I agree, simple but also personal.
Ok, I understand where your coming from at this point. What is your view of God's action as a result of this knowledge? What does God do when he predestinates?
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.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified [Rom. 8:29–30].
“For” refers back to verse 28 to remind us that he is not talking about anybody being elected to be lost, but he is speaking of “the called,” the predestined ones.
Predestination never has any reference to the lost. You will never find it used in connection with them. If you ever hear someone talk about being predestined to be lost, you know he is not being scriptural.
Predestination means that, when God saves you, He is going to see you through. Whom He foreknew, He predestinated, and whom He predestinated, He called, and whom He called, He justified, and whom He justified, He glorified. In other words, this section is on sanctification yet Paul does not even mention being sanctified. Why? Because sanctification is the work of God in the heart and life of the believer. This is God’s eternal purpose. It just simply means this: When the Lord—who is the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd of the Sheep, and Chief Shepherd of the Sheep starts out with one hundred sheep, He’s going to come home with one hundred sheep; He will not lose one of them.
You may remember that the Lord gave a parable about this, recorded in Luke 15. There was a shepherd, a good shepherd, who represents the Lord Jesus. One sheep got lost, got away. You would think He might say, “Well, let him go. We’ve got ninety-nine of them safe in the fold. That’s a good percentage.” Anyone raising sheep knows that if you get to market with a little over fifty percent of those that are born, you’re doing well. But this is an unusual shepherd. He is not satisfied with ninety-nine. If He justifies one hundred sheep, He’s going to glorify one hundred sheep.
I’ll make this personal. Someday He will be counting them in “One, two, three, four, five … ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine—where in the world is BigMack? Well, it looks like he didn’t make it. We’ll let him go because a great many people didn’t think he was going to make it anyway.” Thank God He won’t let him go. That shepherd is going after him.
The doctrine of election means that the Lord will be coming home with one hundred sheep! This is not a frightful doctrine; it is a wonderful doctrine. It means that BigMack going to be there; and it means you are going to be there, if you have trusted Christ. This is a most comforting doctrine in these uncertain days in which we live.
BigMack