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Romans 8:29, "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."
This morning, when talking to someone who is not familiar with the covenant
aspect of grace, they either do not understand anything being taught or they
misunderstand what we believe about it. The covenant aspect of grace (election
or foreknowledge and predestination) shows the eternal aspect of God's love and
keeps all the children of grace until the appointed time that Christ fulfilled
the law to a jot and tittle to redeem us legally to God. When speaking of works
religion, they will always have a problem figuring out how to get people into
heaven before Christ came. How can they accept Him if He has not come yet? How
can they be baptized when baptism has not yet been instituted? The covenant work
of God is the true, clear, and simple way. The true church is the only one that
I am aware of that truly believes all children of God are saved the exact same
way. Others make such claims, but the conversation generally bears out that they
do not believe such.
In this passage, Paul speaks of the different aspects of the work of grace. In
verse 29, he deals with the covenant work in predestination. Notice that people
are predestinated and not events. Many times, I will talk about predestination,
and people assume that we are fatalists. There is a grave difference between
people being predestinated to live in heaven some sweet day, and charging God
with foreordaining all things that we see happening in this world. While we do
not believe in the absolute predestination of all things, we do believe that God
absolutely predestinated every child of grace that will manifestly land on the
banks of glory at the end of time.
There will not be
a loss of one, for they were kept by His promise until the day of the shedding
of the blood of His Son. Now, all are kept by the blood of the Lamb who redeemed
us to God. This predestination did not just mark the place beforehand that we
would go. That is indeed part of that work, and the Lord has prepared that
beautiful home for all of His jewels. However, He also predestinated our state
while in the glorious city. We will all bear the image of our Elder Brother. He
is the firstborn among many brethren, and we are conformed to that image.
Now, our walk of
discipleship (or lack of walking) may, at times, not look much like our Saviour
at all. But, that does not negate the fact that we are always His brethren.
Right now, our inner man bears His seal and image. Our treasure in our earthen
vessel is Christ in us the hope of glory. But, at this present hour, it is
veiled in the clod of this flesh. But, some sweet, glorious day, our clod will
be changed. It will be fashioned, and, we will all appear with Him in glory with
His likeness and be satisfied. When was all of this foreordained to be? Before
any of us or the creation itself had an existence, we were predestinated by God
to be in this condition. Therefore, all of this is just as sure today as
yesterday, and it will be just as sure tomorrow and into eternity as it is
today.
In Hope,
Bro Philip
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