God’s plans never fail.

Romans 8:29

July 4, 2010

Romans 8: 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.

I. What is God’s Plan? First we need to realize the point of all this. God’s plan will not fail. God loves Jesus so much that He is determined to have many more people like Him. Not in His divine or God nature, but humans. God has done a lot to make that happen. He created. He allowed man to go his own way. He endured having His creation endure sin and it’s consequences. But He always planned to have Jesus take on a human nature as well. Then He could pay for our sin, and transfer His righteousness to us, and have relationship with us forever. To do this He chose some to enter into relationship with; He predestined them to live like Jesus; He called them to new life; He justified them and He will glorify them. But we get hung up on what God has done ahead of time. Let’s look at it in a little more detail.

II. Foreknowledge and Predestination. There are things we do and things God does. We sometimes fail. God and His plans will never fail. God entered into a relationship ahead of time, making it so. Those He chose to have a relationship with, He moved into His horizon, into His circle of love, He predestined that they would become like Jesus. Last study we looked at this word which is a compound. Pro in Greek means ahead of time. Egno comes from gnosis which means Knowledge. The OT word is yada. The whole knowledge concept in the Bible, when it comes to one person knowing another, means to come into relationship with another person. Like in marriage in the OT. Foe example, it says Adam knew Eve. So when God says as he does here and in other places that He foreknow Christians, it means that before they were born He chose to enter into relationship with them. We know that that relationship will be established by faith in Jesus Christ. Now “known” is used here, but it is man’s knowledge and not fore knowledge. I am sharing this passage because it speaks about how that relationship happens. Acts. 4: 0 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone” Again Amos 3:2a is a help here. Speaking of Israel, God says “2 “ You only have I known of all the families of the earth; …” In the NIV it translates yada here as chosen. The term “foreknowledge is used 7 times in the NT. 2 times it speaks of what man knew ahead of time. 5 times though it speaks of God’s foreknowledge. One is in Romans 8:29. The others are:

Acts 2:22 This passage comes in the middle of Peter’s great Pentecost sermon where he is explaining God’s plan of salvation. He says in verse 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken[a] by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;:” God is saying He chose ahead of time to have men do this to Jesus for our sake and His purpose. Later in Acts 4 it says27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

Romans 11:2 Here Paul seems to be replying to an argument against God keeping His promises to the Jews. Apparently people were saying God was not going to save the Jews through Christ since many had not yet trusted Him as Savior. It says in 11: 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,Here God is speaking about Israel of whom it says He chose ahead of time as well. God has a plan for His people. It will not fail.

1 Pt. 1: 1 Now Peter spoke a lot about God’s work ahead of time. 1Peter 1: 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: ” Here Peter is speaking of Christians whom God knew ahead of time, that they are the elect because of God choosing to enter into relationship with them ahead of time. Again here the NIV uses the word chosen. God has chosen and has a plan for His people. His plan will not fail.

1 Pt. 1: 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,” Again this of Jesus that God chose before the foundation of the world to do what He did.God’s plan succeed in what Christ accomplished, and it will succeed in regard to us.

Romans 8: 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.. God made plans for mankind ahead of time. That is the pro. The giosko, like yada, or “to know” means to choose to enter into a relationship with, like Adam knew Eve. Boice says, “God chose to set his special or saving love upon a select group of people in order that his good purpose, namely to create a people to be like his Son Jesus Christ, might be achieved. So foreknowledge is really the word that we are speaking of in this whole discussion we often call predestination. It means God chose to enter into a relationship with us ahead of time. Those He chose do get saved. But, then He predestines them, to be like Jesus. Christians are predestined to be like Jesus. That is a plan of God and it will not fail.

III. Problems with the pickers.

A. If God chooses who will be saved, doesn’t that make Him kind of an arbitrary tyrant? Inother words, if God chooses that is not fair or just. So we could ask for justice. Romans 1 and 2 says that God has judged that we are: 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,[a] unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

So justice might be a problem for us.” That passage goes on to say that on our own we will get justice for our deeds. Then we have Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,; and 5: 2 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—” So you can have justice if you want. But God has shown us the better way in Jesus. Micah prophesied of this in 6: 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of youBut to do justly,To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? SO act justly and LOVE mercy and BE humble a God is with you.

Then of course people who say God choosing or picking is arbitrary and unfair say, “Okay, I want mercy! But it is not right that God has mercy on whom He chooses. Romans 9: 4 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”[a] 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[b] 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? 22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,” And we do not know why God picked any of us to place this love on, except that He loves Jesus and wants more people like that. And we do not know why He pickd those He picked. However we know He has plans. His plans never fail. This means that Christian, you are secure in Christ. Eph. 1: 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory..; Eph. 38 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship[a] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;[b] 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,:”

B. If God chooses, then can we say that humans are not free? In other words, if God picks us to have a relationship with Him ahead of time, we are not free to choose Him. Look at Romans 3: 10 As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.Romans 8: 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. This says that before you become a Christian and have the Holy Spirit, on your own you cannot seek God.Look at our example, Jesus. Was He not the freest man who ever lived. He was free from having to sin. But look at all the verses we already read about He was predestined to die and suffer for us. Look at how He was spoken of as chosen by the Father to do what He did. Now the Bible tells us that Christians are predestined to be like Jesus. That means we do not have to sin. And when we get to heaven we shall be just as He is and will never sin again nor be affected by sin. So that seems to make us as free as anyone could possibly be.

C. If God chooses, why do evangelism?

1. God has chosen not just the end, but also the means. That in this case would go like this: God has not only chosen that you would be saved, but that you would be saved by the practice of evangelism. Romans 10: 3 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” So if God decided to bring the Gospel to Bob Slack by the faithful witness of Bob’s uncle Vernon Slack, that it is just as important that Vernon Slack be a faithful witness to Bob Slack as it is that Bob Slack becomes a Christian.

2. If God were to save people, not by choosing them and softening their hearts to salvation and calling them in an effective way, and giving them faith to exercise and receive the Gospel of Christ- then you and I tell them the good news, knowing that they do not seek God, and that on their own they cannot seek Him, what hope do our evangelistic efforts have?

3. If a person’s salvation depends not on God’s prompting, and they are unable on their own, then does their salvation depend just on me? What happens if I screw up?

4. But, if God chooses some that Jesus would be glorified, and that He would enjoy their fellowship, and be like Jesus, than I can be secure in my efforts. I don’t have to worry and slipping with my spiritual scalpel causing them to die on the table, and I can be fearless in my rescue effort if I know the great Physician is doing His will. I can know that God not only will have mercy upon whose those He wants, but that He has chosen me to be an instrument of that mercy. I can know that that mercy, His plan will not fail. I will never lose my salvation, and Iw wil be used of Him to give the Good News to those around me.

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