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The Holy Bible: King James Version Chapter 8

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

New Living Translation Chapter 8

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

The Passion Translation Chapter 8

For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him.

Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son!

The Passion Translation Chapter 8

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Chapter 8

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.11 The Holy Bible: King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Ro 8:29.

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn* among many brothers and sisters. 1* * 8:29 Or would be supreme.

1 Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Ro 8:29.

You, Me, All that are Called.

29 For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined use from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. 1e e The Aramaic can be translated “sealed us” (with God’s mark upon us). See also Col. 3:4; Heb. 2:11.

The Aramaic can be translated “sealed us” (with God’s mark upon us). See also Col. 3:4; Heb. 2:11.

1 Brian Simmons, trans., The Passion Translation (BroadStreet Publishing, 2017), Ro 8:29.

30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 11 Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Ro 8:30.

Which is Jesus Christ in you; the hope of Glory. S.W.

30 Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son! 11 Brian Simmons, trans., The Passion Translation (BroadStreet Publishing, 2017), Ro 8:30.

8:29–30. These two verses explain what God’s purpose is in his calling to salvation, and how it is accomplished. First, the purpose: that there might be many who would be conformed to the likeness of his Son. God was not satisfied to have a family with an “only child.” Indeed, the entire human family, all the descendants of Adam and Eve, were to have been his family, walking in fellowship with him for eternity. But since the rebellion of man, it has been his purpose to redeem a family for himself out of the fallen race.

Second, his method: from our perspective, God adopted us as spiritual orphans into his family, so that his Son … might be the firstborn among many brothers. That is the metaphor for what God did behind the scenes to accomplish his purpose. That “behind the scenes” activity is called by scholars the ordo salutis, the order of salvation. How did God save those whom he adopted into his family? Five of the key actions are listed in these verses, and they are highlighted in the list below. Since the Reformation, the following list has generally represented the agreement of the majority on the way God has provided Christ with many brothers (taken from Boice, 2:916):

1. Foreknowledge: God’s setting his love upon (choosing) those who would be conformed to his Son’s image (Amos 3:2 [cf. KJV “known” with NIV “chosen”]; 1 Cor. 8:3; Gal. 4:9).

2. Predestination: God’s determining the destiny of those upon whom he has set his love.

3. Calling: God’s effectual call from death to life those upon whom he has set his love (cf. the calling forth of Lazarus in John 11).

4. Regeneration: God’s quickening, making alive, the spirit of those who are called so that they can believe.

5. Faith: God’s gift of faith (Eph. 2:8–9) exercised by the regenerate.

6. Repentance: The turning from sin of those who have believed (this step is often combined with faith into a step of faith-repentance, or repentance and faith).

7. Justification: God’s declaring as righteous those who have repented and believed.

8. Adoption: God’s inclusion of the justified in the family of God.

9. Sanctification: God’s work through the Holy Spirit to conform those in the family of God into the image of his Son.

10. Perseverance: God’s insuring that those who are effectively called complete their pilgrimage of faith.

11. Glorification: God’s fulfillment of his purposes—the making of fallen sinners into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ, for eternity.

While these passages have generated much heated discussion over the years (primarily concerning the meaning of foreknew and predestined), there is one key element which, if overlooked, gives rise to confusion, but if observed, gives focus to the passage. That key element is God himself: God has a “purpose” (v. 28), God foreknew, God predestined, God called, God justified, and God glorified (though future, glorification is written here in a “prophetic past tense”). This passage is all about God, not man! God is the adopter, humans are the adoptees. God is designing, engineering, and accomplishing his salvific purpose in the earth, quite apart from the interference and influence of men and women (as hard as that is for Type-A moderns to accept).

In light of this overarching oversight of the Father God over his family, how should that make the believer feel? Or, to use Paul’s words, “What, then, shall we say in response to this?” (Rom. 8:31).1

1 Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier, Romans, vol. 6, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 260–261.

8:29 would be the firstborn: Or would be supreme.

