Lesson for June 11, 2023
The Doctrine of Undeserved Suffering
Lesson 5
Romans 8:29, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
The entire doctrine of undeserved suffering looks to the future when believers receive their glorified bodies, where there will no longer be suffering. The doctrines of foreknowledge, predestination, election, justification, and glorification, when understood by believers, give them a personal sense of destiny. A personal sense of destiny gives believers a longing for Heaven and the rewards and blessings that await them, which is our ultimate victory in Christ.
Foreknowledge means to know beforehand or to know in advance. Foreknowledge does not mean that God determines beforehand what a human being will choose to do or not do. It simply means that because God is omniscient, He knows ahead of time every decision a person will make. A good illustration of this is a solar eclipse. Scientists know the exact time an eclipse will occur, but they do not make it happen.
God knows perfectly, eternally, and simultaneously all that is knowable, whether it is actual or possible. He knows our thoughts, motives, decisions, and actions. God is eternal and has eternal knowledge. God is truth and His knowledge is totally and perfectly accurate. Since God has always existed, His knowledge has always existed with Him. Therefore, He knows perfectly and simultaneously everything that has occurred or ever will occur. There are three factors of divine knowledge: 1) it is eternal – Acts 15:18; 2) it is incomprehensible – Romans 11:33; 3) it is wise – Ephesians 3:10. The future is as clear to God as the past.
God foreknows the future, but it is not predetermination! He doesn’t interfere with your volition. God foreknows what the choices of everyone will be. He may attempt to influence their choices by gracious guidance through Bible doctrine, but He doesn’t coerce anyone’s decisions. (Psalm 33:13-15, 139:2, 147:4; Matthew 6:8, 10:29-30; Hebrews 4:3; Acts 15:8; Malachi 3:16; Isaiah 46:9-10, 44:28)
He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. The Greek word for predestined is “proorizo.” “Pro” means before and “orizo” means to mark or to design. Combined, these words mean “to determine or to design beforehand.” What is it that is predetermined or predesigned by God?” We know from His Word that God does not decide ahead of time who will believe in Christ and who will reject Him or who will live the spiritual life. Those decisions are always left to the free will of the individual. So, what is predetermined?
God predetermined (predesigned) a perfect plan for every believer in eternity past. God decided that anyone who believed in Christ would receive forty spiritual assets, and even greater blessings for those who respond to Him and His Word. This plan was predetermined by God for a believer’s maximum happiness. (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:3-12, 4:13)
A person enters the plan of God at salvation by freely choosing to believe in Christ. After salvation, believers may or may not continue in God’s plan. In either case, God does not predetermine who will or will not believe, or who will or will not execute His plan. That decision is always left up to the individual’s volition. (John 3:16-18) Since God knows ahead of time exactly what you will or will not choose to do, He was able ahead of time to design a perfect plan for your life.
To become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters is a reference to our resurrection body. So, it’s a reference to ultimate sanctification, which is the future for Church Age believers. This knowledge gives us great confidence in the future and what awaits us as advancing believers. Jesus Christ in a resurrection body is the firstborn of the Church. He was the first to rise from the dead, never to die again. Being the firstborn means Christ is the ruler of the Church, He is the High Priest of the Church and He is the ruler of Israel as the descendant of David’s royal line.
Romans 8:30, “And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
Called is another word for elected or chosen. Election is the plan of God for believers only, whereby He chooses or selects certain things to be true. The Greek word for called is “eklektos” and means picked out, selected, elected, or chosen for privilege. The question that must be answered in order to clearly understand this doctrine is “What are these things that God chooses for believers?” Please notice that it is not God choosing a person for salvation as some teach; rather it is God choosing certain things to be true of a believer. An unbeliever must still use his volition to choose to believe in Christ or to reject Christ. (Ephesians 1:4)
Church Age believers have been chosen by God for a service. This service is to fulfill their election by living the Christian Way of Life. (II Thessalonians 2:13-14)
The Christian Way of Life involves a life of learning God’s grace system for living. There is no shortcut when it comes to learning Bible doctrine and applying it to our daily experience.
The Greek word for justified is “dikaiosis’ and means “to declare righteous” or “to be acquitted from guilt.” Justification is one half of God’s holiness, righteousness being the other half. Justification is the function or action of God’s holiness and righteousness is the standard of His holiness. God’s justice carries out the judicial sentences pronounced by God’s righteousness.
At the moment of salvation, we are justified by God because His righteousness is credited to our account. The penalty for personal sin and Adam’s original sin was paid by Jesus Christ, which means the debt is now paid in full. The obligation that God’s righteousness demanded regarding sin was satisfied by the justice of God at the Cross. (II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:28, 5:1; Galatians 3:24)
It was the work of Christ on the Cross that completely satisfied the justice and the righteousness of God. Once God’s justice and righteousness were satisfied, He was fair in declaring anyone who would believe in Christ to be righteous. Justification is a grace function of God, which means it cannot be earned by good deeds. (Romans 5:8-9; 9:30-32; I John 2:2)
Justification is the provision by God to solve the problem of mankind’s sinful condition. God’s justice had to find a way to deal with sin without compromising His perfect character. God’s love provided the answer in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Since Christ had no sin of His own to pay for, He was qualified to pay the penalty of sin (spiritual death) for the entire human race, past, present, and future. (Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:22)
It is the imputation of God’s righteousness to believers that guarantees them an eternal relationship with God and qualifies them to spend eternity with their Savior. Imputation means that God credits to your account something that properly belongs to another. In this case, God credits the righteousness of Christ to your account because at salvation you were justified and placed in union with Him by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 3:22; II Corinthians 5:21; I Corinthians 12:13)
Glorified means to be set apart to God with honor for all eternity. The Greek word for glorification is “doxa,” meaning honor. In resurrection bodies, believers will honor God for all eternity. The resurrection body will be a glorified body since it will be like Christ’s. Believers are glorified because of their union with Jesus Christ. All believers will be to “the praise of His glory,” according to Ephesians 1:6. Romans 8:17 says if we suffer with Him (undeserved), we will also be glorified with Him. All believers will share the glory of Christ. II Thessalonians 2:14, “It was for this He called you through our Gospel, that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus said in John 17:22, “The glory which You (the Father) have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are One.”