The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying salvation. Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance more often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance.
Salvation can be and has been defined in many ways. Among them, four stand out as the most comprehensive and functional.
First, salvation can be defined as the deliverance from the power, penalty, and presence of sin. To receive salvation is to receive God’s mercy and His grace.
Second, salvation can be described as a finished work, an on-going work, and a work to come. It is a finished work because Christ died once to bear the sins of humanity. “It is finished,”
Third It is an on-going work because He is continuously conforming us to His image and working to maintain our relationship with Him.
Romans 8:28-30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God promises to finish the good work He has begun in us. In other words, there’s work yet to do in us, and there will be work to do until the day we are glorified and with Christ.
Philippians 1:6 ESV And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
READ | ROMANS 8:28–30
Romans 8:28-30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
RESPOND
(These are the core Bible study questions you’ll work through this week.)
1. This week is unique in that I’d like you to do a little word study. Look up each of the following words in a Bible dictionary, a concordance, an online study tool, or other study aid. (Remember, your Bible may have these tools built in.) Then answer the questions listed below each word.
Word #1: Called
Word #2: Foreknew
Word #3: Predestined
Word #4: Conformed
Word #5: Justified
Word #6: Glorified
Assurance
Romans 8:28-30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
We wait for our future hope with the promise that all things work together for good. God is good, and we rest in the assurance that He knew us before the foundation of the world. How encouraging to know that the God who knew and called us is also transforming from one degree of glory to the next and that it’s all a free gift of His grace. He called us from out of the pit—He saved us. Jesus paid it all, and you and I are justified (declared righteous) because of this payment. In the astonishing mystery and precious gift of God’s grace, He views us just as if we’ve always obeyed Him.
All Things for Our Good
Romans 8:28 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Often when we think of the word good, our minds typically go straight to our happiness and well-being. God’s goodness to us must mean, we imagine, that He will make our lives easier or more pleasant and that everything will turn out the way we want it. It often doesn't look good in fact it often looks very bad.
The “good” that Paul speaks of in Romans 8:28 has long been debated by scholars and theologians because the apostle does not fully spell out what he means. What we do know is that the text surrounding this verse points to the Spirit’s intercession,
Romans 8:26-27 ESV Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
God’s salvation,
Romans 8:28 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
and our ultimate well-being in Christ.
Romans 8:29 ESV For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
From this I think we can comfortably conclude that Paul is not referencing material rewards or pleasures that are apart from the Spirit’s work in our lives. Ultimately what is good is first, the transformation that takes place in our hearts as we walk out our faith, and second, the glory that is to come.
Today you may be living through a situation that simply doesn’t seem good, and yet your heavenly Father is whispering, “Oh, dear one, trust Me!” He knows all things and is indeed working all things for the good of those who love Him. He is not withhold good from you. It isn’t in His character to do so. Even what might appear like death will one day be revealed as His ultimate good in your life.
REFLECT
1. Have you ever experienced something that seemed awful at the time but that turned out to be good? What was it?
2. Have you ever had a time when you doubted God’s goodness? How did you fight to trust and believe Him?
3. How might you define “all things” and “good”?
4. What are specific ways you see God working in your life right now? What are areas of your life where you need to trust Him because you can’t see what He’s doing?
Our Assurance of This Good
Romans 8:29 ESV For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
God knows you better than anyone, even better than you know yourself
Psalm 139:1-6 ESV O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
Romans 8:27 ESV And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
God knows all of history—the beginning and the end
Psalm 90:4 ESV For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
Psalm 102:12 ESVmBut you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.
Isaiah 40:10 ESV Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He knows your history.
This is good news for all of us, because it means God does not move in response to your moves. God has already moved. He already knows. His decision to rescue us isn't based on our good works or our faith or on anything we do, but on the work of a God who foreknew us before the foundation of the world and still is actively conforming to the image of His Son.
Ephesians 1:4 ESV even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Let us resist the temptation to judge or examine God as we would people. God will never leave us nor forsake us the way humans tend to do. In our earthly relationships, how we are valued or loved is usually in direct proportion to how we act or, even worse, to what we can do for or give to others. Not so with God. We are infinitely loved and valued no matter what.
We are chosen because of His great love, and that love will be sustained to the very end. Why will all things work together for our good? Because He foreknew us.
REFLECT
1. What human knows you better than anyone else?
2. The specific implications of God’s foreknowledge have long been debated among theologians.
Some would say, for instance, that He knows what will happen but that we ultimately make the decisions. Based on what you have seen so far, how would you reconcile God's foreknowledge of us with the concept of free will?
Ephesians 1:4-6 (HCSB) 4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love 5 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
Do these two and similar scriptures mean that God determined beforehand who will be saved to eternal life and who will be eternally damned, separated from God? If true then what about free will to choose? If true why evangelize? If true then why should I be concerned about my sin because it was predestined by God?
One important point before I continue. Your salvation doesn’t depend whether you believe in predestination determining your salvation or if you have free will to choose. Your salvation is by God’s grace, whether predestined, or by your free will. You are saved because Jesus paid the penalty for your sins on the cross.
3. How might being foreknown bring peace and joy? Is there anything about this idea that bothers you? If so, why?
Conformed to Christ’s Image
ROMANS 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of hisSon.
Have you ever thought to yourself or heard someone else ask, “When will I ever stop_________?” (insert habitual sin). When we become Christians we sometimes think that “freedom from sin” means we are completely free from sinning. So when we become angry or lustful or envious, we might wonder if we are even Christians.
