Some Key Words (10/6/00-10/8/00)

Know (oida [1492]):

to know intuitively rather than experientially, to perceive with the senses, understand, acknowledge; to see or perceive, to turn one's attention to, to know, understand the meaning of a thing, know how; to see or know

Good (agathos [18]):

good, profitable, useful; of a good nature, useful, agreeable, pleasant, excellent, upright and honorable; good

Love (agapao [25]):

to direct the will toward and find one's joy in, to be contented with, befriend, love that expresses compassion; to welcome, entertain, love dearly, to be contented or well pleased with; to love in a social or moral sense

Called (kletos [2822]):

called, invited, welcomed, appointed; invited to obtain eternal salvation, divinely selected and appointed to office; invited or appointed

Purpose (prothesis [4286]):

a setting forth of, to place in view, the show bread in the Temple, a purpose; a proposal, the show bread (as exposed before God)

Foreknew (proginosko [4267]):

To recognize beforehand, to make a previous choice of, to ordain before, a having previously united oneself with; to have knowledge beforehand; to know beforehand, foresee

Predestined (proorizo [4390]):

to decree or determine beforehand; to decide beforehand, God's eternal decrees, to appoint beforehand; to limit in advance, predetermine

Conformed (summorphos [4832]):

to form together with; having the same form as another, similar; jointly formed

Justified (dikaioo [1344]):

to show or cause a person to be righteous; to make such as one ought to be, to show one to be righteous, to declare one to be as he ought; to render just or innocent

Glorified (doxazo [1392]):

to consider as worthy of recognition, honor and praise, to give esteem by putting one in an honorable position, to bring to honor, give a person importance; to be of opinion, to praise, honor, make glorious, to clothe with splendor, impart glory, render excellent, to cause one's dignity and worth to be made manifest; to render glorious

For (huper [5228]):

for, on behalf of; for the sake of, more beyond, over; above, beyond, causal, for the sake of

Against (kata [2596]):

down upon, motion from a higher to a lower place, that toward which a thing tends, to go against, speak against; according to, toward, along; down in place or time

Freely give (charizomai [5483]):

Freely give (charizomai [5483]): to do a person a favor, be kind to, to give or bestow willingly; to do something pleasant or agreeable to someone, to do a favor, show oneself gracious, pardon, give graciously, to graciously reunite; to grant as a favor

Bring charge against (egkaleo [1458]):

to bring a charge against, to call to account, accuse; to come forward as an accuser; to call in a debt, to bring to account

Elect (eklektos [1588]):

chosen, elected; picked out, chosen by God, chosen to obtain salvation, exalted to preeminence, choice, select, best of class; select or favorite

Condemns (katakrino [2632]):

to judge against, pronounce sentence, condemn, furnish a reason for condemnation, to show worthy of condemnation, punish; to make another's wickedness more evident by one's good example; to judge against

Intercedes (entugchano [1793]):

to fall in with, to meet with to talk, consult, or supplicate, to pray, to make intercession; to chance upon and confer with, to entreat with

Separate (chorizo [5563]):

to divide, part, put asunder, depart, divorce; to place room between, part, go away

Love (agape [26]):

benevolent love shown in doing what another needs, rather than what they might desire; brotherly love, good will; affection

Tribulation (thlipsis [2347]):

grievous affliction or distress, pressure or burden on the spirit; pressing together, pressure, oppression; pressure

Distress (stenochoria [4730]):

to be in a narrow place, great distress, pressed from all sides; narrowness of place, dire calamity, extreme affliction; calamity

Persecution (diogmos [1375]):

persecution. From the dictionary: harassment or ill-treatment, especially for religious reasons

Sake (heneka [1752]):

on account of, for this cause; by reason of

Put to death (thanatoo [2289]):

to cause to die, destroy, render extinct, to be liberated from the bonds of a thing, made as dead in relation to something; to literally or figuratively kill

Considered (logizomai [3049]):

to count something to somebody, to put to one's account, to value or esteem; to count over, take into account, impute, to consider as equivalent to something, to weigh the reasons, to infer, consider, judge; to take an inventory, estimate

