIEVETH ON ME shall never thirst.”
We each have a choice to make to accept Christ as Messiah and Savior or reject Him in unbelief. This clearly shows a CHOICE we each must make.
“36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All THAT THE FATHER GIVETH ME SHALL COME TO ME; and him THAT COMETH to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Jesus is saying that only those that BELIEVE He is the Son of God, the Messiah foretold to come, will be saved and never cast out. Yet, it also reads only those the ‘Father giveth me’. This is the foreknowledge we see in Romans 8:28-30 and Ephesians 1. To those who believe on Christ for righteousness are predestinated to all the benefits of having received the gift of salvation.
“38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, AND BELIEVETH ON HIM, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:36-40 KJV)
And one day, at the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of church age believers, a believer’s physical body and mind will be changed, and become perfection with a new resurrected glorified body like Jesus now has. Only Spirit and mind and body that is perfected can enter what we know as Heaven. Sinless perfection is able to enter the New Heavenly Jerusalem, in bodily form. Our Spirit is already perfected from the moment we believed on Christ for righteousness (Eph. 1:13-14, Hebrews 10:14). When a believer physically dies, their Spirit is already in Christ and heaven ready. But our body is still corrupt with this thing, a noun called SIN, until our body is resurrected (1 Cor. 15:50). That is why we need our body resurrection.
Some are using Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 and teaching Calvinism; that God foreordained some to heaven and others to hell and that what they choose in life does not matter because God created some for heaven and others for hell which is unchangeable. This is complete heresy and turns God into a liar. God loves us far beyond anything we can imagine but He gave us a free will to choose him or choose the devil. God set the dividing line. God does EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to setup life circumstances so that each person has the opportunity to come to salvation through belief on Christ. He is long suffering so that none should perish and end up in the lake of fire. He sent His only begotten Son to die and take the wages of our sin upon Himself (Romans 6:23) so that we can be with Him forever. Yet, our free will matters to God and we each must choose which side of the dividing line we will be on at our death. The dividing line has been set from before the universe was even created. Before time was created. Before matter was created. Jesus stated so clearly,
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
Choose wisely. Choose God. Choose to accept Christ and His gift of salvation by belief on Him alone, in faith alone. Be humble not pride. it will change your life forever.
