Introduction
Having grown up in a church
that that has its roots in the theological system known as “Calvinism,” I was
first introduced to distinctively Calvinistic doctrines in elementary school.
By middle school, I had become a full-fledged, “five-point Calvinist,” and
remained so until my early twenties. During my time as a Calvinist, I remember
Romans 8:28-30 as being one of the main proof-texts that I understood as
supporting my theological position. Although I no longer see Calvinism as a
scripturally tenable (or God-honoring) position, I do think that the Calvinistic understanding of Romans 8:28-30 is,
generally speaking, sound, and that Calvinists have been correct in claiming
that Romans 8:28-30 completely undermines the more common Christian view (which
places an emphasis on the role of the human will in salvation).
According to what most
Christians believe, every human being – through the exercise of his or her
“free will” – plays an ultimately decisive role in determining whether or not they will be saved. Among
Protestant Christians, this is sometimes referred to as the “Arminian” position
(usually to distinguish it from the Calvinist view). However, it should be
noted that the “Arminian” view of man’s role in salvation is not distinct to
non-Calvinist Protestant Christians; the soteriological positions of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church predate Jacobus
Arminius and the development of his theological position by hundreds of years,
and I can see no essential difference between these positions in
regard to what is affirmed (and denied) concerning the involvement of God and
human beings in the salvation process. Each view places an emphasis on the
alleged “free will” of human beings, and each view affirms that humans play an
essential and ultimately decisive role in their salvation.
In contrast with the position
which sees man’s will as being essential and ultimately decisive in his
salvation, I believe that Paul’s words in Romans 8:28-30 support the following
position: there are a definite number of individuals whom God has unconditionally
chosen and pre-designated for a salvation that the rest of humanity will not
enjoy (and by “unconditionally” I simply mean that their selection by God was
not based on any conditions that God foreknew would be met by them, or on
anything that they would or wouldn’t do). Having unconditionally chosen
them beforehand for this special salvation, God later enables these people - and none others - to meet
the conditions necessary to receiving it (i.e., by granting them faith in the
truth). It is this position that I’ll be defending in this study.
An awareness of God’s sovereignty
In Romans 8:28-30 (Concordant Literal New Testament) we
read the following:
28 Now we are aware
that God is working all together for the good of those who are loving God, who
are called according to the purpose
29 that, whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also, to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be Firstborn among many brethren.
30 Now whom He designates beforehand, these He calls also, and whom He calls, these He justifies also; now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.
29 that, whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also, to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be Firstborn among many brethren.
30 Now whom He designates beforehand, these He calls also, and whom He calls, these He justifies also; now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.
Although I’ve written in greater depth on the
subject of the sovereignty of God elsewhere (here’s a link to the article), I didn’t focus on Romans 8:28-30 in that article. However, in
retrospect, I definitely think I should have. God’s sovereignty (i.e., God’s
complete control over, and ultimate responsibility for, all that takes place in
the universe) shines brilliantly throughout this remarkable passage.
In verse 28 we find Paul affirming the fact that
the circumstances of this life are being coordinated by God for the benefit of
“those who are loving God.” There is no contextual reason why the “all” of this
verse should be understood as being anything less than absolutely
comprehensive. Although it’s far easier to be thankful for the reality of God’s
sovereignty when we’re not suffering (and when tragedy is mercifully kept at
bay), God is just as much in control over the painful circumstances of life as
he is over life’s many blessings. Irrespective of what we’re going through at
any given moment, God is ultimately responsible for the circumstances in which
we find ourselves.
This fact is in accord with the truth expressed in
Ephesians 1:11, where we’re told that God is “operating
all in accord with the counsel of his will.” Relatively few Christians
seem to actually believe and fully appreciate the truth of God’s sovereignty.
Even Calvinists - despite all of their talk and emphasis on God’s sovereignty -
can be quite inconsistent on this matter (with some Calvinists retreating to a
view that is virtually indistinguishable from the Arminian position, on
occasion). Scripture, however, is quite clear that God is sovereign in an
absolute and comprehensive sense.
According to scripture, whatever God intends to do,
he does, and no one can successfully resist him when it’s his will that
something occur: “He does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand!” (Dan. 4:25) “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases”
(Psalm 115:3). “I know that you can do all things, and
that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Thus, if it’s
God’s will that a certain person be saved at a certain time, then it’s inevitable that that person will be
saved at that time.