Slaughtered (sphage [4967]):

sheep destined for slaughter, the day of destruction; butchery

Overwhelmingly conquer (hupernikao [5245]):

to gain a surpassing victory; to vanquish beyond, to gain a decisive victory

Convinced (peitho [3982]):

to entice or persuade, to prevail by persuasion, to be persuaded, believe, trust; to be persuaded, be induced to believe, have faith, obey, yield to, trust, have confidence; to convince, or be convinced

Angels (aggelos [32]):

messenger, a presiding elder, a created spiritual angel - good or evil; an envoy, one who was sent; an angel, a pastor

Principalities (arche [746]):

beginning, the first, the ruler, dominion, power; the first person in a series, the leader, the cause of a thing, the extremity of a thing, the first place, rule, magistrate; a commencement, chief in order, time, place, or rank

Things present (enistemi [1764]):

to stand in, be present or instantly at hand; to place in or among, to be upon, threaten, to be close at hand, to be present; to place on hand, be instant

Things to come (mello [3195]):

intention, about to do something, necessity, certain to act, about to, something that will inevitably occur or be done; to be on the point of doing, to intend, have in mind; to be about to do or suffer something

Powers (dunamis [1411]):

inherent power; strength, ability, the power due to the nature of a person or thing, miraculous power, moral power, excellence of soul, the power and influence of wealth, the power of numbers, or armies; force, miraculous power

 

Paraphrase: (10/5/00)

28 We know that God will bring good from all that occurs for those who love Him, whom He has called for His own reasons. 29 For He knew them before they were born, and had already determined to conform them to His Son's image (who is His image), such that Christ would be the firstborn of many sons of God. 30 Having so determined, He called them; and calling them, He justified and glorified them.

31 Knowing all this - that God is actively for us, who can we think is effective against us? 32 He already delivered His own Son up to death for us, what will He not also freely give? 33 Who accuses God's chosen? [Whoever it is,] God justifies us. 34 Who condemns God's chosen? [Whoever it may be,] Christ Jesus - who died and was raised, and who now sits at God's right hand - intercedes for us. 35 What can separate us from Christ's love? The physical dangers of this world? The threat of death? The loss of earthly goods? 36 Scripture tells us that we are being put to death constantly, and will be treated like sheep ready for slaughtering. 37 But in all trials that come to us in this life, we conquer decisively through Him who loved us. 38 I can confidently say that nothing in life or death, no spirit of good or evil, no present or future occurrence, no mystic power, 39 no physical barrier, nothing at all in all of creation can possibly cut us off from God's love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Key Verse: (10/05/00)

8:28 - This is the only place Paul compacts his thoughts enough to catch the whole scope of the section: all things will - by God's influence - work to our benefit, because He called us to serve His purpose.

People Mentioned: (10/5/00)

N/A

Some Parallel Verses (10/9/00-10/10/00)

8:28

Ro 9:24 - His call is to both Jew and Gentile, Ro 11:29 - and it's irrevocable. 1Co 1:9 - Through God, we were called to fellowship with His Son. Gal 1:6 - The Galatians were quick to desert their call for a different gospel. Gal 1:15 - Paul was called from His mother's womb through God's grace. Gal 5:8 - The decision to desert did not come from the God who called them. Eph 1:11 - We are predestined to be in accord with God's purpose, as God works all after His own counsel and will. Eph 3:11 - What God makes known through the Church is in accord with the purpose He completed in Christ Jesus. 2Th 2:14 - We were called to gain the glory of Christ. Heb 9:15 - We who were called can have our eternal inheritance only because our mediator died for our redemption. 1Pe 2:9 - We are a chosen race, 1Pe 3:9 - called to inherit a blessing.

8:29

Ro 11:2 - God foreknew the Jews and has not rejected them. 1Co 8:3 - God knows those who love Him. 2Ti 1:9 - His call comes not by our works, but by His purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ since the beginning. 1Pe 1:2 - We were chosen in accord with God's foreknowledge, sanctified by the Spirit, and made able to obey Christ, redeemed by His blood. 1Pe 1:20 - Christ was foreknown before the beginning, but came when He did for our sake. Ro 9:23 - God's works are done in order to make His glory and mercy evident on those predestined for glory. 1Co 2:7 - The revealing of God's wisdom through Paul was predestined by God for its proper time. Eph 1:5 - We were predestined to adoption as sons of God, according to His will. Eph 1:11 - In that predestination of His will, we obtain our inheritance. 1Co 15:49 - We will bear the image of the heavenly, Php 3:21 - our body being transformed to conform with His glory, by His power. Col 1:18 - Christ is the first-born from the dead [implying more to come.] Heb 1:6 - The coming of God's first-born is announced, declaring that all God's angels are to worship Him.

