Daily Devotion
With Pastor Ancel Presnell
“THE DETERMINED PURPOSE OF GOD”
Romans 8:29 & 30 have sparked numerous discussions and arguments, often because they are misapplied to explain salvation. Using these verses in isolation distorts Paul’s overall message. Other passages address salvation more appropriately without altering the context.
Two words, foreknow and predestinate, have generated much discussion in. Foreknow (proginōskō) means “to know beforehand.” Predestinate (proorizō) means “to predetermine; to foreordain.” Words have specific meanings that should not be changed. This scripture passage addresses regenerated believers.
God foreknew and predestinated His children to have an ultimate purpose. God has foreknowledge of His children, and with that foreknowledge, He also has foreknowledge of all pain and suffering each believer will endure in their lifetime. Nothing has ever caught God off-guard. Whether it is sickness, disease, or tragedy that you are dealing with or will deal with, it will not occur to God at any point and time. Even in our bad choices, those did not occur to God either! NO-NO-NO, nothing occurs to God! God foreknows His children and all the struggles that accompany us too.
For all of God’s children that He foreknew, which is every single one, He also has predestined the result of their life and all the struggles along the way. Remember, predestined means to predetermine or foreordain. Everything that Christians face, God already knew it, and He has predetermined the ultimate outcome of all things that we face. So, the question is this, why doesn’t God change all the struggles in the Christians life and remove all the pain? He is going to do just that!
No Christian will endure endless suffering. Psalm 30:5 states, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” In this context, Paul addresses the pain and suffering experienced by believers in Romans 8:18. He elucidates that all pain and suffering endured by a believer is insignificant when compared to the glory that awaits us. This verse underpins Romans 8:29, asserting that God is not constrained by our current circumstances, and neither are we within God’s timeline. God is orchestrating all things for good and conforming us to the image of Christ. This is His steadfast purpose.
Romans 8:28, 29—” 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 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.”