In
chapter nine of Romans, Paul defends the idea that God is in absolute control
over the destiny of human beings (Rom. 9:9-18). In response to his affirmation
of God’s sovereignty, Paul has a hypothetical objector ask the following
questions: “Why, then, is He still blaming? For who
has withstood His intention?” It should be noted that this hypothetical objector
takes seriously everything that Paul wrote in verses 14-18. The objector
doesn’t try to “explain away” the clear implication of Paul’s argument, but
rather takes for granted the inability of humans to thwart God’s intention to
be merciful to some and to harden others.
In
verses 20-21, Paul answers his objector as follows: “Who
are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder,
‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to
make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for
dishonorable use?” Notice that Paul doesn’t dispute the premise inherent
in the objection (which is that humans can’t
“withstand God’s intention” to show mercy to some and to harden others).
Instead, Paul simply argues that God - by virtue of being God - has the right to do what he wants with his creatures,
in the same way that a potter has the right to do what he wants with his clay.
And – as Paul goes on to explain - this means making some people into “vessels for honor” and “vessels of mercy,” and making other people into
“vessels for dishonor” and “vessels of indignation” (Rom. 9:21-24).
Since God is “working all together for the good of
those who are loving him,” does this mean that all of the evil we experience
during this lifetime is actually good? By no means. Paul was not saying that everything that God is “working
together” is, in fact, “good.” The “all” that God is working together for the
good of those Paul had in view includes
both good and evil (i.e., suffering
and pain), and evil is obviously not the same as “good.” Much of what takes
place in this lifetime is not intrinsically “good” in the sense of directly
benefiting anyone, or promoting their wellbeing and flourishing in this life. And
Paul, of course, knew this. He elsewhere referred to the age or “eon” in which
we’re living as “wicked” (Gal. 1:4), and as consisting of “evil days” in which
believers can, and do, suffer (Eph. 5:16; Rom. 8:18). Paul himself suffered a
great deal throughout his life as an apostle of Jesus Christ (see, for example,
2 Cor. 11:21-33).
Thus, contrary to the message of Joel Osteen and
other modern-day “prosperity preachers,” Paul knew full well that, as long as
we remain on this earth in these mortal bodies (and until we undergo the
radical change that is referred to in 1 Cor. 15:51-57), our “best life” will
never be “now.” It will remain a thing of expectation, being “reserved for [us]
in the heavens” (Col. 1:5; 2 Cor. 5:1-9). While the events of this life are preparatory for the “good” that Paul had
in mind in Romans 8:28, this “good” is not something that will be fully
realized or enjoyed in this mortal lifetime.
The good of some?
Paul
elsewhere made it clear that God is the “Savior of all
mankind,” and that God’s intention is that “all
mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4-6
and 4:10). And as I argued in my article series ”A Ransom for All,” Christ - by laying down his life
in obedience to God - procured the salvation of all humanity from the
condemnation of which our sins have made us deserving (which is what it means
for Christ to have “died for our sins”).
Because of Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf, all humanity will
ultimately be vivified and placed beyond the reach of death, and will one day
live in perfect relational harmony with God (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
Given the
fact that God’s sovereign plan clearly involves the salvation of all humanity, in
what sense can it be said that God is working all together for the good of some but not all? To better understand how God can be said to be working all
together for the good of some - but not all - individuals, we need an adequate
understanding of what scripture reveals concerning the “ages” or “eons.” In
Ephesians 3:11, Paul referred to God’s “purpose of the
eons.” Most Bible versions erroneously use the adjective “eternal” in
this verse, despite the fact that Paul used the plural form of the Greek noun “aión” here (the noun aión simply
meaning “age” or “eon”). Paul elsewhere revealed that there
have been past eons (Col. 1:26), that there is a present eon in which we’re now
living (Gal. 1:4), and that there will be future eons (Eph. 2:7). We also know
that there was a time before the eons began (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2), which
means that time has not always been measured by “eons.”
