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

Ponder with me one of the implications of the "for" ("because")
at the beginning of verse 29. This word means that verse 29 and the
following verses are a support, or an argument, or a foundation, or
ground, or basis for the promise in verse 28. In other words, Paul
writes verse 29 so that you will be more confident in the promise
of verse 28. I promise you, God says, that all the hard things in
your life will work together for your good, because I
foreknew you and predestined you and called you and justified you
and glorified you. So be strong and take risks and go to the hard
places of need and show the world by your love that you trust God
and his promises more than wealth or weapons of police or alarm
systems or good neighborhoods or available medical care.

Why Are There Arguments and Not Just Raw Authority?

But here's the question: If God never lies, and if he promises
in verse 28 that everything will work together for our good, then
how is our faith in this promise made any stronger by a ground in
verses 29-30? I mean, God has spoken in verse 28 and God is God,
and his word is infallible and unbreakable. Shouldn't we just
believe it because he said it? Why does Paul give arguments? How do
arguments for something God has said make our confidence
stronger?

Before I try to answer that question, be sure you see the
significance of it. It's really a question of why we have the kind
of Bible we do. God could have given us a list of affirmations
about his nature and his character and a list of commandments to
do. It certainly would have been a lot shorter. But instead he gave
us (for example in Romans) long, complex arguments and explanations
and reasonings. In the gospels he gave us narrative of Jesus' deeds
and collections of Jesus' teachings and provocative groups of
parables. In the Old Testament he gave us sweeping overviews of
Israel's history and accounts of the origin of the world, and
glimpses into the inner lives of psalmists and powerful visions and
sermons of the prophets and collections of proverbs.

What's the point of all this lavish special revelation of the
ways of God in the world? That's the question we are really asking
when we ask, "Why does Paul buttress Romans 8:28 with an argument
in verses 29-30?" Why not just tell us what God promises to do for
us and count on faith to be strong in holding to the promise?

Faith Is a Response to the Revelation of Light

The answer — at least a very important part of the answer
— is that faith is not a leap in the dark, but a response to
the revelation of light. If faith were grounded on nothing more
than raw authority, then the Bible would not have been written the
way it is, and the history of redemption would not have been
planned the way it was. Faith is not based merely on raw authority
(like: "God said verse 28 so believe it. Period! No basis needed!
No arguments required!"). Faith is not a response to raw authority;
faith is a response to the revelation of light. Not physical light,
but spiritual light.

Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 to see this and to launch us
further into our text today. What Paul says in these verses is that
the gospel of Christ is the revelation of this spiritual light. He
calls it two things, one in verse 4 and another in verse 6. Verse
4: "The god of this world (I think that is Satan) has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see (!) the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of
God." So there is "seeing" necessary for salvation. When Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, "We walk by faith and not by sight," he
means physical sight, not this spiritual sight in 2 Corinthians
4:4. The light we must see to be saved is the "light of the gospel
of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

When the gospel is preached we must see Christ in it as
glorious, indeed, as the image of God himself.
This is why the four gospels, for example, are not one-sentence
books: "Christ is glorious and Christ is God." True! But faith in
this Christ is NOT a response of raw authority or a leap in the
dark. It is a response to the light of glory in the person and work
of Christ. Therefore the person and work of Christ are lavishly
displayed in four gospels and Acts and epistles and Revelation.

This is why Paul says in verse 5, "For we do not preach
ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your
bond-servants for Jesus' sake." Preaching ourselves would not help
you see Christ. Preaching Christ as Lord and putting ourselves in
the lowly position of slaves, that's what will help you see the
glory of Christ so that you have sure foundation under your
faith.

Then in verse 6 he describes in a different way this same
spiritual light of verse 4. He says, "For God, who said, "Light
shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our
hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Christ." This is the same reality as the light
in verse 4, but with different words. According to verse 4 we must
see "the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." And
according to verse 6 we must see "the glory of God in the face
of Christ." The "glory of God" is the "glory of Christ," and
the "image of God" is in "the face of Christ" — which I take
to mean the portrait of his whole being — his character, his
nature, his person.

Here's the point: faith is not a leap in the dark. There is
light all over these verses. Faith is a response to the light of
God's revelation of himself in Christ in history, especially in the
gospel. Therefore, to help people come to faith, and to sustain and
strengthen our own faith, we need to know (notice the word
"knowledge" in verse 26, "light of the knowledge of the glory of
God") — we need to know the way Christ acted, what he did,
what he said, how he thought, how he spoke, how he suffered, and
how all this was working out the plans of God. This is the way the
glory of Christ shines out for us to see. And this seeing is the
way faith comes into being and the way it is sustained and
strengthened.

The Connection with Romans 8:29

Now here's the connection with Romans 8:29. Paul wants us to have faith in the promise of Romans 8:28
— that God will work all things for your good — so that
we will be radical, risk-taking, loving, sacrificial, Christians
with a wartime mentality. But he knows that faith is based not on
raw authority of mere statements. It rises in response to the
revelation of God's glory. This is why he does what he does in
verses 29-30, he shows us some of the ways of God. He gives
us a spectacular glimpse into the sovereign, saving work of God
from eternity to eternity — from the
foreknowing-foreloving-forechoosing of eternity past, to the final
glorifying of his people in eternity future. Seeing the glorious
work of God in Christ in verses 29 is not just incidental
information; it is the revelation of who God is, how God acts, how
God loves and saves and keeps. The point of it is to display the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ. And to make
our faith in the promise of Romans 8:28 something it could never be
without it. So rivet your gaze on the glory of God in the acts of
Romans 8:29-30.

