Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (I Corinthians 10:12)

We always and continually must be laboring to insure that our election is not rendered invalid by our behavior. It is possible for a member of God's elect to "fall."

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. (Romans 8:30)

"Them he also called." For each of the elect there comes a time in his or her life when he or she is made aware of Calvary. The individual becomes conscious of the blood atonement. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and leads to the Lamb of God. The person receives the authority to be a child of God on the basis of accepting the Sin-offering God has provided.

"Whom he called, them he also justified." The elect were justified from the creation of the world. God chose them to belong to Himself in a special way. He declared them to be righteous in His sight—acceptable and pleasing to Him before they had done good or evil.

"Whom He justified, them he also glorified." The elect are destined to have Christ formed in them, resulting in the transformation of their moral nature. They are to be trained in the ways and knowledge of the Lord. If they are faithful in obeying the words of the Lord Jesus, the Father and the Son will make Their eternal abode in their transformed inner nature.

God's elect will be so anointed with the Holy Spirit that their presence will bring Divine life to all of God's creatures. God will adopt their mortal bodies by changing their bodies from mortality into immortality. When the Lord Jesus Christ appears in the Glory of the Father, the elect, the brothers of Christ, will appear with Him in the fullness of that same Glory.

This is what it means for the elect to be glorified.

In the eternal vision of God the elect have been foreknown, predestined, called, and justified. These are sovereign acts of almighty God. None of them causes an actual behavioral change in the individual.

God foreknew the person. This did not change the individual nor did it require a response on his part.

God predestined the person. This did not change the individual nor did it require a response on his part.

God called the person. This did not change the individual but he must decide whether or not to respond to the call.

God justified the person. This did not change the individual but he must accept Christ in order to be justified.

However, to pass from justification to glorification requires the total transformation of the one whom God has called, and diligent application to the program of redemption if the Divine election is not to be aborted.

The Scriptures describe God's role and our role in creating the brothers of Christ. When we overemphasize God's role and minimize our role we have a plan of salvation that is unconditional, not affected significantly by the response of the believer. To view Divine grace as unconditional, an eternal amnesty that remains in effect apart from diligent effort on the part of the recipient, is an error of great magnitude.

To be continued.