Now, the Greek word that is most often
translated as “eternal” in most Bible versions (such as in the expression
“eternal life”) is the adjective “aiónion.” As
I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (click here for part one of my
seven-part study on this subject), the word aiónion should be
understood as the adjectival form of the noun, aión. As the
adjectival form of aión (“age” or “eon”), the word aiónion should be understood as meaning “lasting
for, or belonging to, an eon or eons,” and would be better translated as
“eonian” or “age-abiding.”[1] The
English adjective
“eternal,” on the other hand, corresponds to the noun “eternity” rather than
the noun “age” or “eon.” And based on how the word aión is used in scripture, eternality is not an
idea that is inherent in, or expressed by, the word. Consequently, “eternal”
(or “everlasting”) is simply not a good translation of a word which essentially
pertains to one or more temporary
periods of time.
At this point, many
Christians (both those of the Calvinist and the Arminian persuasion) would
object that the future “age” or “eon” - i.e., the one that we’re told in
scripture is still “to come” - is not
going to be a temporary period of time. Rather, it is believed that this future
“age” or “eon” is going to be endless in
duration. However, that’s not what scripture reveals. In Ephesians 2:7,
Paul stated that God will be “displaying the
transcendent riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus,”
and that this display would be taking place “in the
oncoming eons.” Paul used the plural form of the noun aión in
this verse (aiósin), and in nearly every English version I’ve checked, this fact
is reflected by the use of the plural word “ages” or “eons” to translate it.
Since an unending eon cannot precede another eon, we must conclude that the eon
to come will - like the eons preceding it - have both a beginning and an end (and
based on what is said in 1 Corinthians 10:11 and Hebrews 9:26 - in addition to
other scripturally-informed considerations - we can further conclude that the
entire series of eons will eventually end).
In Romans
6, Paul referred to the gift that God graciously gives to those who believe the
gospel that he was heralding among the nations as “eonian life” (Rom. 6:22-23).
“Eonian life” is not life that is limited
to the eons, or life that will continue only as long as the eons continue. God
is referred to as the “eonian God” and as the “King
of the eons” (Rom. 16:26; 1 Tim. 1:17). But of course, God will continue to
exist even after the eons over which
he reigns (and during which he is carrying out his “purpose of the eons”) have
run their course. God’s life is no way affected by the passing of the eons that
he created, and neither will ours be after we’ve been given the same “power of
an indestructible life” which enables Christ to be living for the eons to come
(Heb. 7:16-17, 23-25; Rev. 1:18).
Eonian
life is simply life that will be enjoyed during the future eons of Christ’s
reign (which are the “oncoming eons” referred to in Ephesians 2:7). It will be
a tremendous blessing and privilege to live as God’s “vessels of mercy” during
this future time (a privilege that relatively few humans will enjoy). The
emphasis on these future eons that is inherent in the expression “eonian life”
doesn’t mean or imply that, after the blessing-filled eons of Christ’s reign end
(and Christ’s reign will end, according to 1 Cor. 15:24-28), the life of those
living during these eons will end as well. Once
we’ve been made immortal, our life will always continue (that’s what it means
to be immortal, after all). As will be the case for God himself, our life will
simply cease to have the quality of being “eonian” after the eons have ended.
Those who are loving God?
In light of what’s been said above, I think we can reasonably
conclude that the
“good” that Paul had in view in v. 28 is the good that believers will be
enjoying during the eons to come (which,
again, are the eons of Christ’s reign, which will end when "the last enemy, death" is abolished). And insofar
as Paul had this good in view, it would be accurate to say that God is not, at
this present time, “working all together” for the good of all. Rather, he is working all together for the good of “those who
are loving God.”
The words “those who are loving God” have led some
believers to wonder whether they’re, in fact, included within the category of
people that Paul had in mind here. However, Paul could not have had in mind a
state of continual and perfect obedience in which one is loving God with all of
one’s heart, soul mind and strength (in accord with what Christ said is the
“greatest commandment” in Mark 12:29-30). Had this been the case, no human
except Christ himself could possibly be said to “love God.” It must be
emphasized that Paul was not exhorting those to whom he wrote to love
God so that they could be included among those for whom God was working all
together for the good. Rather, Paul was giving a description of what was already
true of those to whom he wrote.
By the words “those who are loving God,” Paul was
referring to the saints to whom he was writing, and – by extension – everyone
who, through faith in Paul’s evangel, has been justified through the faith of
Christ and become a member of that spiritually-united company of saints that
Paul referred to in his letters as “the body of Christ.” It is those in the body of Christ
who, through faith in Paul’s gospel, have received “the spirit of son ship”
(Rom. 8:15) and “the firstfruit of the spirit” (v. 23), and who consequently
will be “enjoyers of an allotment from God” (v. 17).
