God at Work

For those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 8:30

We are prone to forget how active God is in our world and in our individual lives. We too easily envision Him as a remote Deity, unconcerned and disconnected from day to day activities. The Bible claims otherwise, that from the onset of God’s plan of our redemption He has been working to fulfill His plans.

He predestines, which means that beforehand He has laid out the plans to redeem us, but He does not stop there — He calls those He predestines. Any other alternative is unthinkable — that God would plan but not act on His plans. That is a very human tendency, to daydream without any real action being put to our ideas, but God accomplishes the purposes of His heart. So He calls us to repent and believe in Christ for salvation.

The process, however, does not stop at the calling, but He also justifies the believer. This truth needs to be grasped in our hearts, that we are justified, not merely forgiven. God does forgive but He also covers us with the righteousness of Christ so, in His judicial perspective, we are justified, innocent, and righteous. To “justify” ourselves means not to excuse our bad behavior, but to insist that we did no wrong in the first place. This is the outcome of the grace of God in Christ, that we are made righteous.

Then, the Scripture sees our end result — glorification — and though it is in the future (See Romans 8:22–25), it is here placed in the past tense to emphasize the surety of its future fulfillment. God sees us in light of what we are in light of the grace of God and what we will be become in Christ.

There is a step that he omitted here, and I believe for a reason — sanctification, or the day-to-day experience of personal maturity. We are prone to see this present step of progressive sanctification in life as arising out of our past salvation and working toward our future glorification, and in this type of thinking we are apt to take credit for our progress ourselves. God, however, sees it differently. He sees sanctification in our hearts and minds as being His project and having more of a connection in His final plan for us. Chapters 12–15 in Romans emphasize this teaching, that we, “in view of God’s mercy” (12:1) present our bodies as living sacrifices. The mercy he referred to was the irrevocable gift and calling of God described in 11:29.

My decision to receive the free gift of God’s salvation in Christ does not and cannot inspire me or motivate me to live a holy life for God. Only God’s ultimate plan, my ultimate identity in Christ, the real me created in Christ, and His power can inspire and enable me to live for God in this life.

God is active in our lives today, encouraging us, envisioning a beautiful eternity for us, urging us on as we follow Christ, enabling us, inspiring us, guiding us, and loving us.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank You and praise You for Your wisdom. As Paul wrote, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” How great are Your thoughts toward those who believe. Thank you, Lord, for Your redemption that will not fade or decay due to our weaknesses, but is kept secure in heaven for us, and is being activated in our lives today. Amen.