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Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).
We now come to the final section of Romans 8 and to the final reason Christians can be utterly assured that they will face no condemnation. It is that God, being God, will not fail to complete the process of redemption He has begun in His people. Since that is the case, we can enjoy great comfort in all of the ups and downs of life. Paul expresses the root of this comfort in this verse, which constitutes one of the greatest promises in all of Scripture. Simply put, all things are an expression of God’s fatherly love for His children.
Dr. James M. Boice points out that this incredible promise contains several qualifications, some of which are obvious and some of which are not. First, it is a promise for Christians, for it is directed to “those who love God” and “those who are the called according to His purpose.” Only those God has regenerated and justified love Him; only they are called by Him; only they are the people He has purposed to redeem. Second, the word good means conformity to Jesus’ image (v. 29). In other words, it is Christlikeness, or holiness, which God is working to produce in believers. Third, His hand is crucial. Not all things are good in and of themselves; it is God’s use of them that gives them a good effect in the lives of believers. In His wisdom, God can bring good ends out of the most evil events. (An alternative, and better, translation of v. 28, such as the NIV’s, makes this clearer: “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him . . . ”) In one area, however, Romans 8:28 presents no qualification. Paul affirms that everything, every circumstance, is for our good in some way, and that is the great comfort of this verse. “This tells us that all things that have ever happened to us or can possibly happen to us are so ordered and controlled by God that the end result is inevitably and utterly our good,” Boice writes. “Even the worst things are used to make us like Jesus Christ.”
As we learned from yesterday’s passage, we may not know how to pray as we ought, being ignorant of the details of God’s will. But this great verse assures us that we can understand the ends toward which our heavenly Father is working. Thus, even if we cannot see the good in a particular circumstance, we can know it is there, that God is working it out for us.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
A father’s love for his child may drive him to do things the child cannot understand. But the father has a goal, and the child can rest in the father’s loving purposes toward him. So it is with God and us. We may not understand all He does in our lives, but we know He loves us. Trust His goodness no matter what your circumstances may be.
For Further Study
- Psalm 52:1
- Romans 5:5
- 2 Corinthians 13:11
- 1 John 4:10–11