This is another repost of an old post in the Called According to Paul series. I’m reposting them all, one per week (sort of), so I can link to them in the sidebar under Favorite Posts. An explanation of this series can be found here, and the already reposted pieces are here.
He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (Romans 8:27-30 NASB)
I’ve quoted more than just the verses with the word called in them because reading all four verses helps us to understand the sense of the passage. I’d explain it something like this:
The Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints, asking for things that are in agreement with the Father’s will for them. And the Father works in all things to bring about his will for them. This means that all circumstances bring about good results for those who love God (or the saints, or the called), fulfilling God’s will for them—a will which has as the end result their likeness to Christ’s image so that Christ will be the firstborn with many siblings who are like him. To this end God foreknew and predestined the saints, and as a result of his foreknowledge and predestination, he calls them, justifies them, and eventually glorifies them. This calling, justifying and glorifying are part of the process of working Christ’s image in them, part of the process of fulfilling God’s will for them, part of the process of working good for them, and part of the process of bringing to pass what the Spirit intercedes for on their behalf.
What we can learn about the way Paul uses the word called in these verses?
- In 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, we saw that being called is associated with our being loved by God, while in these verses, being called is associated with our loving God. Those who love God are those who are called.
- Being called is also related to being a saint or being holy. This is an idea we’ve seen in previous passages.
- Just as it was in a couple of our previous passages, the calling is grounded in God’s will or purpose, a will or purpose that has been determined beforehand (“called according to his purpose…” and “whom he predestined, He also called….”)
- And again, the calling is related to salvation, but the nature of the relationship of calling to salvation is spelled out for us here in a way it was not in previous texts: “…these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Calling is a result of God’s foreknowing and predestining; calling results in justification and glorification. Verses 29 and 30 aren’t called the golden chain of salvation for nothing. Each step—foreknowing, predestining, calling, justifying and glorifying—is firmly linked with the others, and each link pulls the following link along with it. Our justification and glorification alway follows our calling. So calling, as it’s used here, is a calling with power: the power to bring about the whole of our salvation.
- We are called so we will be like Christ. This is a calling that is an appointment to be something. We’ve seen elsewhere that Paul says that God’s calling is to righteousness and holiness, or “so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).” This is the same idea expressed differently.
What do you see that I missed? What can you see in this passage about the meaning of the word called when it is used by Paul in regards to the call of God.