ApprehendingGrace.com

²⁸We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. ³⁰And 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 (New Revised Standard Version)

If you’re Resting at the River’s Edge along with us, you read Romans 8 a few days ago. I was blown away by verses 28 through 30 – they describe a “me” that doesn’t resemble the “me” I think of myself as. I’m going to spend the next few blogs on this passage. I’m confident that God will bless you as you follow along. I wonder if you’ll resemble the “you” you’ll find described there.

It’s All Good – If You Love God
The passage begins with a verse you have probably quote frequently:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NRSV)

It’s a strong verse of assurance that gives us hope when we’re facing difficult circumstances. It’s God’s promise that He will bring good out of the horrible mess that our lives sometimes become.

The verse is often misused, however, when it is truncated to include only the promise and not the covenant. I’m sure you’ve heard it used, and perhaps used it yourself, to calm someone who does not have a relationship with Christ or who is clearly walking away from Him. “Ah, honey, you know things will work out. Things always work out for good.” Wrong! Things don’t always work out for good. To believe that is simply fatalism, not faith.

The promise is that God works everything “together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (emphasis mine). We can comfort unbelievers with the promise that if they follow God, He will bring good out of the situation, but to simply say to everyone that things always work out for the good is inconsistent with Scripture.

God’s promises are for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for their lives. Does that mean that God reserves the promises for those who are perfect? For those who don’t sin? Of course not. We read in Romans 7 about how Paul desperately wants to do good, but sin was at work in his body and he continued to choose sin when he wanted to choose righteousness. We are all sinners, both believers and unbelievers. God’s promises are for those who love Him and are working toward choosing God more and sin less. I hope that’s you. It’s the primary way that we apprehend the things God has for us – by loving Him and choosing to walk His way and not our own.

While I often quote Romans 8:28, I also often forget the verses that follow it. Tune in tomorrow for a look at the tremendous progression that God is working and has worked in the lives of those who love Him.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 11:04 pm and is filed under God's ways, Reading through the Bible in a Year. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.