Predestined, Called, Justified, Glorified
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
God is working out an incredible plan for each human being He has created. He wants “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), but each person will be called in his or her own order.
The apostle Paul describes God’s planning stages as the times when He “predestined” people to be called. This refers to God’s plan about when to call someone, not whether He would call the person or not. It also does not imply that a person lacks free will. The Bible makes clear that God has given everyone free will to make his or her own choices.
He wants us to make the right choice and gives us the help we need, but He does not force us (Deuteronomy 30:19; 2 Peter 1:10; see our article “What Is Predestination?”).
As God calls a person to understand His truth and repent, the person must respond by repenting and being baptized in order to receive the justification from God—the wiping out of all past sins.
From that point, we are called on to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in obeying God and developing God’s character, which prepares us for the next stage in God’s plan—glorification. Glorification means to receive the glorious new body and eternal life as children of God in the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:42-43).
For more about how to submit to God’s plan, see “Christ in Us: How Does He Live in You?” And for more about His incredible plan, see our booklet From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You.
