SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:30
Y a los que les seal desde antes el camino , a stos tambin llam; y a los que llam, a stos tambin justific; y a los que justific, a stos tambin glorificar.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 8:30
Verse 30. Whom he did predestinate, &c.] The Gentiles, whom He determined to call into his Church with the Jewish people, He called-He invited by the preaching of the Gospel, to believe on his Son Jesus Christ. It is worthy of note, that all that is spoken here refers to what had already taken place; for the calling, justifying, and glorifying are here represented as having already taken place, as well as the foreknowing and the predestinating. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that the apostle refers to what God had already done among the Jews and Gentiles: though he may also speak of the things that were not as though they were.
He also justified] Pardoned the sins of all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turned unto him.
He also glorified.] He has honoured and dignified the Gentiles with the highest privileges, and he has already taken many of them to the kingdom of glory, and many more are on their way thither; and all who love him, and continue faithful unto death, shall inherit that glory eternally. Hence it is added, them he also glorified; for all the honours which he confers on them have respect to and are intended to promote their endless felicity; and though the terms are here used in a more general sense, yet, if we take them more restrictedly, we must consider that in the work of justification sanctification is implied; justification being the foundation and beginning of that work. From all this we learn that none will be glorified who have not been sanctified and justified; that the justified are those who have been called or invited by the Gospel of Christ; that those who have had this calling are they to whom God determined to grant this privilege-they did not choose this salvation first, but God sent it to them when they knew him not-and therefore the salvation of the Gentile world, as well as that of the Jews, comes through the gratuitous mercy of God himself, was the result of infinite designs, and stands on the same ground as the calling, &c., of the Jewish people. The word doxa, which we render glory, and doxazw, to glorify, both mean to render illustrious, eminent, &c., &c., in various parts of the New Testament; and in this sense the verb is used John xi. 4; xii. 23, 28; xiii. 31, 32; xiv. 13; xv. 8; xxi. 19; Acts iii. 13; xi. 13; in none of which places eternal beatification can be intended. Here it seems to mean that those whom God had called into a state of justification he had rendered illustrious by innumerable gifts, graces, and privileges, in the same manner as he had done to the Israelites of old.
The whole of the preceding discourse will show that every thing here is conditional, as far as it relates to the ultimate salvation of any person professing the Gospel of Christ; for the promises are made to character, and not to persons, as some have most injudiciously affirmed. The apostle insists upon a character all along from the beginning of the chapter.
ver. 1: There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans viii. 13: If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, &c. The absolute necessity of holiness to salvation is the very subject of his discourse; this necessity he positively affirms, and establishes by the most solid arguments. At the very entrance of his argument here, he takes care to settle the connection between our calling and our love and obedience to God, on purpose to prevent that mistake into which so many have fallen, through their great inattention to the scope of his reasoning. ver. x18: All things work together for good-To whom? To THEM that LOVE GOD: to them that are the called according to his purpose. To them that love God, because they are called according to his purpose; for those only who love God can reap any benefit by this predestination, vocation, or any other instance of God's favour. See the observations at the end of this chapter.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate , etc..] Not to sufferings, which are not expressed nor designed, but to grace and glory after mentioned. This predestination is of particular persons, who, in consequence of it, are called, justified, and glorified; it is the effect of divine grace, and entirely owing to it; it is the source of all the other blessings of grace, and is therefore placed at the head of them, and secures them all: them he also called ; not to afflictions: many may be called to afflictions, and endure them, who are neither justified nor glorified; besides, the people of God, though they meet with many afflictions, between their call to eternal glory, and their enjoyment of it, yet they are not so much called to afflictions, as to patience under them: their call is of grace, by special grace, to peculiar blessings of grace, and to a kingdom and glory; and this their calling is secured by predestination, and connected with glorification: and whom he called, them he also justified ; the meaning of which is, not that he approved of them as sincere and faithful, on account of their faith and patience in sufferings; for neither of their sufferings, nor of their faith and patience in them, is there the least mention in the passage; nor can any instance be produced of the use of the word justified in this epistle, or elsewhere in this sense: but the meaning is, that such persons