Romans 8:28-30
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to God’s purpose. For those God foreknew God also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, that Jesus might be the firstborn among many siblings; and those God predestined, God also called; those God called, God also justified; those God justified, God also glorified.
As we read this first section it appears to say that there are people that God has chosen to be Christians and there are those that God has not chosen. It appears to say that there are people that God has chosen to be saved and there are others that God does not want to be saved. At first glance it even might seem that there is scriptural evidence that this may be the case.
One example may be found all the way back in the book of Exodus Chapter 7. God is speaking with Moses and encouraging Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites leave Egypt. In verse three God says to Moses: “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you.” One inference that some might get from this is that, if it was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then we are all just puppets in God’s play. Instead I would offer this different interpretation. Have there not been people in your life that you know so well that, given a specific set of circumstances you would know exactly what that person or those people would do in the particular instance? If you would know someone so well that you would know in advance what they would do, don’t you suppose that our creator knows every one of us so well that God would know everything that we would do before we’d even think of doing it? It is not a matter of controlling our actions or denying our free wills, any more than you would be controlling your friend’s actions or denying their free wills simply by knowing how they would react in a situation.
Since we are Christians, we are called not to judge one another. Nor can we presume to judge God in matters, which we cannot understand. Suffice it to say, if you are reading this, you are one of those predestined by God. If you are predestined, you are also called; if you are called, you are justified; if you are justified, you will be glorified.
Note the words “Predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, that Jesus might be the firstborn among many siblings.” When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, I told you that the Spirit would guide us into all the truth. The Spirit would show us those things in our lives that we need to change and to work on to grow in God’s grace. Growing in God’s grace is how we conform to the likeness of Jesus. Note also that when we take these steps to grow in God’s grace–that is, to become better people, we indeed are God’s children, and Jesus is our sibling.
This next section of scripture I believe is one of the most profound sections of the entire Bible, and is of utmost importance especially to the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, and Transgendered-indeed to anyone who has ever felt disenfranchised by the organized church. A while back I was asked the following question, “Why, in the face of so much rejection and oppression, do you persist in serving this patriarchal religion (Christianity)?” Herein lies my answer.
Romans 8:31-39
What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? God who did not spare God’s own child, but gave Jesus up for us all–how will God not also, along with Jesus, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is the one that condemns? Jesus Christ, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution of famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psalm 44:22) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the previous section I said that if you are reading this, then you are indeed called by God. And if you are called by God, you are also justified (declared innocent of wrongdoing). And if God declared you innocent, do you care what anyone else says? Of course, you must respond in the affirmative to God’s call, that is, accept Jesus as your Savior. But when you answer that call, you are declared innocent of wrongdoing and thus made a sibling of Jesus (glorified).
Paul says, if God has done all these good things in your favor, how can anyone respond to this? If God be for us, who can be against us? Oh sure, there will always be people to try. There will always be those who want to make Christianity an exclusive club, saying, “We’ll let you come in, providing you meet our eligibility requirements.” But if you are reading this, God has called you. God has invited you in. God says there’s only one requirement for membership: Accept Jesus as the way. That’s all you have to do, and you are in. You are in!
God has given to us everything that we have and everything that we are (including our sexuality). God did everything possible to make a way for all of us–even to the point of the crucifixion. If God has gone that far, will God then turn around and make eligibility requirements impossible for us to enter in?
If God has chosen us, who would dare to bring charges against us, to deny us entry into God’s realm? If God has justified us–if God, through our acceptance of Jesus as Savior–justifies us and calls us innocent, who has the right to condemn us? We’ve already seen that the Holy Spirit is our legal counsel before God–our defense attorney, as it were, but even Jesus, who now sits at the right hand of God, intercedes with God on our behalf.
There has always been and will always be people, who want to promote their own agendas and try to deny people access to God. Of course, they don’t call it that, they just deny all other roads except their own. Paul asks, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who or what has the right to separate us from the love of Jesus for us? This has been a problem from time immemorial as Paul points out in quoting from Psalm 44:22.
No, Paul assures us. There is nothing that has the ability to separate us from the love of God, if we but trust, hope and hold on. Trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword, none of these things in and of themselves have the power to keep us from God. If we but trust, hope and hold on, ultimately, we will be not only conquerors, but more than conquerors, because we no longer have to face these struggles on our own. We have the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to see us through. They may not get us out of our misfortunes–but they will see us through them. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither the misguided nor the self-righteous, neither denominations nor the KKK, nor anything else in all of creation has the right to come between us and God, nor can they keep us from God’s love. The only thing that can keep us from God’s love is if we ourselves reject it.
Earlier in this study I shared with you a question I was recently asked: “Why, in the face of so much rejection and oppression, do you persist in serving this patriarchal religion (Christianity)?” My answer is that I will allow no one to keep me from the love of God and Christ–not even the church. No one!
LIFE APPLICATION
I have known and spoken to so many whom, having been rejected by the church, have in turn rejected God. I want to shake them and tell them that “God is not the church. Don’t let them speak for God. Don’t let them separate you from God. Don’t let them win. If they win, you’re the loser, and you don’t deserve to lose.”