It is a simple thing for us to make a decision because we change so easily. One minute we can be in heaven, and the next minute we can be in hell. We may change once a day for the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year. But since God is God, His foreknowledge and predestination cannot be shaken. The God whom we know and whom we worship cannot change what He has decided. Because He has the foreknowledge, the predestination, and the calling, our justification is eternal. It is a small thing for us to lose our justification. But it is a great thing for God to lose His foreknowledge. For us to lose our justification does not mean much. But for God to make a mistake in foreknowing and calling us is a serious thing. God cannot annul justification without affecting His foreknowledge, predestination, and calling. If you take away one ring, the other three rings will not stand. Whenever our salvation is lost, God's foreknowledge, predestination, and calling are all negated.

In addition, there is another item. The Lord says, "Those whom He justified, these He also glorified" (v. 30). Unless God brings those whom He justified into glory, His work is not complete. If we cannot get into the new heaven and the new earth, and if we cannot enter into eternal glory, God's work is not complete. The last ring of God's work is glory. Until we are in glory, God's work is not complete. This is God's Word. What are we going to do with it? We cannot set it aside. God says that those whom He justified will enter into glory unconditionally. He does not say that those who are justified will enter into glory if they have good works. He does not say that only those whose works are approved can enter into glory. Neither does God say that those whom He justified must also be considered saved by man before they can enter into glory. There are no such conditions. All of the things that are mentioned here are related to God. It is God who foreknew. It is God who predestinated. It is God who destined us to be like His Son and to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. It is God who has called us and justified us. It is God who will bring us, the justified ones, into glory. It is also God who will bring us into the new heaven and the new earth to inherit the eternal glory.

Which of the rings is the greatest in the Bible? Some say that glory is the greatest. Others say that foreknowledge is the greatest. Actually, there is no difference between them; every one is the same. We cannot say one is greater than the others. As many as God foreknew, that many are marked out. As many as are marked out, that many are called. As many as are called, that many are justified. As many as are justified, that many will enter into glory. Hallelujah! Can God foreknow that one hundred will be saved, but mark out only ninety, call only eighty, justify fifty, and merely bring ten into glory? God cannot change. It is impossible to mark out many and call a few. Please remember that the words "those whom" in these verses convey this meaning. "Those whom" He foreknew, these He also predestinated. "Those whom" He predestinated, these He also called. "Those whom" He called, these He also justified. "Those whom" He justified, these He also glorified. These "those whoms" join the five rings together. In the original language, the word "these" means "these people." So, those whom He foreknew, "these people" He also marked out. Those whom He marked out, "these people" He also called. Those whom He called, "these people" He also justified. Those whom He justified, "these people" He also glorified. We cannot be short of any one item. These are all works of God. If they were our works, we could get some saved by mistake because we do not know which ones should be saved. But if they are God's works, there can be no mistake. If we do not know God and His works, we may still think that there is the possibility of losing some people. But if we know God and His works, we will realize that no one can be subtracted or added.