ROMANS 8: 28
GOD'S OVERRULING SOVEREIGNTY
"And we know that all things work together into good for those who are loving God, for those who are being called according to His purpose."
IT'S IN THE HOLY WRIT
This verse in Holy Writ I see
Has very often puzzled me;
And many have been led to doubt
Just how this could be brought about.
How trouble as a blessing could
Work out for our eternal good,
Was more than sight of man could know.
And yet I sense it must be so.
"All things" include both dark and bright;
It means the sunshine and the night;
It means my sickness and my health;
My poverty as well as wealth.
This world is full of toil and care,
Both joys and sorrows have a share;
But One there is, a present Friend,
Who knows my life from start to end.
The next (4th) consideration to show that "the sufferings of this present time" (8:18) are not inconsistent with a close relationship with God is the most comprehensive of any that have preceded it. In fact, it is one of the greatest promises in the Bible.
Romans 8:28 is the old rocking chair. When things seem to be going wrong, afflictions and problems abound, we just climb by prayer into the lap of our Father and rock back and forth quoting this verse. And there the Spirit reminds us that God is using any and all things to make us like Jesus.
The Bible fully accepts the free agency of man, but interacting with the free will of man is the overruling hand of a sovereign God. Those that love God and follow His purpose are assured that all things are working for their eternal good (CIT)! Whatever befalls this Christian contributes directly or indirectly to the promoting and securing of his eternal welfare. Everything will ultimately prove to be for his eternal benefit.
[OUTLINE: I. WORKING FOR GOOD
A. We know by faith and practice God's stories come out right.
1. Sacrificed Isaac
2. Lesson from handicapped child.
B. All things.
1. Thank God cottage burned
2. Good from bad - All knowing and all able God.
C. Together for good.
1. God's handwriting
II. WORKING FOR WHOM
A. Them that love God
1. From His Hand (poem).
B. His purpose
1. All things for best - broke his leg.
2. God rules and overrules - African mission - interior.]
The precept of God's Overruling Sovereignty begins with a solemn affirmation. "And we know" expresses the knowledge of faith and practice. How do we know (oldanen -intuitive spiritual perception)? We know of God's Overruling Sovereignty by the testimony of Scriptures, we know by the testimony of the Holy Spirit, we know by the testimony of prayer when God speaks to our life, we know by the testimony of the faithful, and we know by reflections on our own past life. We know that God's overruling Sovereignty is working in our lives.
[We know because God bears witness to us of Overruling Sovereignty in His Word. Gen. 46:30, 48:3f; Deut. 5; Josh. 24:1-15; 1 Sam. 7:1-12; Isa. 63:9; Acts 26:1f; Gal. 2:19f. In the life of Joseph, his father Jacob, Moses, etc.]
With dramatic skill, a Sunday School teacher was TELLING THE STORY of Abraham and his obedient preparation to sacrifice Isaac. As the story neared its climax, a little girl pleaded, "Oh, please don't go on! This story is too terrible!" Another girl interrupted, "Don't be silly, Mary!" This is one of God's stories, and God's stories always come out right!"
God rules and overrules and causes everything to come out right for His children who love Him. The Christian life bears witness to God's providential watch-care. Those that are loving God and following His purposeful calling know that all things work together for their good. Those Christians have learned through their pilgrimage to the celestial city that this is correct. One does not need to be very old to look back and see that things he once thought were disasters worked out for his good. Things we thought were disappointments worked out to become great blessings.
The MOTHER OF A BRAIN-INJURED CHILD wrote these words: "We would have called our daughter's handicap the greatest tragedy of our lives if it were not for the fact that through it we came to know the Lord much better. Words cannot fully express our keen disappointment when our little girl failed to experience normal mental development. Yet her condition made us understand just a bit how our dear Savior must feel when His children do not mature spiritually. The Lord knows that heartaches, if properly accepted will enrich our lives in a way that could not happen otherwise. Strengthened in the inner man we come through our trial bigger and better Christian, with a fresh and brighter testimony."
I. WORKING TOGETHER FOR GOOD.
"And we know that all things work together for good, " [Lit. "to the ones who love God He works all things together into good"].
The general contextual background for things has been sufferings and weakness. We have learned that the difficulties and afflictions of life are comparatively insignificant. They call forth the exercising of hope and they give occasion for the loving intercession of the Holy Spirit. Far from being inconsistent with our salvation or sanctification, they can contribute to our sanctification! Thus the afflictions of this life are not inconsistent with our being sons of God. These afflictions can be real blessings. For God is working, ceaselessly, energetically, and purposefully on our behalf.
The preposition in the object "for good" is the Greek word "eis" meaning for the result of good or ultimately good. Not all things are good or are for our good, but God, if given the opportunity, can work all things for our ultimate eternal good. Though the good is not stated in verse 28, it is in verse 29. The good end that the sovereign operation of God works toward in our conformity to God's Son.
Now God's working for good does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is present in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. Our Sovereign God can work "all things," even the evil and negative that occur into a positive purpose in the execution of His eternal plan. Nothing is beyond the overruling, overriding scope of God's providence.