8:30

1Co 6:11 - We were washed, sanctified, and justified in Christ's Name and God's Spirit. Jn 17:22 - Jesus has given us the glory God gave Him, to unite us to the Godhead as one. Ro 9:23 - God is making His glory evident in us, whom He mercifully prepared for such a purpose.

8:31

Ps 118:6 - What can man do against me since the Lord is for me? I will not fear! Mt 1:23 - Jesus, Joshua, Emmanuel, "God with us."

8:32

Jn 3:16 - God gave His only Son up to death so that we who believe would not die, but would have eternal life. Ro 5:8 - He did this while we were still sinners, thus demonstrating the greatness of His love for us. Ro 4:25 - Christ was delivered up to death because of our sins, and raised from death to achieve our justification.

8:33

Lk 18:7 - God will surely bring justice to His elect, who cry to Him constantly. Is 50:8 - God, who vindicates, is near, who will contend? Who will bring a case?

8:34

Is 50:9 - God helps me, who condemns me? Ro 5:6-8 - Christ died for the ungodly, for we were still in our sins. Ac 2:24 - God raised Him up, ending the agony of death, for death could not hold Him. Mk 16:19 - After Christ spoke to His disciples, He was received in heaven to sit at God's right hand, Heb 7:25 - where He lives always to intercede for us.

8:35

Ro 2:9 - Tribulation and distress will be the end of all who do evil. 2Co 4:8 - We are afflicted in all ways, but not crushed by the affliction. 1Co 4:11 - We remain hungry, thirsty, unclothed, mistreated, and homeless. 2Co 11:26-27 - Paul's list of trials surmounted: danger from all corners, hunger and thirst, sleepless nights, cold and exposure.

8:36

Ps 44:22 - The quoted verse: killed as though sheep to be slaughtered. Ac 20:24 - Consider your life of no account, just so you finish the course God has for you. 1Co 4:9 - God has displayed His apostles as men condemned, to be a spectacle to the world - both physical and spiritual. 1Co 15:30-31 - We are in danger every hour, and must die daily. 2Co 1:9 - We are sentenced to death so that we will cease to trust ourselves and rather trust God who raises the dead. 2Co 4:10 - We carry Christ's death with us, so that His life will also be evident in us. 2Co 6:9 - We ought be known as dying, yet obviously alive. 2Co 11:23 - The servant is marked by constant danger of death.

8:37

Jn 16:33 - Christ has overcome the world, 1Co 15:57 - and through Him, we too are given victory, thank God. Gal 2:20 - Our life is no longer ours, and no longer lived in fleshly ways, but rather it is Christ's and lived by faith in Him who loved us. Eph 5:2 - We are to walk in the same love Christ has for us. Rev 1:5 - Christ loves us, and released us from our sins by His sacrifice.

8:38

1Co 3:22 - The apostles, the world, life, death; all things belong to us. 1Co 15:24 - When Christ delivers the kingdom to God, all authority and powers will have been abolished. Eph 1:21 - Christ is far above all authority and powers, both now and in the coming age. 1Pe 3:22 - He has already subjected angels, authorities and powers to Himself, and now is at God's right hand. 1Co 3:22 - All things present and future belong to us.

8:39

Ro 5:8 - God's love was demonstrated in His sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners and enemies.