8:30 gave them his glory: Elsewhere in this passage, the glory Christians will experience is consistently in the future (8:18, 21, 23). The past tense here refers to God’s past decision to glorify us in the future. We have not yet entered into our inheritance, but the Father has irrevocably determined to give us his glory.1

1 New Living Translation Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2008), Ro 8:29–30.

8:29 “Foreknew” points to Paul’s conviction that God’s knowledge and purpose (cf. comment on 8:28) precede and are the ultimate cause of the salvation of those who love him (v. 28). This does not eliminate the need for faith; it rather assures that faith will achieve its goal since God stands behind the rise of the faith impulse.

Those who love God do so in keeping with him, who “predestined” them “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” God’s “secret and hidden wisdom” was predestined “before the ages for our glory” (1 Cor. 2:7). God predestined believers “for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:5). Taken together, these verses and their mention of being “predestined” impress with their comforting aim and nurturing assurance. Paul concludes there will be “many brothers,” not some meager few, to share in Christ’s status as “firstborn” as the result of God’s predestinating work. “Firstborn” is metaphorical here and points to Christ’s unique and exalted status as God’s one and only Son.

8:30 God’s intention to save sinners (foreshadowed in mention of his justification of the ungodly; 4:5; 5:6) impels him to move from predestining to calling, to justifying, and to glorifying. Truly “it is God who works in” believers, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

“Calling” is shorthand for the mysterious and undeserved application of Christ’s merit to sinners who by that calling become God’s servants and worshipers (cf. “called” in Rom. 1:1, 6, 7; 9:24). “Calling” describes the effect of God’s saving grace (Gal. 1:6, 15) and comes through the gospel message (2 Thess. 2:14). The status of “justified” likewise comes about “by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). It also involves “faith” (3:28; 5:1) and Christ’s death (5:9). “Glorified” points to future perfection of believers at Christ’s return and in the age to come. But Paul speaks of that future in the past tense to underscore that the outcome of faith, even in a painful and daunting world beset with suffering for the faithful (8:18, 35–37), is secure in God.1

1 Robert W. Yarbrough, “Romans,” in Romans–Galatians, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. X, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 131.

8:29 Verses 29–30 explain why those who believe in Christ can be assured that all things work together for good: God has always been doing good for them, starting before creation (the distant past), continuing in their conversion (the recent past), and then on to the day of Christ’s return (the future). Foreknew reaches back to the OT, where the word “know” emphasizes God’s special choice of, or covenantal affection for, his people (e.g., Gen. 18:19; Jer. 1:5; Amos 3:2). See Rom. 11:2, where “foreknew” functions as the contrast to “rejected,” showing that it emphasizes God’s choosing his people (see also 1 Pet. 1:2, 20). God also predestined (i.e., predetermined) that those whom he chose beforehand would become like Christ.

8:30 The chain that begins with the word “foreknew” in v. 29 cannot be broken. Those who are predestined by God are also called effectively to faith through the gospel (see 2 Thess. 2:14). And all those who are called are also justified (declared to be right in God’s sight). Because not all who are invited to believe are actually justified, the “calling” here cannot refer to merely a general invitation but must refer to an effective call that creates the faith necessary for justification (Rom. 5:1). All those who are justified will also be glorified (receive resurrection bodies) on the last day. Paul speaks of glorification as if it were already completed, since God will certainly finish the good work he started (cf. Phil. 1:6).1

1 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2171–2172.

8:29–30 Believers are those people whom God knew in advance. God’s foreknowledge refers to his intimate knowledge of us and our relationship with him based on his choosing us. God chose believers to reach a particular goal: to become like his Son. When all believers are conformed to Christ’s likeness, the resurrected Christ will be the firstborn of a new race of humans, who are purified from sin. Because we are God’s children, we are Christ’s brothers and sisters.

What does it mean to be chosen? What keeps foreknowledge and predestination from being determinism? How can belief in predestination avoid leading someone to despair over the futility of any human choice? God’s foreknowledge does not imply determinism—the idea that all our choices are predetermined. Since God is not limited by time as we are, he “sees” past, present, and future at the same time. Parents sometimes “know” how their children will behave before the fact. We don’t conclude from these parents’ foreknowledge that they made their children act that way. God’s foreknowledge, insofar as we can understand it, means that God knows who will accept the offer of salvation. The plan of predestination begins when we trust Christ and comes to its conclusion when we become fully like him. Receiving an airline ticket to Chicago means we have been predestined to arrive in Chicago.