Later in chapter 8, Paul referred to this category
of people as “God’s chosen ones”: ”What then, shall we declare to these things? If
God is for us, who is against us? Surely, He Who spares not His own Son, but
gives Him up for us all, how shall He not, together with Him, also, be
graciously granting us all? Who will be indicting God's chosen ones? God, the
Justifier? Who is the Condemner? Christ Jesus, the One dying, yet rather, being
roused, Who is also at God’s right hand, Who is pleading also for our sakes?” (Rom. 8:31-33) “Those who
are loving God” are, therefore, God’s chosen ones. They are justified in the
blood of Christ (Rom. 5:9), and cannot come under condemnation (8:1). And, as
we’ll see shortly, the “chosen” status of those whom Paul had in view was fixed
by God long before they were born (and thus before they did anything good or
evil), and is not something that can be lost or forfeited. Thus, the people
whom Paul referred to as “loving God” are not saved or chosen because they are “loving God”; rather,
their love for God is simply one of the ways that their “chosen” status is
manifested.
Thus,
whatever Paul meant by the words “loving God” should be understood as characterizing
all who are in the body of Christ.
And this fact suggests to me that “loving God” consists of having a certain
attitude or disposition toward God that is the result of our having come to a
realization of the grace of God in truth (as revealed in Paul’s evangel), and
which involves our awareness of God’s love for us in Christ. As I understand
it, the kind of love that Paul had in view here – that is, agape love - involves ascribing intrinsic worth or value to someone
(or to something, such as money). Thus,
“those who are loving God” can be understood as those who, out of an awareness
of God’s love for them, are esteeming God and regarding him as a being of supreme
intrinsic worth/value.
This love
for God will, of course, express itself in different ways depending on the
individual believer and the circumstances in which they’re in. And I think it
goes without saying that the degree to which this love will find complete and
consistent expression in our lives will always be deficient (at least, during
this lifetime). However, I don’t believe there is a single member of the body
of Christ who cannot be said to be “loving God” in the sense that Paul had in
mind when he wrote these words.
Excursion: The teaching of Paul
and Christ concerning why some believe and others don’t
Before
moving on to the first link in the “golden chain” of Romans 8:29, I think it
would be helpful to consider the following question: Why do some believe in
Christ, while others don’t? Most Christians see their faith as an expression of their own “free will.” Both faith and
unbelief are viewed as a choice (or
the result of a choice) that some make and others don’t. According to this
understanding of faith and unbelief, the only needed explanation for why some
believe and others don’t is to be found in the people themselves. Thus, when
confronted with the reality of people dying in unbelief, many Christians would
simply say (or at least think in their hearts), “Well, as tragic as an
unbeliever’s death is, their remaining in unbelief was their free choice. When all’s said and done, those who die in
unbelief have no one to blame but themselves. If they hadn’t chosen to be so
proud and self-reliant - or if they hadn’t chosen the things of this world over
what really matters - they might’ve
been able to recognize and admit their need for a Savior. Then they probably
would’ve made the better (and wiser) decision to believe in Christ, like I
did.”
In
contrast with the above view, scripture does not present human beings (or their
supposed “free will”) as being the ultimate explanation for why some believe
and others don’t. Instead, scripture takes us “behind the scenes,” so to speak,
and shows us what’s really going on when some believe and others remain in
unbelief. According to scripture’s “behind the scenes” explanation, it is God himself who is truly responsible for the faith of some and the unbelief of
others. For example, we read that, during Christ’s earthly ministry, no one
could become truly acquainted with (and “see”) God except those to whom Christ
has chosen to reveal him (Mt. 11:25-27), and no one could understand the “mysteries
of the kingdom” or could receive Christ’s teaching except those to whom it had
been granted (Matthew 13:11). In fact, Christ declared that no one could
receive even one thing unless it had been given to them from God (John 3:27). This
would necessarily include the faith needed to believe that Jesus is the Son of
God, or that Jesus died for our sins.
