The Golden Chain

The God of Scripture is a God who from all eternity has a sovereign purpose of salvation in mind, and he sovereignly sends his son into the world and he sends his son into the world to affect the atonement for his people. God likes him to be saved and not others not Renewing Your Mind on this Thursday, unwilling with God's role versus our role in salvation is certainly a controversial topic in the church but it was noncontroversial to pull today. We returned to Dr. RC Sproul series from the book of Romans were jumping ahead to chapter 8, we will see God's plan of sovereign saving grace last week. As I said we looked at Romans 828 and the context by which that text is there is in the broader context of chapter 8 and we've seen all along. Now that Paul is dealing with our position of safety in our state of salvation in Jesus Christ, wherein after we are justified. There is no more condemnation confronting us if we are in Christ Jesus.

And this whole chapter is filled with encouragement to those who are in Jesus Christ and the acme of that encouragement came in at 828 we know Paul says that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and those who love the Lord, are those who are the called according to his purpose. And so this concept. This idea that God calls effectually certain people, according to his good pleasure and according to his purpose introduces this golden chain that follows from it now. Again, in terms of the theological significance of the golden chain. Let me introduce this text by giving some background in the 17th century in Holland, a group of theologians rose up out of the Dutch Reformed Church, to protest against the historic Reformation theology and with Arminius and his friends. They entered into what was called a remonstrate ship that is a protest against some of the doctrines of 16th-century Calvinism, and five doctrines in particularly felt the weight of their theological criticism and as a result of that controversy. These five issues became known as the five points of Calvinism and the were considered under the rubric of the acrostic tulip that flower which is the fairest flower God's garden and that acrostic is spelled TULIPI what were going to be concerned about this evening. Is there you in tulip the doctrine of unconditional election and I think it's important that we understand the parameters of this controversy. As we look at the text of Scripture itself so having said that, by way of introduction. Let's go and look now again closely at the text immediately after Paul says that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. He then begins to introduce this idea of four knowledge verse 29 says, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Now notice that the first aspect.

The first link in the golden chain that is mentioned here by the apostle is the link of four knowledge he begins there. Those whom the four new did he also pre-– the night.

Now again understand that this idea of predestination is not a concept or a word invented by Calvin or Luther or Augustine. It is a biblical word. It is a word that we find here in Romans is a word that Paul uses widely in Ephesians. For example, the idea of election is a concept that is found throughout the whole of Scripture and so the question is that if you're going to be biblical.

It's not. Are you going to have a doctrine of predestination or not have a doctrine of predestination. Since predestination is a typical doctrine and a biblical concept, and if we are Christians submissive to the word of God, then we obviously have to wrestle with this and have to understand some kind of doctrine of predestination. Now the question is what is the correct understanding of this doctrine of predestination. If we are debating predestination and we are asking, what is the basis of God's Ford ordination or predestination. And somebody says, will the basis of it is God's prior knowledge of our human behavior. That's the only reason it makes sense for foreknowledge to come first. We respond, wait a minute. God cannot predestined anybody from all eternity that he doesn't first know from all eternity.

God is not predestined a nameless, faceless group of elect people. Obviously he if he predestines a people from the foundation of the world. He has to know what people it is that he's predestinate eating now.

Also, we have to look at the word foreknowledge in the Greek language the word here that is used by the apostle Paul that is translated by the word foreknowledge is the word Pro egg no Pro egg no some small form of the noun gnosis, which is the Greek word for knowledge. You understand that when you go to the doctor and you say I don't know what's wrong with me. He offers a diagnosis and then you say will my going to get better and he may offer you a prognosis both had to do with respect to gnosis or knowledge of this word foreknowledge that is used in the New Testament Greek is used, to distinctive ways and is very important for us to understand this distinction with respect to the word for knowledge in the Greek.

The first has to do with cognition, intellectual cognition or intellectual awareness.

That's the fundamental reference point to the Greek word gnosis or knowledge of cognitive awareness of some reality. But in addition to that cognition aspect that is associated with gnosis. There is also a deeper kind of knowledge a deeper dimension of knowledge that we might talk about in terms of personal or spiritual or a redemptive knowledge example in the Old Testament you will read repeatedly. Statements like this, Adam knew his wife and she conceived, or we read that Abraham knew his wife and she conceived. Now the word there in the Septuagint is the same word for knowledge that were talking about here, and what does that mean that Adam is introduced to leave and he said Mme. I'm Adam, she says, nice to meet you and wall. She's with child, I know, so she is a redder dossier. That's cognitive knowledge but it takes more than cognitive knowledge for a baby to be conceived in the mother's womb. It takes a much more intimate personal form and type of knowledge and when the Bible speaks about a man knowing his wife and that way is not because they're using euphemisms to avoid a description of a sexual relationship is using the full measure of this word knowledge or the verb form to know and so if we can clear up the apparent discrepancy between Paul's teaching in Romans and his teaching in first Corinthians we would say it this way that general revelation gives to all men. Cognitive knowledge of God that is inescapable and that we seek to destroy it and don't want to have it in our minds we cannot eliminate it all together and so therefore we are left without excuse on the judgment day. We can never say with impunity that we didn't know that God was there because we do have that gnosis.

