Romans Ch 8

Reading Rom 8:28-30 we come across an interesting doctrinal & grammatical challenge:

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. 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 8:28-30

The challenge? Who is the “firstborn” in verse 29? and if it’s Jesus, does that mean we should think of Jesus as our brother? To find out we begin with the grammar and then explore: what are the “all things” working together for good? Who are those who love God and are called? What is God’s purpose? Who are the foreknown, those he predestinated to be conformed? Who is, and what does it mean by the firstborn? And who are the many brethren the firstborn is among? And what does it mean that those called and predestinated are justified and glorified?

A group of people foreknown and predestined in Rom 8:28, were then conformed to the image of the Son to become the “all things” as “one new man” in Christ and then could be called “he” and “the firstborn among many brethren” in Rom 8:29. And then he could refer to the many members as “them” in Rom 8:30.

By the mystery operation of God in Christ the Body of Christ is both many and one in Christ! Many members, all working together for good, and one Body according to I Cor 12:12-13, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”

This new creature, this one new man, this Body of Christ being formed by God’s mystery operation must be different than those in Christ before, be cause we ARE justified, and we ARE glorified, and circumcision or other works of the flesh are no longer an issue or a requirement.

Jesus is God. He is our Lord and Savior. He’s not our brother. We are brethren in him, we are a new creature, and a new man justified and glorified in him.

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