In John 6
we find that Christ also taught that no one could come to him (which, in the
context, meant believing on him)
unless God had previously drawn them to himself (vv. 36-40, 44). In v. 45
Christ explained this “drawing” by God to mean being “taught of God” - i.e.,
hearing from the Father and learning the truth. All who were being drawn by God
at this time came to Christ (believed on him), and it is these whom Christ said
he would “raise up on the last day,” and who will thus “have life eonian.” It
must be emphasized that, in the context of this chapter, Christ was explaining
why those to whom he was speaking had not believed on him (v. 36). Christ
attributes the unbelief of these people to the fact that God had not given them
to him, by means of drawing them. Had they been drawn by God, they would’ve
come to Christ (i.e., believed on him). Since they didn’t believe, it’s evident that they hadn’t been drawn by God,
and weren’t among those whom God was giving to Christ for him to “raise up on
the last day.”
Christ gave
the same explanation for unbelief later on in this chapter, when speaking concerning
Judas. In John 6:64-65, we read, “There are some of you who
do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not
believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can
come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” The words, ”…no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the
Father” refer back to Christ’s words in v. 44 (”No
one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”), and were
understood by Christ as being the explanation
for why Judas did not believe. According to Christ, then, all who were coming
to him (believing on him) during his earthly ministry were doing so because it
had been granted them by the Father to come to Christ (i.e., believe on him).
It is these whom Christ will be raising up on the last to enjoy eonian life.
Since not all Israelites will be raised up by Christ on the last day, it
follows that God was only drawing, and giving faith to, some.
In accord
with the above, the apostle Paul clearly believed that both repentance and
faith were gifts from God, and that those who have repented and come to believe
the truth have done so only because it was God’s will that they - and not
others - do so. In 2 Timothy 2:24-25, Paul wrote, “Now
a slave of the Lord must not be fighting, but be gentle toward all, apt to
teach, bearing with evil, with meekness training those who are antagonizing, seeing whether God may be giving them
repentance to come into a realization of the truth…” Notice that it
was not merely an opportunity to
repent that Paul believed had to be given by God. Rather, it was repentance itself (with the implication
being that those to whom God gave repentance would, in fact, repent and “come
into a realization of the truth”).
As with
repentance, Paul also understood that a person’s faith was also a gift from
God. God has assigned a “measure of faith” to
every member of the body of Christ (Rom 12:3), and those who believe on Christ
do so because it was “graciously granted” to
them by God to believe (Phil 1:29). So, it is not just that salvation is a gift
from God (although it is). More than this, the very requirements for salvation (e.g., repentance and faith) are gifts
of God as well. Hence, Paul could rhetorically ask the saints in Corinth: “For
who is making you to discriminate? Now what have you which you did not obtain?”
(1 Cor. 4:7). Everything we have – including the “measure of faith” by which we
believe – was given to us by God (Acts 17:25). Nothing we have originates with
us.
In accord
with this view, Paul understood that it was God’s grace - not his own innate
goodness, desire or willingness - that was the source of his faith and love (1
Tim 1:13-14). When a person believes and becomes a “new creation in Christ,”
this is no less the sovereign work of God than was the original creation; it is
all God’s doing (2 Cor. 5:17-18). Apart from God’s spirit at work in our
mind and heart, we would have no interest in spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).
Our hearts must be opened by God just so that we will pay attention to what is
being said when the gospel is heralded to us (Acts 16:14), and those who hear
and believe the truth do so only because they were appointed, or set, by God
for this (Acts 13:48). No one becomes a believer or remains an unbeliever apart
from the divinely-controlled circumstances that God is using to accomplish his
redemptive purpose in the world.
[1] There are a number of contemporary, evangelical
Christian scholars who’ve acknowledged that the expression commonly translated
as “eternal life” should best be understood to mean “the life of the age to
come.” See, for example, C.H. Dodd, The
Interpretation of the First Gospel, pp. 144-50; George Eldon
Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, pp. 290-292; J.I.
Packer, "The Problem of Eternal Punishment," Crux XXVI.3,
September 1990, 23; "Evangelical Annihilationism in Review," Reformation
& Revival, Volume 6, Number 2 - Spring 1997; John Painter, 1, 2
and 3 John (Sacra Pagina), p. 195; Alan Richardson, An
Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament, pp.73-74; John G.
Stackhouse, Jr. "Jesus Christ," The Oxford Handbook of
Evangelical Theology, p. 151; N.T. Wright, Romans, p. 530.
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