 

New Thoughts (10/11/00-10/14/00)

10/11/00
As I've been working through this, a rather long list of thoughts to pursue has been growing, so I'm going to just deal with them in the order they came. First, the questions that came at the start:

What battles am I still allowing to rage on, rather than walking in God's victory? The one that seems of primary concern to me this morning is anger. I am still so easily prodded and annoyed, and at the root of it, I know lies the deeper concern of pride. My pride wants to think I'm doing better than I truly am. My pride wants everything around me to conform to my will. God, in looking at this, I see I'm answering both questions, for I know this root of pride is wrong, and I allow that accusation to be my focus, rather than Your cure. I have allowed the problem to be of greater concern to me than the solution. How shall I walk in the victory You give, when I'm so wrapped up in my failure? What fight was ever won by one convinced he would lose? Lord, I know I can't simply dump this in Your lap and call it done. I'll not be a spiritual sluggard. But, I also know I can't simply fight my pride into submission without You. Where is the victory? Where does it lie? How can I get the truth of this burned into my very being? You decided before I was born that I would become conformed to the image of Your Son. You called me, You have justified me, and You have declared that I will be glorified. You make me as I ought to be in the face of the charges I bring against myself. You intercede in the face of the evidence I bring against myself. In the end, I may weaken my faith with these efforts, but I cannot break Your love for me. And that love is the victory. Thank You, Lord, for showing me the keys this morning. If I am to walk in the victory You purchased for me, I am going to have to know - intuitively and experientially, with all that I am - that You love me.

The definition of purpose really struck me, as I was looking at it. Just the fact that the same word that is used for purpose is also used for the show bread in the Temple. The connecting thought seems to be the exposing to view. When we purpose to do something, our heart and will are exposed to the view of God, and as we work towards that purpose these things are also exposed to the view of man. The show bread was also exposed to God's view, it was a visible display of willingness to obey His lordship. Back in our study of Romans 8:22-8:25, we saw that the word for first fruits also indicated the lump of dough from which that show bread was made. We have the first fruits of the Spirit - that lump of dough within us (8:23), and we are being formed by the Spirit, through Christ, per the Father's plan, to be His show bread, the exposing of His heart and will to man. Now there's an awesome thought! My calling, the work for which I was chosen before birth, the work for which God is even now fashioning me, is to be a visible manifestation of His will on earth. Lord, make it so. Do whatever You have to, to eliminate those bits of my past self that still haven't conformed to Your desire for me. Burn it away, Father, that I may the better allow Your light to flow from me. Oh, it shines brightly enough in the safety of Your sanctuary, but keep me mindful that I walk in this world as Your sanctuary, Your temple, and allow the light of Your glory to burst forth from me as I walk in the darkness of the day.

10/12/00
2Th 2:14 tells us that we were called by the gospel to attain to the glory of Christ. What then, is it that we attain to? Looking at the word itself (doxa [1391]), we see it is the opinion held of Christ - leading to praise, honor, and glory. It is the magnificence, excellence, dignity and majesty of Christ. It is the most exalted state in which we find the Christ today, seated at God's right hand. Jesus himself tells us often that He will come in the glory of His Father (Mt 16:27, Mk 8:38, Lk 9:26.) In fact, Luke 9:26 tells us that when He returns, it will be in His glory and the glory of the Father. In Luke 2:9, God's glory is as a brilliant light to the shepherds. In Luke 2:32, it is equated with light. Jesus sought not His own glory, but the glory of His Father (Jn 7:18), which was the reason for all He did. Paul speaks of our great hope of the glory of God (Ro 5:2), through which Christ was raised (Ro 6:4). He tells us that we will see the glory of the Lord clearly when He comes, that the eyes of many are blinded by the enemy so they can't see this light. 2Co 4:6 tells us that God said that light would shine out of darkness, and so he shines in our hearts, enabling us to see God's glory in Christ. The Father is glorified by confessions of Christ's lordship (Php 2:11). Over and over, then, we see that the glory of God is seen as a great brilliance. In Christ, we see that brilliance come amongst mankind. And that brilliance is in our hearts. Through the gospel, we are called to attain to the brilliance of Christ. The brilliance that attracted thousands to seek Him out, no matter where He went, the brilliance of a life devoted completely to God, of one who does only what the Father wills. This is what we are called to. We are called to attain to His reputation - which held honor and glory amongst those who could see, but holds derision and ridicule amongst the blind. We are called to stand with Him in excellence and majesty, yet to accept the opinions of the blind with humility. It is indeed a high and hard calling. Lord, help me to walk in this today. I beg You to empower this weak flesh to hold to Your will completely just this one day. It's so easy to fall, so easy to just walk back into the ways of the world. It's so easy to forget that I live before Your face all day long. Father, let me see that You are there with me. Keep me from my foolishness and pride. Keep me from displays of arrogance that serve no purpose. Keep me walking humbly with You, that Your glory may shine from me like light from a lighthouse. Help me to take full advantage of the opportunities You place before me, not shrinking from the task at hand. I am weak, but You are strong, oh God. Today, be my strength, that I might do Your will.

