1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

21 The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:1, 16-18, 21, 28-30, 38-9, ESV

The eighth chapter of the book of Romans begins with “no condemnation,” ends with no separation, and in between “all things work together for good.”  It is a beautiful and bountiful chapter of abundant promises for “children of God” and “fellow heirs with Christ.”  Chief among these promises is glorification.

Glorification is the third and final phase of salvation.  First comes justification, whereby we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Second is sanctification, whereby the indwelling Holy Spirit and God’s Holy word work to make us more Christlike, holy, and useful to God in His church and the world.  Third, and finally, glorification comes when we die, or remain alive until the second coming of Christ, and are taken up to be with the Lord in Heaven, where all is perfect, eternal, glorious.

The promise of glorification is not unconditional.  Only those who have properly been justified, and prove it by being sanctified, receive the promise to be glorified.  But if this is you, if you are a born again, Spirit-filled child of God, then behold what lies in store for you in the promise of glorification.

No Judgement

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
— Romans 8:1

The Christian life is not free from transgression, for indwelling sin is in us.  It is not free from tribulation, for the lost world is around us.  But it is free from condemnation, or final judgment, when a saved person passes through justification to sanctification to glorification, and actually sees the Lord.

Ironically, this is the one thing the lost world wants, but cannot have.  Their mantra is “don’t judge me.”  We can take them up on this offer, offering back love, kindness, and witness.  But God will not be so indulgent:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
— Revelation 20:11-15

But, if you have been justified by faith, sanctified by the Spirit, you will be glorified without judgment.  Your sins have been forgiven and washed away by the blood of Christ.  Your struggle with sin instead of succumbing to it proves the sincerity of your faith.  When you see the Lord you will be judged, but it will be for reward, not punishment.

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
— 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
— 2 Corinthians 5:10

Glorification forgets our sins and shortcomings.  It affirms our faith and rewards our faithfulness.  It will be the greatest moment of glory in your life.

An Inheritance

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
— Romans 8:16-18

Justification issues you your ticket to Heaven.  Sanctification validates it, as the cost of following Christ causes sacrifice and suffering in this life.  Glorification is your great reward, where Christ’s death has cancelled out your death, but death benefits bequeath to give you eternal life in Heaven and all of its unimaginable riches.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:9

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
— 2 Corinthians 9:15

There is a commercial depicting the reading of a last will and testament of an obviously wealthy man.  Present are his grown children and his dog, sitting sort of upright in a chair.  I’m not sure what the children got, but the dog got a lifetime supply of food and treats, plus the decedent’s beach house.  “I love that old man,” is all the dog could say.

When we see Jesus, and all Heaven has to offer, we will most likely be speechless for a moment, then join a chorus of saints and angels singing, “I love you, Lord!”

A Perfect World

The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
— Romans 8:21

Without getting too bogged down in eschatology, the heavens and earth you see now will be the Heaven and earth you will see when you see Jesus.  You will see it differently, however, because it will be different, renewed, regenerated, perfect.

Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world [literally, the regeneration], when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
— Matthew 19:27-29

It will be a brand new experience, however, for everything will look brand new.  The planet will be perfect, not polluted.  Food will be perfect, without sacrificing whatever perfect animal species is existent in Heaven.  People, the saints, will be perfect, no longer making rolling right turns in front of you, nor hindering or hurting you in any way.

Justification forgives sin, but sin is still present.  Sanctification fights sin, but sin is still persistent.  Glorification removes sin and all of its residue, forever, with the perfect God, with perfected people, in a perfect place forevermore.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
— Revelation 21:1-5

A Guaranteed Contract

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 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 8:28-30

Let me call you back from eternity future for a moment to show you something that happened in eternity past.  While every Christian loves the great comfort of vs. 28, few have plumbed the depths of the guaranteed contract God grants in vs. 29-30.  It makes possible our being “glorified” in the end.

Every verb in this contract reflects a past act with ongoing, permanent consequences.  “Foreknew,” “predestined,” “called,” “justified,” and the creme-de-la-cream, “glorified” all reflect monolithic decisions and monergistic actions taken by God in eternity past to guarantee your eternity future in glory.

Here is the corresponding one sentence (in the original language) promise in Ephesians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
— Ephesians 1:3-14

When did God promise to save you?  “Before the foundation of the world.”  Where will this salvation take you?  “Glory.”  Why did God save you?  “Love.”  And what can ever take away God’s love from us?

The Love of God

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Romans 8:38-39

Other sacred texts agree:

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
— John 10:28

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
— Philippians 1:6

Because God loves you, true Christian, He has justified you as a gift, a gift He will never take back.  Because God loves you, He has sanctified you as a gift, giving you His Spirit and His word to enable you to overcome the struggle, and His Spirit and His word He will never take away from you.  Because God loves you, He has promised you will be glorified.  You will be free one day from the penalty, power, and even the presence of sin.  You will be one day with the Lord and your fellow members of God’s covenant community, who love you and whom you love, and nothing will ever take it away.  That is why we call it eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
— John 3:16 

Beloved, look forward to your eternal life, your glorification.  Look forward to a land of no judgement, an infinite inheritance, a perfect world, a guaranteed eternal lifetime contract, and, best of all, the everlasting love of God.

This is the word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God!