Romans 8:26-30

Predestined to Be Glorified

We have previously looked at Romans 8:1-25 where Paul assures you that you can have complete confidence that you will never know condemnation of any kind from God because Jesus Christ has done what you could not do.  He has perfectly obeyed God where you disobeyed.  And He perfectly died in your place, taking your sin upon Himself, and suffering the judgment of God due your sin. 

You have complete confidence because you have a complete Savior.  There is nothing left to add to His perfect, sufficient work.

And this assurance in your future salvation is what sustains you in your present suffering.  When God saved you, He did not remove the trials of life.  The Christian life is not the absence of suffering, but it is the joyful presence in the midst of suffering of Immanuel with you.  And it is His loving presence that comforts you and causes you to look forward to your meeting Him face to face which makes even the most difficult trials of life not even worthy to be compared to the glory that awaits you (cf. v. 18).

It is for this reason that you, along with the whole creation, groan in longing for the glory that is to come.  You long, every moment of the day, to be with Jesus -- your life.  "To live is Christ, but to die is gain!"

It is this confident hope that presses you forward, keeping your eyes fixed upon Christ in Heaven waiting expectantly for what is to come (vv. 23-25).  In v. 25, Paul speaks of God's sustaining perseverance of your life in hope of what is to come.  But what is it that causes you to persevere to the end?  How can you be sure that you will make it to Heaven to see your loving Savior face to face?

Sometimes we wonder if we will be able to "stay the course" and "persevere" to the end.  Or to put it more frankly, sometimes we wonder if we should just give up and walk away from it all.  There are times when life becomes so difficult that we feel like we just can't go on.  Will we ever be able to get to the end of this dark tunnel?  Will we ever be rescued from this incredible burden in life?

In those moments when life becomes so heavy and difficult, what is it that sustains you and causes your hope to persevere to the end?      

In v. 23, Paul told us last time that the first reason for your immovable hope, even in the midst of all the sufferings of this age, is the resurrection that awaits you in Christ.  Christ has already been raised from the dead and you long to be raised up in Him.  One day you will see the one you love face to face, and that one moment will make all these years of trials and difficulties worth the wait.

You long for the putting off of this old tent and being clothed with your new garment in Christ.  You long for the stripping away of all your physical and moral frailties and to be clothed with the glory of Christ.  You long ultimately for what only God can do for you in Christ:  raise your body from the dead and glorify you in Christ.

But now, this morning, we come to the second reason for your confident hope in the midst of the trials of this life:  in vv. 26-27 Paul tells you that the Holy Spirit dwells in you and He does what you cannot do -- He intercedes on your behalf.  The Holy Spirit comes to your aid and enters into your sufferings to help you in what you cannot accomplish.

What does Paul mean?

In v. 23, Paul describes your present life in this world as a life of "groaning."  It is a life of "weakness" and "powerlessness."  You have no power to fix your life.  You can't add one beat to your heart or one day to your life.  And this weakness that characterizes your life will never go away this side of Heaven.  That is why you groan deep within.  You long for Heaven and the removal of all the weight and burdens in this life.

But notice in v. 26, that the Holy Spirit is within you equally groaning to God for you.  That is why you groan in v. 23.  The Spirit is within you making these groanings and longings for Heaven.  Why is it that you long for home?  Because the Spirit is in you pressing you forward, looking for what is to come that will make even the sufferings of this age pale in comparison for the glory that awaits you.  He is in you pressing you forward towards the finish line, spurring you on, causing you to desire with everything in your being the goal before you.

How does He do this?  Well, it all begins with your weakness.  Ever since the Fall, you have so struggled in your weaknesses that you don't even know what to pray for.  Unlike God, you cannot see the end from the beginning.  You don't know what awaits you one second from now.  There are times when the burden is so great that you can't see two feet in front of you.  You find that all you can do is cry out "Abba, Father" (v. 15).  You don't know what to ask for.  You don't know how to pray.  

But in those moments, you do not have to despair.  The Holy Spirit joins you in your suffering -- He enters into your burden -- a burden imposed by your weakness -- and He prays for you.  When you don't know what to say -- He does.  When you don't know how to pray -- He prays perfectly for you.

There are times when we just don't know what God's will is in our lives.  We don't know what we are supposed to do -- we are weak and frail to the core of our being.  Sin clouds our minds and we are confused.  In those times, the Spirit intercedes for you according to the will of God (v. 27).

