What does it mean that God predestined those He foreknew (Romans 8:29)?

It is important to observe that the apostle does not speak of a passive or naked foreknowledge (ver. 29) as if God only saw beforehand what some would be, and do, or believe. His foreknowledge is of persons, not of their state or conduct; it is not what, but "whom" He foreknew.

Further, those whom He foreknew, all of them and no others, He also fore-ordained to be conformed to the image of His Son. It is plain and well to note that we have the end bound up with the beginning; for the conformity here spoken of is not of that sort which is now produced in the soul practically by the Spirit through the word. The latter is most true, and often insisted on elsewhere, as in John 13, John 15; Rom. 12, Rom. 13; 1 Cor. 5, 1 Cor. 6; 2 Cor. 3:18, 2 Cor. 7:1, Gal. 5:16, 25; Eph. 2:10, Eph. 4, Eph. 5, etc. 1 John 3:2-3, combines both: "We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him is he is." This is the conformity to the image of His Son of which the apostle here speaks; whereas the moral work in the heart of the believer is spoken of in the following verse: "And every man that has this hope in him (i.e., founded on Christ) purifies himself even as he (Christ) is pure." There is and can be no less a standard for the Christian, whatever may have been the rule by which the Jew was tried. The purifying goes on now within us, but answers rather to the central teaching of our chapter; the likeness to Christ in glory, which will be seen in us when Christ is manifested, is the conformity to His image which is here assured to us.

We come now to the more direct and emphatic assertion of the glory of God as the alone founder and completer of His own work in redemption. The descriptive title of the saints is that they are "called" of God. But this calling is "according to His purpose" (verse 28). The origin, then, of the believer is the purpose of God. Again, the entire results of this calling are according to the power of God. The praise of His glory is the end which is to be reached by the establishment of the Church before Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. The several branches of the Divine glory, as displayed in the production and the perfecting of the vessel of His own pleasure, are now stated.

We have, first, foreknowledge (verse 29) mentioned as that which precedes and is to be distinguished from predestination. The Church as a whole, and the individual saints which are its members, were eternally present in Christ before the mind of God. His purpose was to multiply the vessels of His glory. He intended the impartation of His own blessed nature and happiness (so far as either can be communicated to the creature) to those whose everlasting habitation should be His own rest. He foreknew, in love eternal, the several objects of His purpose. The same will, which, in producing the material and natural creation, wrought not at hazard, but according to the knowledge of what was willed, works likewise now in redemption. God knew beforehand what worlds he intended to create. Even so has He foreknown the fashion and the stature of each several child of His love for whom His rest is prepared in Christ. But those whom He thus foreknew in the absoluteness of sovereign purpose, He also predestinated to their appointed blessing. Conformity to the image of His own Son is the destination of the foreknown objects of Divine purpose. It is not glory simply, but the exact similitude of Christ, which is the destiny, and as it were the definition of each individual saint. The pattern of this similitude was ever present with the Father in the eternal light of the Divine counsel, but the displayed realization of it by the principalities and powers in heavenly places was not until the ascension of Jesus as the first-born from the dead.

We have now brought to us the counsel and favour of God - His own purpose. If through grace any have loved God, they were called according to His purpose. The purpose is not here, nor indeed anywhere, simply sovereignty in election. It includes that to which they were called. They were foreknown; but whom he foreknew He predestinated to a glory which was in His mind and counsels before the world began, namely, to "be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

There are five links in the golden chain of divine purpose. The first is foreknowledge, which is rooted in the very omniscience of God — rooted therefore in eternity. Next comes predestination: an act of the divine Mind, which destined those whom He foreknew to a certain glorious place long before they existed in time. From other scriptures we know that this predestination took place before the foundation of the world.

But predestination was followed by the effectual call which reached us in the Gospel. Here we come down to time, to the moments in our varied histories when we believed. The next step practically coincided in point of time with this; for we were justified, and not only called, when we believed. Lastly "whom He justified them He also glorified." Here our golden chain, having dipped down from eternity into time, loses itself again in eternity.

First is His foreknowledge. It is unthinkable that it could be otherwise with God. Before His creating word was spoken, He well knew “the end from the beginning.” Indeed, it is utterly impossible to find rest in any but such a God, and when my soul is saved I may look back and rejoice that God foreknew me as one whom He would save by the gospel of grace.

