And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who

have
been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to
the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He
predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
Romans 8:28-30
There are passages of Scripture that are of such tremendous importance and beauty that they
seem to reach out of the pages of our bibles in order to grip our hearts. Once such a passage from the
Bible has a grip on us it never really lets us go. We constantly feel its tug on our hearts pulling us back to
the joy that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. These verses from Romans 8 are one such passage for me.
Whether it is because I memorized these verses when I gave my heart to the Lord or for some other
reason I do not know but these words written by the Apostle Paul to the Church at Rome have been my
constant companion now for the nearly 42 years that I have walked with the Lord. I want to focus on
just one statement in these verses today by way of sharing with you a quotation I came across yesterday
in my devotional reading. It is found in Eric J. Alexanders chapter The Application of Redemption in
Carson, John L., and Hall, David W. To Glorify and Enjoy God (Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh. 1994, p.
243). I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in the history of Biblical Doctrine.
Alexanders chapter is a wonderful and worshipful exploration of these verses in Romans 8.
The significance is manifold. For the Christians in Rome, glorification injected a certainty into
their tentative, weak, poor faith. It gave many of them a security in a desperately insecure world.
Were we more heavenly minded in our living, it would do the same for us.
In these days, however, glorification does another immensely important thing. It gives a new,
true, biblical sense of perspective to our view of the world and of history. We need to ask ourselves,
What is the really important thing that is happening in the world in our generation? Where are the
really significant events taking place? Are they taking place in the seats of government and power
here in London or Washington or Beijing or wherever? What is the most important thing? Where do
you need to look in the modern world to see the most significant event from a Divine perspective?
Where is the focus of Gods activity in history? In answer to all these questions, the most significant
thing happening in history is the calling, redeeming and perfecting of the people of God. God is
building the Church of Jesus Christ. The rest of history is simply a stage God erects for that purpose.
He is calling out a people. He is perfecting them. He is changing them. Historys great climax comes
when God brings down the curtain on this bankrupt world and the Lord Jesus Christ arrives in His
infinite glory. The rest of history is simply the scaffolding for the real work.
What a powerful vision of history Alexander gives us here. With a clear eyed focus on the
teaching of Romans 8:28-30 we are led to see our lives from a completely different perspective.
Everything we have experienced, are experiencing, or ever will experience has this one great purpose
which is to glorify God by conforming us to the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of history is the
ground on which our God is perfecting His Church. We may not yet see what He is doing in us clearly
but we are encouraged as we see that He is revealing His glory in us. Therefore we do not lose hope.
Praise God!