(npoyvutuc and vpoopnr/nos), ver. 28—30 ; Eph. i. 9, where how- ever O'sXri^a, Ilis willy is in a more extensive sense, than predes- tination, and assuredly predestination accompanies foreknowledge , for foreknowledge takes away rejection or reprobation [ casting away\ : ch. xi. 2. Moreover reprobation [casting away ] and predestination are opposed to each other. — Kpoupur e, ffv^ofxpovg, predestined , (to he) conformed) He declares, who they are, whom He foreknew , namely, those who are conformed . This is the character of those [impress of God’s seal on those : referring to seal , 2 Tim. ii. 19], who were foreknown and are to be glorified, 2 Tim. ii. 19 ; Phil. iii. 10, 21. — rrtg t/xovog, to the image) con- strued with (fvfi/xopcpoug , although ffvjx/xoptpov, Phil. iii. 10, governs the dative. Here it has more the power of a substantive with [followed by] the genitive. This likeness [conformity to His Son’s likeness] constitutes the very adoption of sons itself, not the cross or glory ; for this [the glory] follows only after [not till after] justification ; concerning which, see ver. 30 : but they who are the sons of God are the brethren of Christ [at an earlier stage in the successive links, viz. ver. 29]. Conformity to His cross or His glory is the consequence that follows in the train of conformity to the Son of God, Gal. iv. 19. So Eph. i. 5, predestinating us unto the adoption of sons (children). — ug to) The cause, why predestination is conjoined with foreknowledge , namely, Christ ought to have many brethren ; but this multi- tude of brethren would fail, or at least would be diminished, if there were foreknowledge without predestination. Predestination overcomes everything that obstructs the salvation of believers, and changes adversity into prosperity. — slmi) that He might be , md might be seen to be. — ‘rpuroroxov, the first-born ) The glorious resurrection of Christ, and of believers, is itself a kind of gene- ration [ the regeneration ], Matt. xix. 28.
30. T ovrovg zui edixaiuffev, them He also justified) Paul does not fix the number of those, who are called, justified, glorified, to be absolutely equal ; he does not affirm that the believer may not fail between the special call, and final glory, ch. xi. 22 ; nor does he deny that there are also persons called, who may not be justi- fied ; but he shows, that God, so far as He Himself is concerned, conducts His people from step to step. — ido^atre, He glorified) ver. 17-24. He speaks in the preterite, as if he were looking back