When we become Christians, we are miraculously transformed; we are new creations.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
But we are not yet perfect. We have simply begun the process of becoming like Christ—conforming to His image. And because we are human, we will inevitably have bumps along that road. We will sin and have to wrestle with the consequences of our sin.
Paul wrote about this wrestling back in Romans 7:19, remember?
Romans 7:15-20 ESV For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
And in Philippians 1:6 he assured us of God’s promise to finish
the good work He has begun in us. In other words, there’s work yet to do in us, and there will be work to do until the day we are glorified and with Christ.
Philippians 1:6 ESV And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Until then we will continue to be in the process of being conformed to Christ. Another word for this is sanctified. - set apart as or declare holy; consecrate.
1 Peter 1:2 ESV according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Sanctification may be an excruciatingly slow-moving process, and we may only see progress in the long term, sometimes only in hindsight. You may never completely stop struggling with certain issues in your lifetime. But you can definitely become better at fighting sin.
You probably won’t stop being angry, but you can become quicker to recognize that an angry response is about to well up inside you and quicker in responding so that the anger doesn’t cause you to sin. And even if it does, you can become quicker to respond to your sin appropriately by confessing it, seeking forgiveness, and trying to make amends.
Sanctification, in other words, is a lifelong process. But whether it happens quickly or slowly, whether we get there running or crawling, we are continually being changed and conformed to the image of Christ. God’s Spirit is at work in your heart even now—yes, even though you failed in that problem area yet again. God will surely finish His work of sanctification in you. As Christ is holy, you (and I, too) will be made increasingly holy.
REFLECT
1. Is there an area in your life in which you’d like to see more growth?
2. What are ways you’ve sought to deal with this area in your life?
3. How have you seen growth since you’ve recognized this problem area and started tryingto grow in it? If you haven’t seen growth, what might growth look like?
4. What aspects of Christ’s image do you think we will be conformed to?
You Were Called to Salvation
ROMANS 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Sometimes we get distracted by doing Christian things we forget to remember Jesus. We get into the habit of going to church, even doing Bible studies, but we may listen without ever truly worshiping. We may fall out habit of confessing sin or even praying because we just aren’t thinking about it. We just coast along, doing Christian things but not really growing or becoming more like Jesus.
We need to fight to remember that we were called. We don’t ever want to take His amazing gift of salvation for granted. We want to remember we were dead in our sins, and now we have life; we were called by God, and now we are His. That’s good news we must never allow ourselves to forget!
REFLECT
1. Have you ever had a season of coasting in the Christian life—to use the cliché, going through the motions. What happened? Why?
2. What are some warning signs that we are coasting in our Christian lives? How can we recognize this in ourselves if God isn’t sounding a “siren”?
3. How can remembering our calling and hearing the gospel again help us keep from coasting? What are some other ways we can “wake ourselves up” and renew our appreciation forwhat God has done for us?
Just as if You’ve Always Obeyed
ROMANS 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Justification is a legal declaration of our standing before the Lord. It is at this point that we trade in our unrighteousness for Jesus’ righteousness
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are only righteous (or just) before God through the work and person of Jesus Christ.
Once you and I have been justified, God views us as if we never sinned or as if we had always obeyed. That's pretty amazing, considering we not only have sinned and deserve the full punishment for it, but we continue to sin. This declaration of justification is an unspeakably generous, kind, and merciful gift of God’s grace. It’s also a picture of what we have to look forward to in the next life—glorification. Which is glorification.
Glorification” is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the believer saints in the eternal state.
Romans 8:18 ESV For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Paul is exhorting us not to keep our eyes on what suffering in this world is doing in us, but to lift our eyes and fix our gaze on Jesus and "the glory that is to be revealed to us."
2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
By comparison, the very worst suffering experienced on earth is only a "light and momentary affliction" when compared with the glory of the eternity with God that is to come. The comparison he makes is one of magnitude and time. Weighed on a scale, any suffering in this life is far outweighed by the glory of the life to come. Measured in time, the suffering here happens in an instant and is replaced by glory forever.
At Christ’s coming, the glory of God (Romans 5:2)—His honor, praise, majesty, and holiness—will be realized in us; instead of being mortals burdened with sin nature, we will be changed into holy immortals with direct and unhindered access to God’s presence, and we will enjoy holy communion with Him throughout eternity. In considering glorification, we should focus on Christ, for He is every Christian’s “blessed hope”; also, we may consider final glorification as the culmination of sanctification.
Right now, even though we have been redeemed, justified, and are in the process of being sanctified, there remains a great chasm between who we are now and who we will be when we are with Jesus. On this earth we may increasingly be able to obey God, follow Him, and rest in Him, but we will never once do any of it perfectly.
This shouldn’t cause us to throw in the towel and give up. After all, we don’t obey God because we will earn favor before Him; we obey out of love and reverence for Him.
It helps to remember that we have something even greater to look forward to. One day we will completely bear the image of Christ.
One day we will be glorified—completely free of sin, completely made holy.
1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
The Bible is incredibly clear that one day we will not only be with Christ, we will be like Christ. We will be glorified.
1 John 3:2 ESV Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
REFLECT
1. What is the difference between justification and glorification? Why might it be importantto not mix up the two concepts?
2. Why is it important to remember the work yet to be done in our hearts and minds?
3. Reflect on the statement above that “all the work for our growth … is finished but will one day be completed.” What does that statement mean to you?
4. How does understanding our glorification help motivate us to live for Christ today?
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