whom God predestinates and calls, he makes them righteous by the imputation of the righteousness of his Son unto them; which is unto all, and upon all them that believe; by which they are justified before God, and in their own consciences, from all sin, and so secured from all wrath and condemnation; wherefore glorification stands inseparably connected with it: and whom he justified, them he also glorified ; which is not meant of being made glorious under sufferings; nor of being made glorious by the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit; for the word is never used in this sense, nor is God ever said to glorify his people in this way; and the apostle is speaking of the saints in general, and not of particular ones: if this was the sense, none would be predestinated, called, and justified, but such who have the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit; and none would have the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, but such persons; whereas many have had these, and yet no interest in the grace of God, and everlasting happiness: but eternal glory is here meant, which is what the apostle had been speaking of in the context; is what the elect are predestinated and called unto; and which their justification gives them a right and title to; and will consist in a likeness to Christ, in communion with him, in an everlasting vision of him, and in a freedom from all that is evil, and in an enjoyment of all that is good; and so the great end of predestinating grace will be answered in them mentioned in the foregoing verse: now this glorification may be said to be already done, with respect to that part of God's elect, who are in heaven, inheriting the promises; and is in some sense true also of that part of them which is on earth, who are called and justified; being made glorious within by the grace of Christ, and arrayed and adorned with the glorious robe of his righteousness; by the one they have a meetness, and by the other a right to eternal glory; of which this grace they have received is the beginning, pledge, and earnest: besides, they are already glorified in Christ, their head and representative, and in the view of God, and with respect to the certainty of it, it being prepared and made ready for them, is in the hands of Christ for them, and is insured to their faith and hope. It is an observation of a Jewish writer f156 , that a thing twyhl rzgn , which is decreed to be, is spoken of in the past tense: this is the Scripture style concerning things decreed, and such is the glorification of all God's elect.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 28-31 - That is good for the saints which does their souls good. Ever providence tends to the spiritual good of those that love God; i breaking them off from sin, bringing them nearer to God, weaning the from the world, and fitting them for heaven. When the saints act out of character, corrections will be employed to bring them back again. An here is the order of the causes of our salvation, a golden chain, on which cannot be broken. 1. Whom he did foreknow, he also di predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. All that God designed for glory and happiness as the end, he decreed to grace an holiness as the way. The whole human race deserved destruction; but for reasons not perfectly known to us, God determined to recover some by regeneration and the power of his grace. He predestinated, or befor decreed, that they should be conformed to the image of his Son. In thi life they are in part renewed, and walk in his steps. 2. Whom he di predestinate, them he also called. It is an effectual call, from sel and earth to God, and Christ, and heaven, as our end; from sin an vanity to grace and holiness, as our way. This is the gospel call. The love of God, ruling in the hearts of those who once were enemies to him, proves that they have been called according to his purpose. 3 Whom he called, them he also justified. None are thus justified but those that are effectually called. Those who stand out against the gospel call, abide under guilt and wrath. 4. Whom he justified, them he also glorified. The power of corruption being broken in effectua calling, and the guilt of sin removed in justification, nothing can come between that soul and glory. This encourages our faith and hope for, as for God, his way, his work, is perfect. The apostle speaks a one amazed, and swallowed up in admiration, wondering at the height an depth, and length and breadth, of the love of Christ, which passet knowledge. The more we know of other things, the less we wonder; but the further we are led into gospel mysteries, the more we are affecte by them. While God is for us, and we keep in his love, we may with holy boldness defy all the powers of darkness.
Greek Textus Receptus
ους 3739 R-APM δε 1161 CONJ προωρισεν 4309 5656 V-AAI-3S τουτους 5128 D-APM και 2532 CONJ εκαλεσεν 2564 5656 V-AAI-3S και 2532 CONJ ους 3739 R-APM εκαλεσεν 2564 5656 V-AAI-3S τουτους 5128 D-APM και 2532 CONJ εδικαιωσεν 1344 5656 V-AAI-3S ους 3739 R-APM δε 1161 CONJ εδικαιωσεν 1344 5656 V-AAI-3S τουτους 5128 D-APM και 2532 CONJ εδοξασεν 1392 5656 V-AAI-3S
Robertson's NT Word Studies
8:30 {Called} (ekalesen) {--Justified} (edikai"sen) {--Glorified} (edoxasen). All first aorist active indicatives of common verbs (kalew, dikaiow, doxazw). But the glorification is stated as already consummated (constative aorists, all of them), though still in the future in the fullest sense. "The step implied in edoxasen is both complete and certain in the Divine counsels" (Sanday and Headlam).