What you cannot do -- He does for you.  And this certainly includes even the things you pray for that are not best for you and are not God's will for you -- you can be assured that the Spirit intercedes for you perfectly according to the will of God.  Luther says:

It is not a bad but a very good sign if the opposite of what we pray for appears to happen.  Just as it is not a good sign if our prayers eventuate in the fulfillment of all we ask for.  This is so because the counsel and will of God far excel our counsel and will (Luther in Moo, 526). 

When you do not know what God's will is and you struggle in your own weakness to know what to do, Paul does not tell you to set out the fleece or to ask God to give you some new special revelation.  Instead, he points you in confidence to the secret ministry of the Spirit who overcomes your weakness by His own intercession for you.  The Christian life is not about reading the tea-leaves.  It is not about fretting over the future or being paralyzed by fear of the unknown.  It is confident rest in Jesus Christ that He will get you to Heaven, even when you don't know where to turn.  Your failure to know God's will is perfectly met for you by God's Spirit who Himself knows God's will for you perfectly. 

This is amazing, that even our prayer life is designed and sovereignly administered by God.  What you cannot pray for, He prays for you.

And you can be certain that your prayers are effective because of the perfect union between the Father and the Spirit -- God who knows and searches your heart and who perfectly knows the mind of the Spirit -- knows and accomplishes His sovereign purposes through the Spirit's intercession on your behalf.

Now, I want you to see just how marvelous this is:  In v. 34 Paul will tell you that the resurrected Jesus sits at the right hand of God in Heaven interceding for you.  Before the face of God in Heaven you have a perfect advocate who is always pleading your case before God.  There in Heaven you have constant priestly intercession on your behalf. 

But note what Paul is saying here:  God has not only given you an intercessor in Heaven, He has also given you an intercessor in your heart -- the Spirit of God -- Immanuel, God with you -- who effectively prays you through all the difficulties and uncertainties of your life on earth.  You are not alone -- Jesus has given you His Comforter who is with you to the very end and He prays perfectly for you until you arrive safely in the loving bosom of your Savior, Jesus Christ.

This of course ought to drive all of you to utter humility and dependence upon God -- not only do you not know the depth of your own weaknesses before God -- equally you don't know how to "fix" them -- you don't know how to handle them.  You don't have control over your life.  Your life, from beginning to end, even your very salvation -- is in the sovereign hands of God who prays for you -- God's will be done.

Now, if that is not enough, Paul now gives you a third reason to be grounded in unshakable confidence and hope even in the midst of trials:  God is working everything in your life for the "ultimate good" of shaping you into the image of His beloved Son (vv. 28-30).

Paul now assures you what you already "know" -- God is at work for you -- He is causing "all things" - everything in your life -- all your suffering and even your rebellion and sin before God -- to work toward for your good. 

Now, what is that "good" that God is causing to be worked out in your life.  Well, it is surely the good that awaits you in Heaven.  In vv. 29-30, Paul focuses on your ultimate good of being fully conformed into the image of Christ and entering into His glory that awaits you.  You can be sure that God is working everything in your life for the "good" that is waiting for you to be enjoyed in Heaven.

But it is clear from the context of our passage that Paul also includes in the "good" your present sustenance in this life, even in the midst of your trials.  Your present good is that Heaven has entered into your life in the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  There is a sense in which your life in Heaven has jumped the gun and has already spread through your life as a present oasis in the journey to Heaven.  Paul said in Romans 5:

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom. 5:5).

Your joy is not found in the absence of suffering but in the presence of God's Spirit who is working all your suffering to refine and strengthen your faith and your hope in Christ.  God is working in your life to conform you into the image of His Son and all your current trials are His hammer and chisel to shape you into His image. 

In other words, you need to understand that your present happiness or an easy life is not the most important thing in life.  There is something greater in life than an easy walk through the park.  God, therefore, does not promise you material wealth, physical health, or even mental well-being -- but He is using even the most difficult things in your life for something greater yet -- and that is full conformity into the image of Christ. 

And it is the current work of the Spirit who is at work in you that gives you comfort and courage in hope of what He is shaping you into.  There is a settled joy and confidence in the current banging of the chisel and hammer that it is working, healing, and reforming you into Christ.

