“The Golden Chain of Glory”

TEXT:  Romans 8:28-30

REVIEW

1.  Perseverance – God calls us to steadfast endurance through profound sufferings, but He does have a plan.

2.  Hope – The Lord subjected the world to futility “in hope.”  The decay of this world is not the end of the story.  God has perfect assurance concerning His glorious intentions for His church.  Our hope comes from Him.

 

TODAY’S PASSAGE: 

Romans 8:28-30   28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

 

Introduction

Dr. James Montgomery Boice told the following story in his commentary on Romans 8:29:

Some time ago I came across an amusing but apparently true story. In 1966 the Hindu holy man and mystic Rao announced that he would walk on water. This attracted a great deal of attention, and on the day set for the feat a great crowd gathered around a large pool in Bombay, India, where it was to occur. The holy man prayerfully prepared himself for the miracle and then stepped forward to the pool's edge. A solemn hush fell over the assembled observers. Rao glanced upward to heaven, stepped forward onto the water, and then immediately plummeted into the pool's depths. Sputtering, dripping wet, and furious, he emerged from the pool and turned angrily on the embarrassed crowd. "One of you," he said, "is an unbeliever."

Fortunately, our salvation is not like that, because if it were, it would never happen. In spiritual matters we are all unbelievers. We are weak in faith. But we are taught in these great verses from Romans that salvation does not depend upon our faith, however necessary faith may be, but on the purposes of God.

 

The Chain

Many preachers and commentators have referred to the salvation events listed by the apostle Paul in verses 29-30 as a “golden chain.”  I want to examine with you the five links in that chain and then return to the very famous 28th verse, so that we can see the connection that Paul is making between this golden chain and the daily events of our lives.

He Foreknew – First, Paul writes about the foreknowledge of God. This word means to know before.  We understand from other passages in the Bible that God is all-knowing.  What we could easily miss here is the clear statement of what God knows according to this verse of Scripture. God knows us.  This is a very important point.  Some have tried to claim that since the golden chain begins with foreknowledge, what Paul is really saying here is that God knew in advance who would choose Him as their God, and based on that foreknowledge, he then predestined them to everlasting life.  Under that way of understanding this verse, the definitive action becomes our choice of God, and predestination loses all meaning.  The biggest problem with that understanding of foreknowledge is that it is not what the text says.  The text does not say that God foreknew something about us.  The text says that God foreknew us.

What could this mean?  It may help to remember that when the Bible uses the word “know” it can have an interesting range of meaning.  To know can mean to perceive, to discern, or to consider.  It can mean to know intimately with a union of love.  It can also mean to have regard for someone, to pay attention to or even cherish that person.  What could it mean that before God predestined us, He knew us? 

We get some help from another passage where Paul speaks of God’s predestination of us.  In Ephesians 1 and 2 we read that God predestined us “in love.”  We also learn that “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”  God set His loving affections upon us.  He knew us – not for any foreseen decision or obedience of ours.  Simply by His own determination, God cherished us, and therefore He predestined us. 

This is in contrast to those whom God did not know.  Remember Matthew 7:21-23.

“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” 

The disobedience and lawlessness of those who are rejected by God, is presented by these words of Christ as the actions of those whom God never knew.  If you love Jesus Christ, it is because God first loved you.

He Predestined – If you can accept the truth that God knew and loved us before we ever did anything or even existed, then you should be able to readily embrace the truth that God in all His power was prepared to follow through and act upon this love.  The second link in the golden chain tells us that God predestined us.  This simply means to decide or determine beforehand.  God decided something beforehand about those He loved.  What did God decide?  He decided that we would be conformed to the image of His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brethren. God decided that the intimacy of His love for his children would be expressed in their being considered to be “one” with His precious Son.

            He Called – God was not content simply to love us and make plans about us.  He is able to do something about His great love, and so he does.  He calls us.  The call that is being spoken of here is not the general call that goes far and wide to every creature.  Paul is not talking about every person in these verses.  He is talking about His beloved bride – His church – His sons and daughters through faith in Christ.  The call that is referred to is the effectual call of God’s Holy Spirit that comes powerfully to those whom God is bringing from death to life.  This is how the word is used throughout Chapter 9 and in 8:28.  It is the strong call of Jesus summoning apostles to His service and away from their nets.  It is His astounding word bringing forth Lazarus from the grave.  It is a call that will not be denied.

            He Justified – The fourth link in the chain is one that Paul has already explained at great length in earlier chapters.  We have been credited with the righteousness of Christ.  We who deserved hell have been given the full promise and assurance of glory through Christ.  This is not based on us, but on Jesus.  We who have been given spiritual life by God, cry out in faith like newborn babies.  The very gift of God (saving faith) is his requirement for our right status with Him.

            He Glorified – The final link in this order of salvation is a future event called glorification.  It is our destiny – our final condition as the children of God.  Lazarus rose from the grave by the word of Jesus Christ, but He was not yet glorified.  He was still subject to the futility of this present age as one who would yet die.  But when Jesus rose from the grave, He rose to never die again.  This is the final state of Lazarus, and it is your grand finale as well, for you shall be like Jesus Christ when he grants to you a resurrection body at the time of His coming again. 

If this is a future event tied to the return of Christ, why does Paul use the past tense here?  Why does He say, “He glorified” instead of, “He will glorify?”  Apparently Paul wants to emphasize the absolute certainty of our glorification.  Remember that he had earlier stated that he did not consider the sufferings of this present time as worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.  Yet this glory is not a matter of doubt.  It is as if it has already been accomplished.  As Christ is glorified now at the right hand of the Father, we shall also be glorified with Him, and even now we are in Him in glory.

            What else is in the chain?  There is more to this chain than the five links that Paul speaks of here.  What we have in Romans 8:29-30 are five links in a most precious and unbreakable chord of salvation history.  That history begins long before our history in the mind of God.  It begins with God’s determination to bring maximum glory to Himself, and ends with our eternal glorification with Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth.  This is our sure hope.  Along the way the purposes of God are first accomplished in the life and cross-work of our Savior.  These great benefits which Christ won for us are then applied to us by the work of His Spirit.  He calls us, grants us new life as adopted children, moves us to faith and repentance, sanctifies us progressively according to the plan of God, and brings us to eternal glory, not only of soul (at the time of our death) but also of body (when Christ returns).

            Why is this a “golden” chain?  This chain is golden because the links cannot be broken.  Those whom He foreknew, He predestined.  Those He predestined, He called.  Those He called, He justified.  Those He justified, He glorified.  There is nothing lost along this golden chain.  All he cherished from before the world began will be fully glorified.

            Why does all this matter?  Why do we make a big point that God truly loved us before we loved Him?  Why are we intent that God is the great Mover behind all actions of grace?  Because this golden chain gives us full assurance that the famous words of verse 28 are really true:  “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This is of critical importance to your Christian life.  If even one molecule in this world is independent of the saving purposes of God, we cannot be sure that all things are for our good.  Does this mean that we don’t feel pain, or sympathize with those who face great struggles?  Of course not.  The words before and after these verses tell us plainly of the struggle of the Christian life.  This text does not eliminate the challenges of this world.  However, if we are able to embrace Christ in all the power and love that the passage tells us about, these truths will help us rest in God.  Yes, in Christ, we do have perfect rest.  Amen.