Text: Romans 8:30b ‘and whom He justified, these He also glorified.’  

Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:18-39

Singing: (Psalms and Hymns are from the "Book of Praise" Anglo Genevan Psalter)
Psalm 63:2,3
Psalm 34:6,7
Psalm 138:4
Hymn 1A
Psalm 27:5,6

Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The passage we read from Rom 8 begins and ends with reference to suffering. Vs 18 speaks of "the sufferings of this present time". Vs 35 tells us of tribulation, of distress, of persecution, of famine, nakedness, peril and sword. In fact, vs 36 adds, Scripture has promised that suffering, hatred, satanic attack, shall afflict the church of God continually; "for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." We for our part experience so much of that suffering, that hellish hatred, in the struggles of our lives.

Sandwiched in between these references to suffering, Paul lays out for our benefit what’s become known as the Golden Chain of Salvation. He speaks of predestination, calling, justification, and glorification (vs 30). We understand the terms; ‘predestination’ refers to the fact that a person is elected by God in eternity to salvation in Christ, ‘calling’ describes God’s act of causing those chosen in Christ to hear the gospel, ‘justification’ denotes the result of calling (for the elect respond to that calling with faith and so are declared righteous before God), and glorification –that climax of the list- refers to the crown which God’s own shall receive at the end of this present life. That’s to say: the ‘predestined’ are ‘called’, the ‘called’ are ‘justified’, the ‘justified’ are ‘glorified’.

How intriguing, brothers and sisters, is that list. It’s intriguing because at face value the list appears so wrong. For Paul says that the justified are ‘glorified’. That term ‘glorified’ is in the past tense. And that raises the question: were those Romans to whom Paul had addressed this letter already glorified? Surely not; those Romans were suffering, they were being killed all the day long, languishing under the oppression of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine or whatever other evil hell can think up. And now speak of being glorified, past tense? It does not make sense….

As it is, brothers and sisters, that past tense contains glorious gospel, a gospel that is illustrated for us specifically in the celebration of the Lord’s table. The apostle knew very well –experience impressed it on him so tragically- that neither the Romans nor he himself had already been glorified. Yet he used the past tense –why?- in order to give expression to his firm conviction that glorification is definitely and absolutely going to happen. Yes, so certain is he that God’s elect will receive the crown of righteousness that he feels free, in the midst of the tribulations of this life, to speak as if God’s own already have been glorified. He knows: God will certainly bring to completion the work of salvation that He for Jesus’ sake has begun in the lives of His elect. God did not send His Son to earth in vain; all those for whom Christ has died, no matter how weak they are, no matter how strong the enemy, shall most definitely receive the crown of righteousness. Nothing, nothing in all the world can prevent God’s own from finally inheriting the full wealth of what God has prepared. On the basis of the unchanging faithfulness of God, Paul can lay before suffering believers of every city and century and circumstance: your salvation is so certain that you may already speak of glorification as absolutely yours; "whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Today, congregation, the God described in the words of our text sets before us His table. What that table is? Says the Form for Celebration of Lord’s Supper: "we receive at His table a foretaste of the abundant joy which [Christ] has promised". So certain would God have us be that we shall one day receive this promised ‘abundant joy’ that He gives us today a ‘foretaste’. In this broken world we are not to fear that Satan’s attacks will prove too much. We may instead be assured that the glorification of which Paul speaks is absolutely guaranteed. Amen.