As a result of Revelation. Yet at the same time by nature, the gnosis that we receive never rises to the level of that spiritual apprehension and personal knowledge of God in a redemptive way personal redemptive spiritual knowledge of God only comes as a result of the work of the Holy Ghost within our hearts and in our minds know why labor this when were talking about this particular text here will because it is the root of the term distorts the golden chain. Those whom he Pro egg not those whom he knew had the gnosis of prior knowledge of, is it merely God's cognitive awareness of people from all eternity, or is there more content to this knowledge that is called foreknowledge here in the text.

I think that the full import of this word includes within it. Not near cognition in the mind of God, but that knowledge that God has of those whom he appoints to be conformed to the image of his son is a knowledge that is redemptive that is spiritual and that is effective, not effective, but effective so that we could equally reasonably translate this text by saying those whom he for loved those whom he knew in this personal, intimate, redemptive sense from all eternity.

Did he predestinate so much for the word foreknowledge.

Let's look now at the word predestinate the word that is used here in the Greek text is another word with the prefix Pro, it's Pro.

All right, so, and that means according to the Greek lexicons a sovereign determination in which a fixed or definite limit is sovereignly agreed so that went speaks of predestination as the English word suggests there is a destiny for certain people that God from the foundation of the world has established. He has fixed it.

He has determined that, according to his sovereign good pleasure. According to the good pleasure of his will and nowhere ever in Scripture is a foreseen conditional response by human beings ever given as the reason for the rationale for this eternal decree by which God fixes for all eternity.

Those whom he ordains chooses and determines to be redeemed will notice that the language that the apostle uses here with respect to the goal of predestination is not the language immediately of redemption itself, or salvation. Paul doesn't say those whom he foreknew that he also predestined on the salvation concept. Certainly there but that's not the language that he uses here want you to seek carefully what the language is that he uses. Let's look at it home. He foreknew he also predestined predestined to what predestined. Here's the predestined to first of all, what are people predestined to.

They are predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that the purpose of predestination is that the elect may be brought by God's grace into conformity into a relationship, a form of relationship with the son of God. Keep in mind that when Paul speaks about predestination when the New Testament speaks about predestination. The focus of predestination is always always and everywhere related to Christ.

We set again, the predestination is never discussed in the abstract, but predestination is related to our relationship with Christ. Those whom God foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son know that's what predestination is to now we have to ask the question, not the direction of predestination, but the why of predestination.

Why does God from all eternity, predestinate certain people to be in conformity to Jesus realistically says here that now this is a subjunctive clause which indicates purpose here the apostle is setting forth very clearly the purpose of predestination that he that is Christ, might be the firstborn among many brethren.

So, that is, for Christ's sake, that there is predestination. It is that Christ may see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. I'm in this pernicious view that is just pervasive in evangelicalism in the world today has the idea that God sends his son into the world and offers his son as a savior to as many as will receive him and God stays out of the way he makes the offer and he allows in the final analysis for the destiny of individuals to be determined by the individual who makes the choice to either come to Christ or not come to Christ with the theoretical possibility Jesus would die in vain. Christ gives a potential atonement and offers a potential redemption for potential number of people that is not the God of Scripture, the God of Scripture is a God from all eternity has a sovereign purpose of salvation in mind, and he sovereignly sends his son into the world and he sends his son into the world to affect the atonement for his people that they may be adopted into the family of God which we been reading here in Romans eight about that adoption that we are in Christ were heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus because God has sovereignly decreed that people would come to Christ and the only reason I can find anywhere in Scripture as to why anybody's saved is for Christ's sake, we who have come to Christ come because we are the gifts of love that the father gives to his home's elsewhere. The apostle says that God chooses people according to the good pleasure of his will notice that Paul describes the pleasure of God's will by calling it the good pleasure of his will, whatever he pleases to do whatever he wills to do is always flowing out of his character which is altogether righteous.

But let's continue with the golden chain.

Moreover, the apostle says, whom he predestined, these he also called whom he called these he also justified, whom he justified he also glorified. Notes called the golden chain because several links are linked together here. First is foreknowledge then is predestination then is calling then is justification and then is glorification now in theology.

