Lesson 40 April 7, 2002

#2. Purpose of God 8:28b

- to those who are called according to (His) purpose.

#3. The People of God; describes who are the ones called according to His purpose 8:29-30

Here in a nutshell is God's plan for the believer!

One thing that we must keep in mind is that everything in these 2 verses is the work of God, not one iota of effort from us!

The breakdown 8:29 - 30

1. "foreknew" proginwskw lit. means to know something ahead of time; used with this meaning in 2 Pet. 3:17

- 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.

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?

- 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.