Romans 8b Victory in Christ

Vv 18-25 The Holy Spirit as the Hope of Redemption

Paul takes a little side road to further talk about the ramifications of our adoption.

Our adoption means liberation for the earth.

The whole of God’s creation groans together waiting for our redemption.

How does the creation groan?

Jeremiah 12:4 NASB95

How long is the land to mourn And the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, Animals and birds have been snatched away, Because men have said, “He will not see our latter ending.”

As we grow increasingly closer to the end, the creation is growing more restless.

This groaning and restlessness can be witnessed in the disruption of the natural created order.

Vv. 23-25 We also groan inwardly having the firstfruits of the Spirit.

Firstfruits meaning there is more to come.

Conybeare says we have the “Spirit as a foretaste of the future.”

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We are not yet adopted; we only have the promise of adoption; this is why Paul said we eagerly wait for it. You don’t wait for what you already have in possession.

This is another example of “already/not yet.”

Romans 8b Victory in Christ

Vv. 26-39

The Spirit’s intercession for us is not our praying in tongues. It says He intercedes w/ groanings that CAN’T be uttered.

He prays for us exclusively according to God’s will.

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 NASB95

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

1 Cor 2.10-

V. 28 How do all things work for our good? How can we know that they do?

What is God’s purpose and how can we know it?

V. 29 clearly tells us. God’s purpose is His will or plan for us. That purpose is conformity to the image of Christ b/c God wants many brethren.

Predestination is clearly a biblical doctrine; the variance lies in how we interpret it and apply it.

Theology has been for centuries divided between Calvinism and Arminianism. Most, if not all, new theologies have arisen out of one of these.

Calvinism has its roots in the writings of John Calvin, who was an early 16th ce. pastor. It contends that b/c God is sovereign, He has predestined who will be saved and who will be damned.

Arminianism, is the views of a man named Jacobus Arminius, who lived at the end of the 16 ce. Arminius’ theology was a response to Calvinism. It believes in human free will but in His foreknowledge, God knows who will receive Him and be obedient and who won’t.

While there are other tenets to these two theologies, I only want to deal w/ what we are discussing here in .

Does God predestine, yes. But what does He predestine?

First, let’s understand how the Bible uses the word predestination.

The Greek word προοριζω is only used 6 times in the NT. So, how is it used? This is the best way to understand more on the subject.

Acts 4:28 NASB95

to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.

Acts

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Notice the “whatever.” This does not say anything about predetermining who will be saved.

What is predestined here is the crucifixion of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:7 NASB95

but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

What was predestined here is hidden wisdom which is Christ and Him crucified. It is how God would save humanity through the sufferings of His own Son.

See also .

Ephesians 1:5 NASB95

He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Here the predestination is adoption itself.

However, notice that v. 4 says He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Obviously God has chosen us; this is what the term elect means. Calvinists believe that if God chose us based on His foreknowledge of our choosing Him that would negate His sovereignty, and He would be responding to us instead of us responding to Him.

God’s choosing of us according to foreknowledge does not negate or diminish His sovereignty.

God’s sovereignty toward us is in accordance w/ His word.

John 5:45–47 NASB95

“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

John 12:47 NASB95

“If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

Acts 17:31 NASB95

because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Jesus is what we will be measured by; did we receive Him or reject Him?

Ephesians 1:11 NASB95

also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

Our inheritance is in view here. God has already predetermined what we will inherit.

He called us, justified us, and glorified us are all past tense b/c all of these things were accomplished in Christ. They are a completed thing in the mind of God, but to us it is “already/ not yet.”

Vv. 31-39 are a response to what God has done.

B/c of God’s election and predestination, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.