But some will say: “I am going inside: I will accept the invitation; I will enter the door,” and he presses his way in and it shuts behind him. As he turns about, he finds written on the inside of the door the words, “Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.” (H.A. Ironside, in the heavenlies (Ephesians), pages 27-28.
The illustration gives 2-perspectives: the perspective of man who chooses his “free will “and perspective of God who uses His sovereignty to choose who will accept the salvation.
God determined beforehand the believer’s destiny, in other words the conformity to the image of Jesus Christ. When all saints being made like Christ which is the ultimate and complete sanctification, Christ will be exalted as the Firstborn among many brothers. The resurrected and glorified Lord Jesus Christ will become the Head of a new race of humanity purified from all contact with sin and this new race will live eternally in His presence with the imperishable body (1 Cor.15:42-49). In other words, God’s purpose for humanity is that we should serve and honour God. His wisdom and power are supreme.
Between the start and finish of God’s plan are three steps: being called (Rom.1:6; 8:28), being justified (3:24, 28; 4:2; 5:1, 9), and being glorified (8:17; Col.1:27), and in the process not a single person is lost. God completes His plan without slippage. Everyone who wants to be saved can be saved because everyone who wants to be saved was predestined to be saved before the foundations of the world. The word “Glorified” is in the past tense because this final step is so certain that in God’s eyes it is as good as done. This means that the believer has already been glorified in Christ (Jn.17:22). The revelation of this glory awaits the coming of the Lord Jesus (Rom.8:21-23). To be glorified is another way of saying that God’s children will be conformed to His Son; and that is God’s ultimate purpose. No longer will they “fall short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23).
We are the real conquerors: (8:31-39): Paul dealt about the Pre-destination with the wonderful Greek words: Called, Justified, Sanctified and Glorified. In this transition, a believer faces many afflictions and sufferings and every time, he stands as the real conqueror. If God is on our side, we will prevail. It is so beautiful to realise that God’s plan of Salvation for people is a program that reaches from eternity past to eternity future and He will carry out with absolute perfection. With this background, the apostle Paul asks 7-questions and subsequently gives answers:
- What then shall we say in response to this? This is a general question. With God’s wonderful pre-destination, foreknowledge and the ultimate plan of conforming His children into His likeness, He will not forsake us. We stand amazed at His omniscience. With this question, Paul puts forth 6-more questions.
- If God is for us who can be against us? This is a personal question. We know that Satan and his demonic forces are always trying act against us. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1Pet.5:8). But our God is almighty and He is the Sovereign creator and He is always with us. The greatest confidence and support is that “God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him for us all” (8:32). This puts light into the O.T where Abraham did not withhold his son to offer to God, but God spared His son “Isaac” for a ram caught in thicket (Gen.22:2-14). But for redeeming His children, God did not spare even His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist said “He is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (Jn.1:29). Looking at the supreme act of God’s grace, no force on earth can act against Him when we are in the process of sanctification. Further He will certainly provide us all that is required to carry out His Will in our lives.
- The greatest promise for mankind: (8:32): This is one of the most precious verse in the Bible. The promise here is so all-encompassing that it stands ready to help us virtually at every point in our life and our This is so relevant to every believer. “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things?” This is true. God will most surely give all things to those for whom He gave His Son! This promise makes it as solid and unshakable as God’s love for His infinitely admirable Son. This promise contains a foundation and guarantee that is so strong and so solid and so secure that there is absolutely no possibility that the promise could ever be broken. This makes it an ever-present strength in times of great turmoil. Whatever else gives way, whatever else disappoints, whatever else fails, but the all-encompassing promise of future grace can never fail us.
There are of course other such great promises viz. “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps.84:11). ”And again Paul says: “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Cor. 3:21–23). It is difficult to overstate the spectacular sweep and scope of these promises. (thought taken from Solid Joys, daily devotional by John Piper).