Next is predestination to be conformed to the image of His Son. It is not, let us mark well, merely predestination to be saved, but for future glory as conformed to the image of Christ, who is Himself “the image of God.” Doubtless the moral side of the truth is the prominent one here — that is, that the purity, holiness, and every other blessed virtue of our Lord, will have its bright reflection in His saints. Marvelous purpose indeed, and worthy of such a God! Elsewhere, of course, we learn that even physically our bodies shall be fashioned like unto His body of glory (Phil. 3:21). How blessedly complete the gracious purpose of our God. To our own hearts today could anything compare with being like Him who has saved us both from our sins and from the power of sin? To contemplate such a Person is to long to be like Him.

His title here — “the Firstborn among many brethren” — is plainly one of priority in Person, not in point of time of birth. Colossians 1:15-16 confirms such a principle as to the “firstborn.” Christ is “the firstborn of every creature.” Why? “For by Him were all things created.” Psalm 89:27 bears clear testimony also. Speaking of David as typifying Christ, God declares, “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.” It is an official dignity far above any mere question of time. In Old Testament times the firstborn according to nature was accorded the priority over his brethren, but this rigid custom was yet oftentimes reversed by God, who gave the birthright to a younger. So now, God would make clear that Adam has been fully dispossessed of all the rights of the firstborn, and these are now eternally held by the Lord Jesus. Yet we may thank God that in grace He (Christ) has “many” whom He is not ashamed to call brethren (Heb. 2:11).

If however, election specially emphasizes the blessedness of being personally chosen of God, predestination emphasizes rather the side of the blessing for which the person is destined. The Greek word 'proorizo' is usually translated 'predestine,' but also 'determined before' in Acts 4:28, and ordained before' in 1 Corinthians 2:7. The New Translation uses the expression 'marked out beforehand.' Romans 8:29 has a close connection with what Peter says of election: 'For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.'

Again, it was not merely an arbitrary predestining of one for blessing, another for cursing: rather it was 'whom he did foreknow' that He marked out to be conformed to the image of His Son. With full previous knowledge of the individual, and certainly therefore of everything concerning him, the whole future taken into consideration, as only a Sovereign God can do, He marked him out beforehand for this unspeakably blessed dignity. No one can rightly claim that because he was not marked out for this, therefore it was impossible for him to be saved; for it is because of his own willing rejection of God's grace that he has no part in that grace.

Therefore it is, that in this beautiful and precious climax, sanctification and the life in us are omitted. The Spirit had instructed our souls on these points at the beginning of the chapter. The Spirit is life, the body dead, if Christ be in us; and now He presents the counsels, the purposes, the acts, the operation of God Himself, which bless and secure us, but are not the life in us. The inward reality has been developed in the previous part; here, the certainty, the security, in virtue of what God is and of His counsels. He has foreknown His children, He has predestinated them to a certain glory, a certain marvellous blessing, namely, to be conformed to the image of His Son. He has called them, He has justified them, He has glorified them. God has done all this. It is perfect and stable, as He is who willed it, and who has done it. No link in the chain is wanting of all that was needful in order to bind their souls to glory according to the counsels of God.

In general the epistle to the Romans deals with man's responsibility, and God's blessed remedy in Christ, but here the epistle rises up to the purpose of God formed before the responsibility began; it reaches to the point where that to the Ephesians begins. The saints are called according to this purpose. Compare Titus 1:1-2; and 2 Tim. 1:9. God foreknew these persons and predestinated them to a state equally in His purpose, for the glory of Christ, namely, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Wonderful place! but the place of God's counsels for them, who works all things after the counsels of His own will, not relative to anything that we are, save as connected with Christ's becoming a man; but the fruit of God's will, so that we measure it by that. But how blessed for us, not only as intrinsic glory, but as likeness to, and association with, Christ, the Son of God! He is the firstborn among many brethren. Such is the counsel of God - to associate us with Christ, in the place of sons, and conform us to the image of Him, the firstborn. Our responsibility was as children of the first Adam; the purpose of God concerning us in connection with the last Adam. This is a glorious and blessed truth. "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly; and as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Being in this place, we are, then, anew responsible to show forth the life of Christ, and glorify Him; but this is founded on the possession of life. This purpose God pursues and accomplishes. Whom He has predestinated to this, He calls; whom He calls, He justifies: whom He justifies, He glorifies. He carries it on to the end. We have nothing here of sanctifying.

On the other hand, election is God's prerogative: this is His perfect right. Election is according to His foreknowledge. With perfect knowledge of all the future He chose certain people in Christ before the world existed. Nothing was left unconsidered in this choice: it was right, it was wise, it was wonderfully gracious, as every believer must heartily agree.

[1] In Scripture, God’s foreknowledge of individuals or groups of people is a foreknowledge of them for blessing (see Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 11:2, 1 Pet. 1:2, 20).