You Can Know for Sure
And those whom He predestined He also called,
and those whom He called He also justified,
and those whom He justified He also glorified.
[Romans 8:30]
This is one of those verses, where the more you read it, the more you sense something happening in your heart. Our minds and hearts gravitate to verses like this, as divine promises enchant us, if we allow it to.
Stop here for a moment.
Take a deep breath.
Read the verse again.
Slow down. The verse deserves our attention and our lingering … and rightfully so. There are great treasures illuminating from this verse; don’t let them slip away, but tuck away these truths as you relish in the full assurance of your gracious salvation in Jesus.
There are notable details to which I would like to draw your attention.
Grammar makes a difference!
For many, as soon as you hear the word “grammar” (I can see it now) … the despondent posture, the glazed-over look, the long exasperated exhales, the flashbacks of the boring classroom, or even the terror of not being able to understand what is to come next.
Don’t think of grammar as merely something you learned in English class or somehow an enemy of pleasure. Think of grammar as a beautiful orchestration of language and expression, as words dance together and beautiful declarations unravel becoming clearer to our understanding.
With that in mind, let’s dive into a few grammatical considerations in a more disentangled manner:
The aorist tense of a verb can simply be understood as something happening in a snapshot moment in time (i.e. an event captured in a moment); therefore, depicting an event that has happened in the past. I liken this to my experience of thumbing through our photo albums (yes, we still keep physical photo albums!).
The indicative mood expresses something that the author views as a real state - something that is as opposed to something that may or might be (i.e reality versus possibility or probability).
Therefore, verb in the aorist indicative focuses on the author’s viewpoint of an event that has actually occurred in a snapshot moment in time. Though you will discover deeper nuances as you dig further into any language construction, it is sufficient for the moment to understand the aorist indicative simply as “a real, past tense occurrence”.
Look at Romans 8:30 again, “And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. [Romans 8:30]“
The verbs “justified” and “glorified” are both aorist indicative verbs!
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute … Did you catch it? Take a moment to think about it. These two actions occur as snapshot moments in the past.
As you peruse the Heavenly photo album of your faith, salvation, and adoption into God’s family, you begin to notice these beautiful snapshots: Justification and Glorification.
They actually occurred.
They are real events.
As a believer in Jesus, as a beloved son/daughter of Almighty Creator, your justification and glorification are realities.
All of a sudden your interests are piqued … you’re intrigued … you’re drawn closer … and now overwhelmed by its magnificence. Why?
#1: You are once and for all eternally justified in Jesus.
Upon faith, you are truly “justified” before God. He declares you - the believing sinner - eternally righteous based on your faith in Jesus as the One who died for your sins and was raised for your salvation. The perfect substitutionary work of Jesus’s blood-sacrifice on your behalf for the forgiveness of your sins and His life-assuring resurrection provides a sure foundation for your eternal security. You (the sinner), standing in the courtroom of God with Jesus (your defendant), is pronounced innocent. All sins acquitted.
You are really justified.
#2: You are once and for all eternally glorified in Jesus.
Upon faith, you are truly “glorified” in God. The concept of being “glorified” refers to the moment in which one’s eternal entrance into Heaven and His Kingdom is actualized. Some have explained this to be the moment in the future when one finally enters into the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
Wait ... a future event recorded as an aorist indicative?!?
This alluring truth is exceedingly encouraging and eminently powerful. Even the event that is yet to occur is already completed and securely promised in Jesus … a snapshot moment in time that stretches throughout all ages and into eternity.
You are really glorified.
#3: You are forever and eternally complete and secured in Jesus.
As a believer in Jesus, you are declared righteous, being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Your entrance into Heaven and God’s eternal Kingdom is secured. Remember, both justification and glorification are completed, real past tense events.
A snapshot moment capturing an eternal scene - forever to be true.
Remind yourself of the glory of the Gospel of God's Grace.
Say, "I am forever and eternally justified and glorified. Regardless of how my progression may look at the moment, I am forever guarded and kept for Heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5). The completed work of salvation belongs to God alone, who is faithful even when I falter (2 Timothy 2:13). My justification and glorification – my eternal salvation – occurred in a snapshot moment of faith. For it is by grace through faith I am saved (Ephesians 2:5, 8). Glorify Him, oh my soul, because of His everlasting grace, unimaginable mercy, and faithful magnanimous love. Amen!"
Thank you for taking the time to reflect with me, and I pray that this post strengthens your heart in the Lord. Let’s encourage one another; share in the comments below how the Lord is revealing Himself to you lately, or let me know if you have any questions, because I would love to continue dialoging about all things pertaining to life and godliness. Spread the Word.
Linus Nguyen is the founder of Of The Way Ministries and serves as lead pastor of Emmanuel Bible Fellowship (Houston, Texas). He has taught in, developed curriculum for, and written on the subjects of Biblical Studies, Theology, Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, Philosophy of Religion, Missions, Humanities, Rhetoric, and Communications at Secondary, Undergraduate, and Postgraduate levels. // Follow him on Podcast, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook.