“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For FROM HIM and THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM are ALL THINGS. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Rom. 11:34-36) Everything in the book of Romans has been ascending upward to this one verse as we now reach Romans 11 verse 36. Romans began in the valley with condemnation and the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, and began the steep incline upward to justification in chapters 3 through 5, that the just shall live by faith, and then sanctification in chapters 3 through 8, and then glorification at the end of chapter 8, and then election and predestination in chapters 9 through 11. And so, we have been building and ascending upward to this very LOFTIEST MOUNTAIN PEAK as we come now to the capstone in this verse, Romans 11 verse 36 “For FROM HIM and THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM are ALL THINGS. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” This verse is found in what we call a doxology, which is a short hymn of praise, and this is a resounding anthem of PRAISE TO GOD. That is why verse 36 concludes, “TO HIM BE THE GLORY FOREVER. AMEN.“
The first half of verse 36 is a God-centered THEOLOGY. The second half of verse 36 is a God-centered DOXOLOGY, and it is this theology that produces the doxology. It is the truth of the first half of the verse that ignites our heart with worship for God in the second half of this verse. Let’s look at just a quick overview of this. “From Him” means God is the SOURCE of all things. “Through Him” means that God is the MEANS of all things. And “To Him,” God is the GOAL of all things. Consider this, “…for us there is but one God, the Father, FROM WHOM all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, THROUGH WHOM all things came and through whom we live.” (1 Corin. 8:6)
Look at this verse, “…everything comes from God.” (1 Corin. 11:12) Jesus is “…the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For BY HIM all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created BY HIM AND FOR HIM.” (Col. 1:15-16)
Just think about this, He is our Lord and savior and we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…
-Bill Stockham