We talk about what's called the ordo saluted us that's Latin for simply the order of salvation, the order that he gives us here in Romans eight begins with foreknowledge then moves to predestination and now he says moreover, those who are predestined, these same ones are also called and those who are called the same ones are also justified and those who are justified, the same ones. The apostle essay are glorified. Know what is acid here in the text and I don't know of any sober commentator who would deny this is the concept of all all whom God for nose in the way he speaking of here are predestined and all of those who are in the category of the predestined are also in the category of the called let's stop right there.

Let's look at this from a pressing in perspective from an Arminian or malign phony in viewpoint where they would say well course, all who God foreknew in advance would respond and obviously the responder the gospel, you have to hear the gospel so those whom he predestinate see also calls because the basis of his predestination is found, once again, in his knowledge of their answer to the call right now I want to make sure you get this because here where is where this tax that is so often a favorite text for Arminians and semi-Pelagianism of all sorts and stripes is where this text stands that distortion on its ear. Why do I say that because in the golden chain, all whom God knows he predestines that is all the elect that he knows he predestines and all whom he predestines he calls it that. Then just call some of the ones who are predestined, he calls all of the ones who are predestined now what kind of calling is Paul speaking about here. The general call the outward call that some say yes to and some say no to list to see those who are called these he justifies all these.

So what Paul is saying is all who were called in whatever way he's talking about calling here are justified. Not all who are called outwardly are justified because many are called outwardly say no to the call, but all who were called inwardly, all recall effectually come to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and are justified, so we see in the golden chain, a doctrine of predestination that is as far away as possible from the Arminian view because Paul here says those whom he foreknew the same people he predestines and all that he predestines he calls and all whom he calls he justifies, and all who are in the category of the justified these also he glorifies remember the context, are we safe when we are saved. Once we are justified.

Can we lose our salvation, not of the golden chain is true because all the justified will be glorified so that if you're saved now.

You are saved forever and ever. That's the golden chain, and indeed it's not a rusty chain. It's a chain made of the precious truth of the gospel, let me just conclude this evening by going to the next verse which will spend more time on God willing next week after declaring the golden chain and all of its links.

Paul asks a question of his readers in verse 31 what then shall we say to these things watch our response be what your response was your response to the biblical doctrine of predestination was the conclusion apostle constantly rated for if God is for us who can be against us on the great wonderful Latin phrases and all of church history is the phrase Deus Pro nobody's God for us. Karl Barth said the most important word in the Greek language as far as he was concerned was the Greek word who pair which means in behalf of what should our response be to the golden chain. What should the response be the fact that we have been rooted and grounded in the eternal purposes of God. The responses this if God is for us who can be against us will only answer that question for the apostle Paul. I'll tell you who can be against us.

Everybody in the world can be against us. There are plenty people who are against us.

And Paul is not suggesting that if God is for us.

Nobody in this world will ever stand in opposition to us, but the import of this declaration is simple. What Paul is saying is all of the opposition that rises up against us by human beings is meaningless in the final analysis, because all the opposition of this world cannot overthrow the glory that God has laid up for his saints from the foundation of the world. And when God is with us from all eternity of God is for us in his decree of election. If God is for us and calling us effectually. If God is for us by justifying us by his grace.

If God is for us by glorifying every one of his people whose opposition can mean anything in light of that, this is the amazing thing the people to kick and scream against the doctrine of sovereign grace of sovereign election was one of those comforting doctrines that you'll ever learn from sacred Scripture. If God is for us who can be against us.

He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all how Sally not within also freely give us all things right back now the doctrine comes the person and work of Christ. The doctrine of election.

Many people have pushed back against this doctrine. Nine. Though I certainly did that I began to see his RC just pointed out there what what a great comfort. This doctrine is glad you joined us today for Renewing Your Mind humbly web the order of salvation we heard about today is clear. It declares all that we experience in redemption, Paul explains it from start to finish yet. There's still confusion about what makes up the good news of the gospel. In fact, all after poll shows that many if not most believe that our good works will get us into heaven. That's a big reason why we like to send you today's resource. It's Dr. Sproles entire exposition of the book of Romans is contained in a single USB drive 59 sermons in all. And when you give a donation of any amount to litigator ministries. We will be glad to send it your way. You can reach us by going online to Renewing Your Mind.org or you can call us at 800-435-4343 11 Romans chapter 13 the apostle Paul tells us that we are to put on Christ was that look like exactly will be the focus of Dr. Sproles lesson tomorrow. We do hope you'll join us for the Friday edition of Renewing Your Mind