The salvation of God (6)

[Romans 8:29-30]

                Look at Romans 8:29-30: “For 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; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

            The fifth stage is ‘God glorified’ (Rom. 8:30).

 Today, I would like to think about the fifth and final stage of the five stages of salvation, saving those whom God has glorified.  Here, the verb “glorified” is past tense (referring to something that has already happened).  But we have not yet been glorified.  Then why did God say that He had already glorified them?  The Apostle Paul, the author of the book of Romans, who had the assurance of this salvation, used the past tense verse since he firmly believed that God would surely glorify them 100%.  Because God will surely and abundantly accomplish the five stages of salvation, the Apostle Paul used past tense for all the verbs of the five stages of salvation with the assurance of salvation (those God foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified).

                Then what is glorification?  When we all go to heaven, we will all be glorified.  Focusing on the book of Romans, I would like to think about what glorification is in four ways:

(1)    Glorification refers to salvation.

Look at Romans 5:10 – “For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”  Before we believed in Jesus, we were enemies with God.  But God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, into this world and gave Him up to death as a propitiation sacrifice.  As a result, we are reconciled to God.  As those who have been reconciled, that is, justified, we will be saved in the future through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That is, we will be glorified in the future.  The word here that we will be glorified in the future is that we will be resurrected as Christ resurrected.  Look at 1 Corinthians 15:20 – “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”  Because Christ became the firstfruits of those who are asleep, the saints who have died in the Lord (those who are justified), all those who are asleep in the Lord will also be resurrect.

(2)    Glorification refers to the inheritance of an inheritance in heaven.

Look at Romans 8:17 – “Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”  Those who are justified are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.  To be glorified means to be an heir.  It is glorious because we will not inherit the things of this earth, but the things of the kingdom.

(3)    Glorification refers to the resurrection of the body.

Look at Romans 8:10-11: “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”  Our spirit, who was dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), was raised by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God (first resurrection) who already raised Jesus from the dead.  The indwelling Spirit will also give life to our mortal bodies.  When Jesus returns, all our dead bodies will be resurrected (second resurrection).  Our glorification refers to the resurrection of this body.

(4)    Glorification refers to our sitting in heaven with Christ Jesus.

Look at Ephesians 2:5-6: “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  We, who were spiritually dead because of our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ [he raised not our bodies, but our souls (regeneration)] and raised us up with Him (referring to the resurrection of our bodies), and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (From God's point of view it has already happened, but from our point of view it will happen at the second coming of Jesus).  Look at Romans 8:34 – “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”  The risen Christ Jesus is at the right hand of God.  We too will be seated together in heaven in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).  Then where will we be seated in heaven?  Look at Revelation 3:21 – “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”  We will sit with the Lord on His throne in heaven in Christ Jesus. What a glorious glorification this is.

            The five stages of God's salvation are entirely by God's grace.

                Look at the first stage: It is God's exclusive grace to save those whom God foreknew (Rom. 8:29), those whom God loved.  It is not that God loved us and saved us because we did something good that deserve His love.  In other words, God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16), and He loves us first (v. 19), even though there are no conditions that make us loveable in God's sight. Therefore, it is totally God’s grace.

                Look at the second stage: It is also God's exclusive grace to save those whom God predestined, that is, those whom God chose before the foundation of the world.  God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), not because we have something (faith, good works, etc.) to be chosen by God.  Because the God of love first loved us and chose us to save us, we were chosen and saved, so this is also God's total grace.

                Look at the third stage: It is also God's total grace to save those whom God has called, that is, those whom God has effectively called.  Look at 2 Timothy 1:9 – “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”  God's calling is never done according to our works (not our good deeds or merits).  We did it according to the will of God and the grace of God that was given to us in Christ Jesus from eternity.

                Look at the fourth stage: It is God's total grace that He saves those He justifies.  Look at Romans 3:24 – “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  We have been justified freely by the grace of God.

                Look at the fifth stage: The salvation of those whom God has glorified is also the total grace of God.  We are saved by the grace of God (Eph. 2:5).  It is by the grace of God that we have inherited the heavenly inheritance (Rom. 4:16).  It is by the exceedingly great grace of God that we have sat down with Christ on the Lord's throne (Eph. 2:6-7).  God has made us His masterpieces (v. 10), so that the exceeding riches of His grace may be revealed to the generations to come (v. 7).

                Then why does God glorify us by His grace?  Look at Ephesians 2:9 – “not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  The purpose is to prevent anyone from boasting.  We have not achieved glory through our efforts or good deeds, but because it is entirely by the grace of God, we have nothing to boast about in ourselves, but only in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we should serve the Lord with thanksgiving without name or fame.  Look at 1 Corinthians 15:57 – “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”