10/13/00
Isaiah 50:4-11 read as the words of God's Christ, His Messiah. He is the sustaining Word that keeps us. He is the One to whom God speaks, and who never fails to do what He hears. He faced beatings and humiliation at God's behest, and did not turn back. Why? Because He knew that as God helped Him, even such humiliations were no disgrace, and He felt no shame for Himself at the works of man against Him. He stood in the full realization that God's approval will far outlast man's condemnations. The call and conclusion is clear. If you fear the Lord, trust in His name, and rely on His very present help. If you decide to trust in your own power, to try and pierce the darkness with your own fires, you will indeed walk in those fires for eternity. This is the echoing thought of Paul in the passage at hand. The courts and judgements of man are nothing to the believer, as far as they pertain to spiritual matters. When will we, in this present day, learn the truth of God's power? When will we stand unashamed and unafraid, and declare the sovereignty of our Lord God over the affairs of man? When will we stand and declare His righteousness in the face of immorality? God help us! We've learned to be so weak, Lord. We revel in Your visits, in Your displays of power in our Church lives, but we forget that You remain with us as we leave. As soon as we step out that door, Your power and Your presence lie forgotten. Why, God? Will You keep us in remembrance of Your very present being as we walk in the world today? Will You embolden us to stand for Your truth, to declare Your truth fearlessly, to live Your truth earnestly? God, we need You. We need You revealed in us all day every day. Nothing less will change the situation, and the situation grows more unbearable every day. Father! I pray that You would inspire Your children to stand up and be counted in Your camp. As elections approach, I pray that You would cause Your chosen ones to step free of the boundaries the world has erected: to stop voting for the lesser of two evils, and vote for the good; to stop voting against somebody, and start voting for somebody; to stop seeing the situation as hopeless, and pray in Your hope! Restore us, God. Restore us in our lives, in our actions, in our pursuits. Find us standing, God, ready and willing to what You would do.

10/14/00
The quote from Psalm 44:22 in this passage is both striking and troublesome. It is hard to contemplate pursuing a course which promises to treat us as animals for slaughter. It is hard to contemplate a course leading through daily deaths. For His sake we are being put to death all day long… if we view Christianity as a whole, this is certainly true. It's the story of the martyrs from the beginning, and it hasn't changed, except perhaps to grow worse. This is significant, and ought to stand as an example to us of our degree of commitment to Christ. Am I willing? I'm not so sure, quite frankly, and I'd prefer not to have to find out. Lord, I pray that should it come to such a decision, You would strengthen me to stand in assurance of Your promise. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. This should serve as an assurance of sorts. Sheep were a valued commodity, they were not killed indiscriminately. We are not sent out like infantry onto the shores of Normandy - guaranteed to die in vast numbers for minimal gain. No, but where our death might serve our Lord, where it might bring others to His fold, where it might establish His truth more firmly on the earth, where it might save us from ourselves; for these ends He will consider taking us home. A sheep was not killed indiscriminately, but only where it would serve a purpose: to clothe, to feed, or as a sacrifice to the Lord God Almighty. We are His sheep. He cares enough for His sheep to pursue the lost ones and return them to safety. We need to balance His willingness to use our deaths with His great efforts to preserve our lives. We need to remember that we are dying daily. We are dying to our sinful ways, as we are freed from their bonds. We are supposed to be dying to the desires the world chases after, as we are freed from their bonds. What is there that should keep us desiring after this life, except for service to our Lord? And if that is the only bond, then what should we do when He tells us our death would be the greater service? Lord, holy boldness! This is my desire, and my downfall, for I know it's not in me, but I desire it so. Come, build the fire within, that I shall not shrink from Your call, no matter what You call me to do.