To explain foreknowledge and predestination in any way that implies that every action and choice we make has been not only preknown, but even predetermined, seems to contradict those Scriptures that declare that our choices are real, that they matter, and that there are consequences to the choices we make. What is clear is that God’s purpose for human beings was not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundation of the world. Humankind is to serve and honor God. If we have trusted Christ as Savior, we can rejoice that God has always known us. His love is eternal. His wisdom and power are supreme. He will guide and protect us until we one day stand in his presence.

God’s plan for the salvation of those who believe in Christ has three steps: chosen, called, and glorified. When we are finally conformed to the image of Christ, we will share his glory.1

1 Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 609–610.

8:29 foreknew. The loving relationship God previously chose to have with his people (see Eph. 1:5, 11). predestined. Chosen beforehand for loving relationship. See note on Eph. 1:4. conformed to the image of his Son. Made holy and righteous like Christ through his work (see Rom. 12:1–3; 2 Cor. 3:18). firstborn among many brothers. See Rom. 8:15–17; Col. 1:15–20; Heb. 2:10–11.

8:30 called. To faith through the gospel (see 2 Thess. 2:14; compare Matt. 22:14 and note). justified. Counted or declared righteous by God (see note on Gal. 2:16). he also glorified. God’s promised redemption is so sure that Paul speaks of it as if it has already happened, since Christ has already been glorified.1

1 Crossway, ESV Concise Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 1257.

Notes For Verse 29

a [foreknow] Greek: proginosko (GSN-<G4267>), to know beforehand. Knew before (2Pet. 3:17); foreknew (Rom. 8:29; 11:2); foreordain (1Pet. 1:20; Rom. 11:1); and know (Acts 26:5). See prognosis (GSN-<G4268>), foreknowledge (Acts 2:23; 1Pet. 1:2).

b [predestinate] Greek: proorizo (GSN-<G4309>), foreordain. Determine before (Acts 4:28); ordain (1Cor. 2:7); and predestinate (Rom. 8:29–30; Eph. 1:5, 11). It is God’s plan that He has foreknown and predestined, not the individual conformity of free wills to the plan. He has called all people and all are free to accept or reject the call (Jn. 3:16; 1Tim. 2:4; 2Pet. 3:9; Rev. 22:17). All who do accept, He has foreknown and predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son that His Son might be the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29).

Those who reject the plan, He has foreknown and predestined to be consigned to eternal hell as an everlasting monument of His wrath on rebels (Isa. 66:22–24; Rev. 14:9–11; Mt. 25:41, 46). This is the sum of foreknowledge and predestination.

c [conformed] Greek: summorphos (GSN-<G4832>). Only here and in Php. 3:21 where the resurrected body will be made like His glorious body. This is what God has foreknown and predestined for all who conform to the gospel.

d [firstborn] Greek: prototokos (GSN-<G4416>), (note, 2, Lk. 8:19; note, Col. 1:15).

Notes For Verse 30

a [whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified] God has foreordained, determined, and predestined that all people be called to salvation, but that only the ones who accept become genuine called ones to be justified and glorified. None are glorified, but those who, according to His purpose, meet the terms of the gospel. Who they will be is left up to the individual (Jn. 3:16; 1Tim. 2:4; 2Pet. 3:9; Rev. 22:17; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 3:19). All things depend upon meeting the conditions of the gospel (Rom. 8:1–13, 28).1

1 Finis Jennings Dake, The Dake Annotated Reference Bible (Dake Publishing, 1997), Ro 8:29–30.

2 (8:29) Assurance—Foreknowledge—Predestination—Conformed—Image—Salvation: God has determined to fulfill His purpose for the believer. This is the second assurance of deliverance. Note three significant points.

a. This passage is often abused and misused. It is not dealing so much with theology or philosophy, but more with the spiritual experience of the Christian believer. If the pure logic of philosophy and theology are applied, then the passage says that God chooses some for heaven and others for a terrible hell. But this is simply not the meaning God intends for the passage. What God wants believers to do is to take heart, for He has assured their salvation.

