God's Purpose In Making Us His children

I. Introduction

Last week we looked at Romans 8:18-25 and saw how the creation it groaning to see the revelation of the children of God with Christ in glory.

But we didn’t finish the last two verses.

So today we’re going to pick up where we left off at verses 26–27.

These will then lead us into some more wonderful verses to help us understand and appreciate God’s purpose in making us His children in Romans 8:28–30.

II. The Spirit helps us while we wait. (vs. 26-27)

Romans 8:26 ESV

26 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.

A. The Spirit helps us in our weakness (v. 26)

Romans 8:27 ESV

27 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.

B. The Spirit intercedes for us with His own groanings (vs. 26b–27)

III. All things work together for good (v. 28)

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

A. For those who love God

B. For the called according to his purpose

IV. The purpose of God for the called (v. 29)

Romans 8:29 ESV

29 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.

A. God predestined those He foreknew.

BDAG Definition “foreknew”: choose beforehand

BDAG Definition “predestined”: decide upon beforehand, predetermine, of God

B. God’s purpose is to conform them to the image of His Son.

BDAG Definition “conform”: pert. to having a similar form, nature, or style, similar in form

C. God’s aim is that they become many brothers and sisters of His firstborn Son.

V. God’s 3 actions to make us his children (v. 30)

Romans 8:30 ESV

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.

A. He called us.

BDAG Definition “Called”: From the mngs. ‘summon’ and ‘invite’ there develops the extended sense choose for receipt of a special benefit or experience.

B. He justified us.

BDAG Definition “Justified”: be acquitted, be pronounced and treated as righteous and thereby become δίκαιος, receive the divine gift of δικαιοσύνη through faith in Christ Jesus and apart from νόμος as a basis for evaluation.

Romans 3:23–24 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

C. He glorified us.

BDAG Definition “glorified”: to cause to have splendid greatness, clothe in splendor, glorify, of the glory that comes in the next life.

John 17:22 ESV

22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.