This is like in C. S. Lewis' "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," there is a little boy named "Eustace Scrubb" who was such a selfish, spoiled little brat that he eventually becomes on the outside what he was on the inside.  He turns into a fire-breathing dragon, covered with hard scaly flesh, with a terrible dragonhead and tail.  Several times, after Eustace is now sorry for the way he has acted, he tries to peel the snaky dragon skin off of himself only to find a new layer underneath.  Each time he thinks he has peeled the last layer, he finds it is too deep to remove.  Then suddenly Aslan, the Great Lion, appears as Eustace has reached his desperate end and all he can do is lay down and let Aslan peel off the whole dragon skin.  He describes that very moment:

The very first tear [Aslan] made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart.  And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt.  The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.  You know -- if you've ever picked the scab of a sore place.  It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away (90 in VDT).

It is certainly painful to have the scabs of your sin slowly picked at by God in your present sufferings, but oh how lovely and wonderful it feels when it is removed.  The pain you now know is working in you the eternal weight of glory and it is the Spirit's presence that even now makes the difficulties of the journey worthwhile. 

You can therefore be certain that there is nothing in this world, in your experience, that is not intended by God to heal and make you new and to cause you to arrive safely and certainly to your glorious destination in His eternal presence.

But, upon whom is God working in this way?  Paul mentions two characteristics in v. 28:  1) those who love God; and 2) those who are called according to His purpose.  First, God is molding you who love God, not because you first loved God, but because He loved you.  This describes all Christians as the direction of your life in love and service to God. 

Second, God is working in those who have been summoned by His sovereign grace to enter into an eternal fellowship with Him.  This calling is not simply an invitation that may be either accepted or rejected, but God's sovereign effectual call by which He brings you into His presence that He might lavish His mercy and grace upon you. 

And this calling takes place "in accordance with and on the basis of God's purpose" -- to mold you into the image of Christ.  You can therefore be certain that God is causing all things in your life to work toward this ultimate good -- the full conformity of your life into the glorious image of His Son.

Now, how can you be certain of all this, when your life seems to contradict all that Paul is saying?

Because God is absolutely sovereign in His work in your life.  He is in no way unsettled or diverted by your constant lack of faith and your constant wiggling and quivering at the continue cutting of the Heavenly scalpel.  His plan and purpose for your life is certain and He will accomplish all that He has ordained you to be in His eternal presence.

And He is doing all of this because of His love for you (v. 29).  Paul uses this word that was very common in history to speak of the intimate knowledge of a husband and wife that produces a child.  In other words, before the foundation of the world, God "knew" you.  Notice that Paul doesn't say God knew "something about you" -- like your moral fitness or your faith -- but that God knew "you."  Even before you were born, before you had a chance to do anything good or bad, God knew you and set His love upon you. 

And it is on the basis of this love that He has chosen you and predestined/foreordained your eternal destiny that you would be conformed into the image of His Son.  Like a mother who sets her love upon her unborn child, so God has loved you from the very beginning and is therefore working in you to bring you into His intended purpose and plan for your life.  And it is this eternal love that brought you into existence and sent His only Son to die for you that you might be transformed into the image of Christ.

God has already begun the new creation in Christ, the firstborn, the first fruits, and you have been chosen by God before the world was made to be joined and conformed into Christ.

Now in v. 30, note how Paul says that those whom God predestined have been called -- summoned by God into this new relationship with Him.  Now be sure to notice that it is precisely those who God has predestined -- "these" -- whom He calls to salvation.   No one is foreknown, or predestined who is NOT also called, justified, and glorified.  God sovereignly determines the end from the beginning and you can be assured that:

that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).

Finally, Paul sums up this marvelous promise with looking to your future glory in Christ which awaits you (cf. vv. 17-18).  Yet, Paul amazingly speaks of your future in the past tense.  Why?  Because your future destiny has already been determined by God who is sovereign and at work on your behalf.  And nothing can frustrate or thwart the plans of a sovereign God.  The work is already finished and nothing can disappoint God's eternal plan.

Therefore, you can be sure this morning that you will be glorified because God said it will be done.  Your assurance of ultimate victory rests forever in the finished work of Jesus Christ which was preordained before the foundation of the world so that even in your life of pain, anxiety, trouble, and even in death your future is a settled matter in the preordination of God's eternal wisdom by which He is now at work to complete what He has begun in you to the praise of His marvelous grace toward you in Jesus Christ.  Amen!  -SDG-