God knows the suffering that believers go through daily (see Ro. 8:28–39). God “did foreknow” even before the foundation of the world (v. 29). But no matter how great the suffering, no matter how great the opposition, no matter how great the struggle, God is going to complete His purpose for believers. God has “predestinated [believers] to be conformed to the image of His Son,” and absolutely nothing can change that. Why? “That Christ might be the first-born [have the preeminence] among many brethren” (Ro. 8:29).

God loves His Son in the most supreme way possible. God has ordained that His Son shall have many brothers (adopted brothers) who will love and serve Him as the first-born, that is, as the first Person or the most preeminent Person of the universe. God has ordained that Jesus Christ shall hold the highest rank and position: that He be the exalted Head of all creation and the One to whom all men look (see Col. 1:15, 18). Therefore, God is going to allow nothing to permanently defeat believers. God is going to allow no fallen child of His to ever remain down permanently. God is going to fulfill His purpose in every child of His, and nothing can stop His purpose. Jesus Christ, His Son, will have a multitude of brothers and sisters who worship and serve Him throughout eternity.

b. Believers will be conformed to the image of God’s dear Son. The words conformed to the image (summorphous tes eikonos) mean both an inward and an outward likeness.

1) Conformed (summorphous) means the very same form or likeness as Christ. Within our nature—our being, our person—we shall be made just like Christ. As He is perfect and eternal—without disease and pain, sin and death—so we shall be perfected just like Him. We shall be transformed into His very likeness.

2) Image (eikonos) means a derived or a given likeness. The image of Christ is not something which believers merit or for which they work; it is not an image that comes from their own nature or character. No man can earn or produce the perfection and eternal life possessed by Christ. The image of Christ, His perfection and life, is a gift of God. To be conformed to the image of God’s Son means …

• to become a partaker of the divine nature (2 Pe. 1:4)

• to be adopted as a son of God (Ep. 1:5)

• to be holy and without blame before Him (Ep. 1:4; 4:24)

• to bear the image of the heavenly: which is an incorruptible, immortal body (1 Co. 15:49–54; see 1 Co. 15:42–44)

• to have one’s body fashioned (conformed) just like His glorious body (Ph. 3:21)

• to be changed (transformed) into the same image of the Lord (2 Co. 3:18)

• to be recreated just like Him (1 Jn. 3:2–3)

c. Note what it is that assures the believer’s deliverance from the suffering and struggling of this world. It is two things.

1) The foreknowledge of God. The word foreknow (proginosko) is used three different ways in Scripture. It means …

• to know something beforehand, ahead of time

• to know something intimately by loving and accepting and approving it

• to elect, foreordain, and predetermine something

The present passage is interpreted differently by scholars. Note that the second and third meanings are much the same. When a person is loved and approved, selection or election is involved. The person becomes a very special or select person.

Again, the point to see is not the pure logic of the theological or philosophical argument. This is not God’s purpose in this passage. God’s purpose is to assure the believer: the believer is going to be conformed to the image of Christ, and nothing can stop the glorious process. God foreknew the fact, saw it even before the world was ever founded. He has always loved and approved the believer, electing and ordaining him from the very beginning. (See Deeper Study # 3, Foreknowledge—Acts 2:23 for more detailed discussion.)

“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Ac. 15:18).

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Ro. 8:29).

“God hath not cast away his people [Israel] whom he foreknew” (Ro. 11:2).

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained [foreknown] before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pe. 1:18–20).

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Ti. 2:19).

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1 Pe. 1:2).

2) The predestination of God. The word predestination (proorisen) means to destine or appoint before, to foreordain, to predetermine. The basic Greek word (proorizo) means to mark off or to set off the boundaries of something. The idea is a glorious picture of what God is doing for the believer. The boundary is marked and set off for the believer: the boundary of being conformed to the image of God’s dear Son. The believer shall be made just like Christ, conformed to His very likeness and image. Nothing can stop God’s purpose for the believer. It is predestinated, set, and marked off. The believer may struggle and suffer through the sin and shame of this world; he may even stumble and fall or become discouraged and downhearted. But if he is a genuine child of God, he will not be defeated, not totally. He will soon arise from his fall and begin to follow Christ again. He is predestinated to be a brother of Christ, to worship and serve Christ throughout all eternity. And Christ will not be disappointed. God loves His Son too much to allow Him to be disappointed by losing a single brother. Jesus Christ will have His joy fulfilled; He will see every brother of His face to face, conformed perfectly to His image. He will have the worship and service of every brother chosen to be His by God the Father. The believer’s eternal destiny, that of being an adopted brother to the Lord Jesus Christ, is determined. The believer can rest assured of this glorious truth. God has predestinated him to be delivered from the suffering and struggling of this sinful world. (See notes, Predestination—Jn. 6:37; 6:39; 6:44–46 for God’s part and man’s part in salvation. See Deeper Study # 3—Ac. 2:23; Deeper Study # 1—Ro. 9:10–13; note—9:14–33 for more discussion.)

