God's Will, Part 20
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Romans 8:28.
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.
What are the two prerequisites for God working for good?
The first prerequisite is “those who love God”.
The second prerequisite is to be called by God.
God’s will is to work for our good. This passage is a great promise that brings us comfort in our lives. It can also be quite vexing, depending on how we define good.
How do we define good?
I think the natural way we would define good is that our lives be comfortable and that no evil befalls us. This is either a spoken or unspoken expectation. This not the good which the text is promising and one could argue that it is a twisted definition of good.
How does the text define good in Romans 8:29-30?
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.
The “good” is defined as being conformed to the image of Jesus.
God’s will is to conform us to Jesus.
What does it mean to be conformed to Jesus’ image?
There are three areas that this conformity applies:
The first area is to be conformed in Jesus’ death and resurrection; to share in his resurrected body. This is supported by the reason for God conforming us in Jesus being the firstborn of many brothers. The word “firstborn” does not speak to Jesus’ origin but to his preeminence, the status of him being the first to rise from the dead, never to die again, and the idea of us being adopted as sons of God.
The second area is that we are restored to the image of God established in Genesis 1:27.
The third area is that we are to be conformed in our character. This is would be demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit being manifested in our lives.
What is meant by the words “foreknowledge” and “predestined”?
The lenses we wear will effect how we define these terms.
Romans 8:30 continues to unpack God’s will in working for our good.
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.
God’s good is acted out in his action of predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.
How do these actions work for good in our day-to-day lives?