Romans 8:29–30
Bible verses · Also called: Romans 8:29-30, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate, Golden Chain of Salvation, Ordo salutis, Order of salvation
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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.
30 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.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
A passage in which foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification follow one another in sequence, commonly called the "golden chain of salvation." It is one of the texts over which Calvinism and Arminianism most frequently clash in the debate over predestination.
Context
Having spoken in verse 28 of "them who are the called according to his purpose," Paul uses five verbs to show where that calling begins and where it ends. The purpose is that believers might be "conformed to the image of his Son," so that Christ "might be the firstborn among many brethren." The final verb, "glorified," refers to something that has not yet taken place, yet it is written in the past tense; this is commonly read as indicating that the event is as certain as if it had already been accomplished.
Interpretation
- The Calvinist (Reformed) reading: This view holds that "foreknow" (Greek proginōskō) does not merely mean to know in advance but refers to God's entering into relationship with, and setting his love upon, people beforehand. The passage is therefore read as an unbroken chain in which all whom God foreknew will ultimately be glorified, and it serves as a basis for the unconditional election taught in the Canons of Dort and for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.
- The Arminian and Wesleyan reading: This view reads the passage as saying that God foreknew who would believe and predestined those people to become like Christ. It emphasizes that the object of predestination is not whether a person will be saved but the goal of being "conformed to the image of his Son."
- The corporate reading: Some hold that the passage speaks of God's plan for the whole people who are in Christ rather than for each individual. They point to the plural forms "brethren" and "we" in the context.
Debates and Issues
It is debated whether the five stages can be systematized as an ordo salutis (the order in which salvation is accomplished), and whether Paul intended to teach a sequence or to give assurance. It is also frequently noted that sanctification is absent from the chain. This debate is treated more broadly in the article Predestination and Free Will.
In the Korean Church
In the doctrinal instruction of Presbyterian denominations, the passage serves as a foundational text for teaching predestination, while Methodist and Holiness churches treat it as a text explaining predestination based on foreknowledge.
Related Passages
- Ephesians 1:4–5
- 1 Peter 1:1–2
- Romans 11:2
- 2 Timothy 1:9
See also 6
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