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ep. 1:4–5).

“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom [Christ] we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ep. 3:11–12).

3 (8:30) Glory of Believer: God has set the glorification of the believer once-for-all. This is the third assurance of deliverance. It must be remembered throughout this passage that Scripture is talking about the genuine believer. A genuine believer is a person who sincerely believes in Jesus Christ and diligently seeks to please Him by living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Tit. 2:11–13). It is the genuine believer whose glorification is predestinated, set forever and ever by God. The true believer can rest in this glorious truth, for God has done three wonderful things for him. God has called, justified, and glorified him. Note that all three steps are in the past tense; all three steps are something already accomplished. The believer’s glorification has already taken place in the plan and mind of God. God already sees believers glorified; He already sees believers in His presence. It is assured and predestinated—already written down in the annals of heaven, never to be erased.

Again, does this mean that some are destined to hell and some to heaven? No, a thousand times, no! This is not the purpose of this Scripture. God’s purpose is to give enormous assurance to the true believer: he shall be delivered from the struggling and suffering of this sinful world. He is going to be freed—if he is a true believer—freed from all the sin and shame, failure and shortcoming, pain and death. He is going to be glorified right along with God’s dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

a. God has called the true believer. Some time ago the Spirit called and stirred the heart of the true believer to come to Christ. The believer responded to the call. Scripture definitely teaches that the believer had a choice. He could have chosen to respond or not to respond. (See Re. 22:17.) Thank God he responded and came to Christ. Therefore, the call was effective; the call worked. The believer did respond to Christ. (See note, Draw—Jn. 6:44–46 for God’s part and man’s part in salvation.)

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Co. 5:20).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Re. 3:20).

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Re. 22:17).

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Is. 1:18).

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Is. 55:1).

b. God has justified the believer. Again, note the past tense. Justification has already taken place for the true believer. (See note, Justification—Ro. 5:1.)

Thought 1. The point is clear. If the believer has been truly called, if he has been truly saved, then his deliverance from struggling and suffering is assured. His deliverance is a past fact and it is set eternally by God. No matter how deeply the believer senses his shortcoming and failure, his struggle with the sin and suffering of this world, he is a child of God. Every time he comes short or stumbles and falls, he needs to get up and begin all over again. He must not become discouraged and defeated, self-accusing and incriminating, feeling unworthy and undeserving, or unwanted and rejected. Such a state of mind is one the most useful strategies of the devil—a strategy which he uses to defeat believers by the multitudes. God has called the believer, so he must arise and begin to diligently follow Christ once again. Every believer who is walking about defeated—no matter how great his fall—should arise right now and turn back to Christ. This is our call, our duty.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Co. 6:11).

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:1–2).

Paul the apostle, who was a converted murderer, is a dynamic example of this victorious attitude, the very attitude needed so desperately by all believers.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Ph. 3:13–14; see Jb. 17:9; Ps. 84:7; Pr. 4:18; He. 12:4).

c. God has glorified the believer. This, too, is past tense: the glorification of the believer is an accomplished fact, a fact that has already taken place in God’s mind and plan. God already sees and counts the believer as glorified in His presence for eternity (see Deeper Study # 1,2,3—Ro. 2:7; Deeper Study # 1–3:23; Deeper Study # 1—Jn. 17:22 for what the believer’s glorification involves).

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Ro. 8:18).

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Co. 4:17).

“[That ye may know] what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ep. 1:18).

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Ph. 3:21).

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4).

“Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Ti. 2:10).

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (1 Pe. 5:1).

“And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Re. 22:5).

“Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24).1

1 Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Romans, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 163–166.

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