That is our baggage

Monday July 21^st, Romans 8:   28  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. 29  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. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Predestination is not a subject for most cocktail conversation, or even church conversation for that matter.  Martin Luther and Calvin went round and round on it no doubt boring anyone within earshot to tears before too long.  Most theologians today tiptoe quietly past the subject lest they run the risk of boring anyone within earshot to tears.  Not that it is not an interesting subject, but it is one to which there is no answer, only more questions.  My wife, after having spent too much time in a Bible study that broached the subject, throws up her hands and mutters something like, “Oh, No, No, No, No, I don’t want to go there again should the subject be brought up.  So let us take a look at what Paul says.  God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called, they may be the same people, but then again, they may not.  When you throw in all those who are called however, that pretty much includes us all.  Those God foreknew are predestined to be like his son, Jesus.  God created all that is, proclaimed it good and created humanity in the image of God, and so like Jesus, and therefore called good.  Those who are predestined, are called, justified and glorified, and since God foreknew all that was and called it good, then we can only conclude that all are called, justified and glorified.  Some of us don’t respond very well to that call most of the time, and all of us don’t respond very well to that call some of the time.  That is our baggage on our side of the equation.  On God’s side of the equation, all are called, justified and glorified and our task is to learn to live with that, in ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, in others.