Now there are two more questions about this revelation in verses
29-30 that I want to deal with this morning before we move ahead
into verses 31ff next week. One is this: Why is "sanctification"
not mentioned in the chain that leads from foreknowledge to
glorification? And the other is: Why does Paul say (in verse 29)
that the aim of our predestination is not merely to be conformed to
the image of God's Son, but it is "so that He would be the
firstborn among many brethren"?

Why Is Sanctification Not Mentioned in the Chain?

First, where is "sanctification" in the chain of these verses?
You recall what "sanctification" is. It was the theme of chapter
six. Remember verse 22: "But now having been freed from sin and
enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in
sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." So
sanctification is the gradual process of our becoming holy which
leads to eternal life.

Why is it not mentioned in this unbreakable chain in Romans
8:29-30? Paul mentions five links in the chain: Those whom he (1)
foreknew he predestined; and those whom he (2)
predestined he called; and those whom he (3)
called, he justified; and those whom he (4)
justified, he (5) glorified. Why didn't
he say,
"And those whom he justified he sanctified, and those whom he
sanctified he glorified"?

The reason this matters is that someone might say, "Well, since
it's not in the chain, it's either not necessary for heaven like
the others, or it is not the work of God the way the others are.
Both of those inferences would be a deadly mistake. Sanctification
is necessary for heaven. That is why Romans 6:22 says that the
outcome of your sanctification is eternal life! (See Hebrews 12:14;
Galatians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9). And that makes it all the more
important that it is indeed God's work in us, so that the necessity
of it doesn't throw us back on ourselves. It throws us desperately
on God.

For example, Paul says in Philippians 1:6, "For I am confident
of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will
perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." And Philippians
2:12b-13, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it
is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for
His good pleasure." And 1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the
grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove
vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the
grace of God with me."

So sanctification is both necessary and the work of God. So why
is it not mentioned between justification and glorification. I
think the reason is that in Paul's mind sanctification is included
in glorification. So, in effect, he does make it part of
the chain. Now why do I think this? What's the Biblical basis for
it?

It comes from 2 Corinthians 3:18. Paul describes here how we are
changed into the likeness of Christ — that is how we are
sanctified. It happens by looking to Christ — the spiritual
sight we talked about earlier (note the context!). He says, "But we
all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

Now what is so relevant in this verse for us is the word
"glory." Our gradual change into the image of Christ is, Paul says,
a moving "from glory to glory." And he says this is from the Lord.
This is essentially the work of the Lord. So being glorified in
Paul's mind is not only the final transformation at the end of the
age at the resurrection when we get out new bodies; it is also the
process of moving morally and spiritually toward that goal.

So in Paul's mind, when he said in Romans 8:30, "the justified
are glorified" he meant, God works to make sure that those whom he
justified move from one degree of glory to the next
(sanctification) and finally reach perfection with new and glorious
bodies like Christ's (Hebrews 12:23; Philippians 3:21). So your
progressive sanctification — your becoming like Jesus —
is as sure and as firmly planned and worked by God as is your
election and predestination and calling and justification and final
glory.

Why Is the Goal That Christ Would Be "Firstborn Among Many
Brethren"?

Which leads naturally to the last question: Clearly verse 29
says that the aim of our predestination is our likeness to Christ.
So sanctification is here in verse 29 as well. "Those whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image
of His Son." So your holiness, your sanctification, your
becoming like Jesus is God's aim for your life from eternity.
Predestination means: Predestined to become like Jesus. That is
what you should be giving yourself to. Pray and study and fight and
suffer and trust to be like Jesus.

Now my question is, Why does Paul go on to say, ". . . so that
He would be the firstborn among many brethren." Colossians 1:18
gives the answer: "He is the beginning, the firstborn
(same word as in Romans 8:29, prwto,tokon) from the dead, so that
He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Christ
died and rose from the dead as the firstborn of many siblings so
that he would be seen and enjoyed by them and by others as
preeminent, superior, gloriously great.

In other words, our destiny to be like Christ is all about being
prepared to see and savor his superiority. We must have his
character and likeness to know him and see him and love him and
admire him and make much of him. By adding the words, "that He
would be the firstborn among many brethren," Paul makes plain that
Christ is ever and always supreme above us, and that we
must be holy in order to be with him and enjoy him forever.

Test Yourself

Without these final words in verse 29, O how easily we would
slip into a man-centered view of sanctification that make us and
our likeness to Christ the ultimate goal. It is a goal. But it is
not the ultimate goal. The exaltation of Christ is the ultimate
goal. So consider some questions to test yourself as we close. Are
pursuing your own glory or Christ's? Take some attributes of Christ
that we might pursue.

• Do I want to be strong like Christ, so I will be
  admired as strong, or so that I can defeat every adversary that
  would entice me to settle for any pleasure less than admiring the
  strongest person in the universe, Christ?
• Do I want to be wise like Christ, so I will be admired
  as wise and intelligent, or so that I can discern and admire the
  One who is most truly and all-satisfyingly wise?
• Do I want to be holy like Christ, so that I can be
  admired as holy, or so that I can be free from all unholy
  inhibitions that keep me from seeing and savoring the holiness of
  Christ?
• Do I want to be loving like Christ, so I will be
  admired as a loving person, or so that I will enjoy extending to
  others, even in sufferings, the all-satisfying love of Christ?

Everything in these verses — all of God's work, his
choosing you, predestining you, calling you, justifying you,
sanctifying you, bringing you to final glory — is designed by
God not mainly to make much of us, but to free us and fit us to
enjoy making much of Christ forever.

So I plead with you: Set your mind's attention and your heart's
affection on the glory of Christ so that you will be changed from
glory to glory into his image, so that you might fully enjoy what
you were made for — making much of Christ.