Christianity Is Acquittal And Discharge From Sinful Gaol. [2]
(…continue from part one…)
2) Let us do a gingerly examen of Romans 8:29-34 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” We begin with ‘foreknow’ of the 29th verse. It is proginōskō (prog-in-oce’-ko): ‘to know beforehand, that is, foresee’. So many Christians tend to teach things that slant towards a deterministic view of the Divinity as it pertains to why horrendous events eventuate, believing that God actually did those things. The word ‘conformed’ is summorphos (soom-mor-fos’): ‘having the same form as another; similar.’
Almighty’s faculty of foreknowledge is what is really at play and not that of the Catholicism of St. Augustine of Hippo-inspired Calvinistic lapsarianism. Then we have ‘predestinate’ of verse 30 which the Greek calls proorizō (pro-or-id’-zo): 1. ‘to predetermine, decide beforehand. 2. in the NT –of God decreeing from eternity.’ So, what happens here is simply that, from the eternity past, before He ever created anything at all, the LORD looked into the future and decided to save those who would heed His soteriological call and be counted among the saints of His Church. What is ‘justified’? It is dikaioō (dik-ah-yo’-o): ‘to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent.’
‘Glorified’ is doxazō (dox-ad’-zo): ‘to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate; hold in honour; to impart glory to something, render it excellent.’ Believe it if you do not; come to the understanding if you do not have it, that the Christian is, before the thrice holy Jehovah, excellent species of His creation. Praise the LORD! In the 33rd verse of Romans 8, the words, ‘lay to the charge’ is egkaleō (eng-kal-eh’-o): ‘to come forward as accuser against; bring charge against.’
Contextually, the convexity of “If God be for us, who can be against us?” serves as the backdrop for the Christian’s acquittal: this must be noted. It is a rhetorical effusion that makes way for the following series of Pauline rhetorical questions from verse 32 to the 39th, proving that absolutely nothing comes at par with the Most High Jehovah. If absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, then, we are eternally safe in this salvation wrought on the cross of Calvary.
Romans 14:2-4 “For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3) Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4) Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” The LORD God who ‘received’ the Christians in verse three is the very One who also enables the ‘stand’ of the same ones in the fourth verse to engender the acquittal of His possessed, glorified children.
The word ‘received’ comes from pros and lambanō. Pros (pros) is a preposition of direction; ‘to the advantage of; forward to, that is, toward (with the genitive case the side of, that is, pertaining to; with the dative case by the side of, that is, near to.’ Lambanō (lam-ban’-o): ‘to take, to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it.’ Proslambanō (pros-lam-ban’-o), therefore, means: ‘to take to, take in addition, to take to one’s self; to take as one’s companion; to take by the hand in order to lead aside; to take or receive into one’s home, with the collateral idea of kindness; to receive, i.e. grant one access to one’s heart.’ The Greek for ‘received’ is not the subjective or passive dechomai (dekh’-om-ahee): ‘to have offered to one’; neither is it the violent aihreomai (hahee-reh’-om-ahee): ‘to seize’. The next word ‘stand’ is histēmi (his’-tay-mee): ‘Causal Tenses, to make to stand; to establish; to stand firm.’
Spiritual acquittal and discharge takes place only when one is born again. To be born again, say, with all your heart, this simple prayer:
“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”
(…to be continued…)
read part one here
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