As I was looking at Acts 2:24, I first wrote that God ended death in raising Christ, but I felt compelled to restore the word 'agony' to the sentence, as it occurs in Scripture, and I wondered a bit as to why this one word was so important. Now, I'm looking at it alongside the Psalms quotation, and it begins to come clear. First, and foremost, it should be pretty obvious that physical death still occurs. And we are reminded by the Word that God is the One who has the power to kill above and beyond mere physical death. It's the agony that was ended. Our enemy enjoys the torment that he can inflict in impending death, the tortuous awaiting of an inevitable end. Why? Misery loves company, and he knows this is what is in store for himself. He's determined to take as many with him as he can. But God has brought about an end to the inevitableness. In raising Christ, He brought hope to those of us who would accept Christ for who He is. The agony of death lies in part in its finality. But it's not final, there's an eternal glory beyond that veil. The agony lies in part in judgement. But we who have accepted Christ are directed to judge ourselves and so avoid judgement. We are reminded - right here in this passage - that no matter who brings charges against us, it is Christ who argues our defense. We are generally our own worst accusers, but our worst accusations cannot stand when God Himself is declaring our righteousness! Where is the sting of death, when it only brings us home at last? How can we fear death, when it means being with our Lord and Savior forever? The agony is ended, though death remains.

Well, having looked at this, I think this is the place to look at condemnation and intercession. Who is the one who condemns us? Who furnishes reasons for, or shows us to be worthy of condemnation? Certainly, there's evidence that Satan will be there doing his worst. But, as I noted above, I suspect we will be our own worst critics in this court. We who have come to Christ know the shape we were in when we came, and we know the failures that have continued in us since that time. We are keenly aware of the many ways in which we have fallen short of the glory and standard of God's righteousness. So, in a strange twist on the standard courtroom scene, we find ourselves seated at the prosecutor's table. But look further at the word 'condemns'. Who is there that makes our wickedness more evident by his own good example? In that courtroom, I believe there will only be One other present, Christ Jesus! He alone in that judgement scene will be able to make our wickedness evident by His own example. And where will He be sitting? At the table of the defense, and in the judge's seat. He is capable of exposing our wickedness, but will He do so? No! He is our defense counsel, and He has declared us righteous - He, in bringing us to the courtroom, will have finally effected the change in us that makes us as we ought to be, and so - declaring us righteous in the courtroom, will declare the present and permanent truth of our reward. He intercedes. He talks with and supplicates the Father on our behalf. As the Father's obedient Son, His firstborn, His declared heir, will the Father not listen intently? He prays for us, even now, that we might be victorious over the flesh. And He assures us that when we see Him, we will be like Him.!

OK. One last thing I want to do is to revisit verses 29 and 30 with the benefit of our definition studies.

29 For whom He had previously united Himself with, He also appointed beforehand to be formed together with His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He limited in advance, these He also divinely selected and appointed to office; and whom he appointed, these He also made such as they ought to be; and whom He showed to be righteous, these He also put in an honorable position, giving them esteem and excellence.

We are looking at the work of the Father, as we go through this portion of Scripture, and there it is! He has united Himself with us, it's none of our doing. He has already determined that we will be united with His Son, formed in His image, one of many brothers. In this determination, He has limited us in advance, He has ensured that we won't go so far afield as to be unredeemable. He has appointed us to our various offices. Lord, help us to fill those offices in Your wisdom and truth. He makes us as we ought to be. We cannot cleanse ourselves, or mend our ways. We can only remain willing to what He must do. It is in Him that anything in us finds honor, esteem, and excellence. Our best is as filthy rags, but He enables us to be more than our best. Thank you, Father God, for Your mighty works on our behalf. Thank You for the love You have shown for us. Thank You for calling us to unity with Yourself, for declaring us as sons and daughters of the Most High God. I've been hearing so much about Your heart of late, Father, and to me this appears to be it. Your heart is that I be united with You in pursuing Your purposes and desires. Your heart is that I realize that You are my Father, that I am Your son. Your heart is that I be put in a place of honor as I fulfill the office You have chosen for me. My heart, dear Lord, is that You would enable me to fulfill that office according to Your desire and Your promise.