Lesson 111
Romans
Chapter Eight
Freedom in Christ through the Holy Spirit
The Dynamic for living the Christian Life
Review:
The breakdown of
1. "foreknew" proginwskw lit. means to
know something ahead of time; used with this meaning in 2 Pet. 3:17; Acts 26:5
-
proginwskw which simply means to know before hand as does its cognate noun pro,gnwsij which also speaks of the knowledge known beforehand
- of
God vb 3x’s Rom
- of
God the noun 2x’s Acts
- When man is the object there is no connotation of God causing the
outcome to occur, no pregnant meaning of the word. (no
determination by God)
- Point is that just because God’s omniscience knows something it does
not mean He determines or causes the outcome.
- To be known of God is to have a relationship with Him to have fellowship with Him, 1 Cor 8:3.
2. predestined (to become) conformed to the image of His Son,
This says we have a destiny
Word predestined; proori,zw (aor. act. ptc.)
pro- before; ori,zw to set boundaries; to establish limits; therefore to determine;
When you couple this with the prep. pro - meaning before; it indicates that something has been established, that boundaries have been set; something has already been determined.
Examples of boundaries use; Acts
LXX: Numb. 34:6f. many times; (nouns) oria orion
Deu. 3:16-17;
Josh 15:9-11
So what is this saying to us??
In love, God the Father has designed a plan for the
believer;
He has established definite parameters in which we are
to live;
It is God's purpose for us to live within these
defined parameters and to produce good, which will
lead to our increasingly becoming conformed to the image of His Son! His ultimate goal and objective for each believer.
Note: The use of this word is primarily of what God does for the saved, for believers.
We are then Predestined to be Conformed to the image of His Son!
What's involved or what does it refer to?
- Use of proori,zw of the believer 4x's;
Eph 1:5 of adoption;
Eph
In our context 2x's - 1st vs:29 in reference to
being conformed to the image of His Son!
2nd vs:30 plan of God for the called one,
i.e. the one who responds to the gospel;
- Never! Never! is this word used or does it teach or imply that people are predestined, or as KJV, foreordained, to hell, to eternal judgment
3. Conformed to the image of His Son!
This describes the goal or objective of the whole of the redemption plan of God.
- What is in view here is a likeness to Christ that is not just an external or a superficial resemblance [form/appearance].
- It signifies a whole set of characteristics or qualities that make something what it is.
What this describes that is becoming conformed to the
image of His Son is the process of sanctification, learning and growing in the
word in time.
- That indistinct image we bore
when we first became believers becomes progressively clearer as we grow and
mature as believers.