The Chain of Salvation (Part 2 of 2)
Understanding the profound assurance offered in Romans 8 requires first grasping the magnitude of human limitation, or “the bad news,” before fully appreciating the “good news” of Christ’s work. The ultimate promise of assurance for believers is contained within the Chain of Salvation (or ordo salutis), a sequence described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:29-30: those whom God foreknew, He also predestined; those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
This doctrine of election is described as difficult, biblical, and profitable. It serves as a “bastion for the souls of those who are in Christ” during times of trial or self-condemnation.
1. Foreknowledge and Predestination: God’s Sovereign Initiative
The chain begins with God’s initiating and eternal purpose.
The Nature of God’s Foreknowledge
When Paul states that God “foreknew” those He would save, this term implies much more than mere foresight or conjecture. Some incorrectly suggest that God simply looked down the corridors of time and saw who would believe, subsequently giving them a little help. However, God knows everything that would take place, so this interpretation “wouldn’t really be saying very much”.
Instead, the knowledge referenced in Romans 8:29 is relational knowledge and is understood in terms of God’s foreordination or choice.
- This concept mirrors Amos 3, where God tells His people, “You only have I known of all the peoples of the earth,” which the NIV translates as, “You only have I chosen”.
- As noted by Augustine, a god who does not know the future is “not God”. Therefore, God’s foreknowledge is tied to His decision to put together a people for Himself.
The Unconditional Basis of God’s Love
God’s choice is not grounded in anything He finds attractive in us. Unlike human affection, which is often based on finding something attractive in another person, the love of God is self-originating. As Deuteronomy 7 states, the reason God loved His people is simply “because I have loved you”. This illustrates “the depths of the riches of the knowledge of God”.
Predestined to Conformity
Those whom God foreknew, He also predestined. This means God has chosen to assemble a people—an immeasurable company from all backgrounds—to be His very own.
The explicit purpose of predestination is “to be conformed to the likeness of his son”. This is God’s plan from the very beginning, and it will be brought to completion, as John notes, when believers see Jesus, they will be like Him. Jesus blazes the trail as the “firstborn among many brothers”.
2. The Effective Calling: Bringing the Spiritually Dead to Life
God’s eternal purpose is realized through the calling of believers. This calling occurs through the preaching of the gospel.
The Intersection of Sovereignty and Responsibility
When the free offer of the gospel is communicated, there comes a mysterious effectual call of God that raises the spiritually dead to life. People who pray understand this concept: they often thank God for “taking the initiative” and “pursuing me and making me your child” when they “weren’t even looking for” Him.
This understanding is foundational to effective evangelism. The conviction that God loves saving people and is putting together an innumerable company gives believers boldness to press the claims of Christ upon others. The doctrine of election is not a “bomb to be dropped on people” or an inhibition that causes hesitation in proclaiming the gospel.
Addressing Caricatures of the Call
The Bible does not support two popular caricatures regarding God’s call:
- The notion that someone desperately wants to believe but is turned away by God. Jesus states, “whoever comes to me I will never turn him away”.
- The notion that someone does not want to believe but is compelled by some agency transcending their will.
The confluence between “the wave of God’s sovereignty and the response of man’s will” is often contradictory to human understanding, but not contradictory in heaven. The importance lies in the fact that people are included in Christ “when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and you believed”.
3. Justification and Glorification: The Guaranteed Outcome
Justification: The Great Exchange
Those whom God predestined and called, He also justified. Justification means God places the believer in a right standing and acceptance with Him. This standing is not based on “a righteousness of our own,” but on the work of Christ, which is often referred to as the great exchange.
- The sinner’s sins are put to the account of Christ, and Christ’s righteousness is put to the sinner’s account.
- Christ bears the judgment that the sinner deserves so that the sinner can enjoy forgiveness they do not deserve.
Conversion involves embracing the bad news of one’s predicament—recognizing that one needs a perfect life lived in their place—and then embracing the good news of God’s solution.
Glorification: A Done Deal
Finally, those God justified, He also glorified. Although the event of glorification is ultimately future, the verb used in Romans 8:30 is in the past tense. This signifies that in Christ, the complete salvation of the believer is “a done deal”.