God does not say that each individual thing that happens is good, but that God works them together for good. When I was a boy I remember MY MOTHER BAKING cakes. On one occasion she had the ingredients set out - flour, sugar, baking powder, raw eggs, vanilla - I sneaked a taste of each one. Except for the sugar they all tasted horrible. After mother stirred them together and baked the batter in the oven we had it for dessert. To my surprise it tasted good. The combination of individually distasteful things produced a tasty product.
This is what God does. He takes all the undesirable stresses in our lives, mixes them together, puts them under the heat of crisis, and produces a good result.
The emphasis again is on all things "working together" for good. [Work together is synergec, (pres. act. ind.) from where we get our word synergy, emphasizing it's a continuing activity of God.] They will not only work or operate, but co-operate for good. It is the wise connection of one thing with another that secures the desired result. There are many things in the case of many a saint which taken by themselves, could produce nothing but evil.
The envy of Joseph's brethren, by itself, had no tendency but to destroy him. Left to the natural effect of that one evil thing, he would have died in the pit; but, along with another great evil, his being sold as a slave to the Midianites, it worked together with other things, in themselves only evil, to bring about the great good which resulted in Joseph's becoming lord of all the land of Egypt. Every one of these calamities was a link in the chain which led him to so high a position of honor and usefulness. This is the triumph of the wisdom and the power of divine providence (Gen 50:24).
God makes innumerable evils so modify each other, that out of them all He brings a good, which it seems equally impossible that, before their accomplishment, they should have been conducive to good and after it, that good could have been realized without their instrumentality. [Brown. p. 248.]
[GOD'S HANDWRITING
He writes in characters too grand
For our short sight to understand;
We catch but broken strokes
And try to fathom all the mysterious why of withered hopes,
Of death, of life,
The endless war, the useless strife,
But there, with larger, clearer sight,
We shall see this - His way was right.
John Oxenham in "Bees in Amber"]
When things look bad, remember God is good. Look beyond your immediate circumstances and trust God in His time to bring about His good purpose in your life.
[Christ has reconciled "all things to God" (Col. 1 :20; Eph, 1: 10; 1 Cor. 2: 15), thus God can work all things together for our good. Thus not only afflictions, but God can work all things for the good of Christians. Not only prosperity but adversity, not only joy and happiness, but also suffering and sadness. Evil designs are overruled by God for God (Joseph - Gen. 50:20; Neh. 4:15).]
[Thank God Our Cottage Burned!] Years ago a FISHING FLEET sailed out from a small harbor on the east coast of Newfoundland. In the afternoon there came up a great storm. When night settled down not a single vessel of all the fleet had found its way into port. All night long wives, mothers, children, and sweethearts paced up and down the beach, wrung their hands and called on God to save their loved ones. To add to the horror of the situation, one of the cottages caught fire. Since the men were all away, it was impossible to save the home.
When the morning broke, to the joy of all, the entire fleet found safe harbor in the bay. But there was one face which was a picture of despair - the wife of the man whose home had been destroyed. Meeting her husband as he landed, she cried, "Oh, husband, we are ruined! Our home and all it contained was destroyed by fire!" But the man exclaimed, "Thank God for the fire! It was the light of our burning cottage that guided the whole fleet into port!" [told by W. W. Weeks]
God cannot only work all things His saints are experiencing together for good, but He can also work all things these saints are doing for good. Good trees will produce no fruit or good fruit, not bad fruit (Mt. 7:18).
How thankful we can be that we serve a God who is sovereign, loving, all-wise, and all-powerful! Nothing frustrates Him. Nothing stops Him. Nothing escapes His attention. He can take all things, both good and bad, and work them all together for the benefit of His children. He will use all that happen to those who love Him and follow His purpose to transform them into the image of His dear Son. This truth not only gives us great confidence, joy, and peace, but it also enables us to give thanks "in everything" (1 Thess. 5: 18).
[In his book Vital Union with Christ, American pastor and writer A. T. Pierson enlarges on the truth of Romans 8:28. "God's plan leaves nothing out. All things work together for good.. ..all things, even trials, at which we murmur and complain. The storms which threaten to uproot the trees really root them more firmly and deeply in the soil. The hammer blows that one might think would make the castiron brittle really causes it to undergo a sort of tempering and increases it s strength and tenacity.]
Are you passing through deep waters? Does the way seem bleak? Remember, if you love the Lord, all things, even the bad are working together for your good.
God causes many a tight place to open into the right place. No affliction, however severe, however long, however apparently disastrous, and even ruinous, but will be made to contribute to this Christian's spiritual improvement and everlasting salvation. Poverty reproach, persecution, loss of property, reputation, and even life. All these things may happen to him and all these things in themselves are evil but God will take them all and use them to work for His good. One need look no further than the life of Job to see this principle function.
FROM HIS HAND
I will not take that bitter thrust
Which rent my heart today
As coming from an earthly soul
Though it was meant that way.
But I will look beyond the tool,
Because my life is planned;
I take the cup my Father gives
I take it from His hand.
He knows, and even thus allows
These little things that irk.
I trust His wisdom and His love,
Let patience have her work.
Though human means have brought the sting,
I firmly take this stand:
My loving Father holds the cup,
I take it from His hand.
Now those who watch may wonder why
These things do not disturb.
I look right past the instrument
And see my Lord superb.
The trials which would lay me low
Must pass through His command;
He holds the outstretched cup to me,
I take it from His hand. Mrs. Ray Merrill
II. WORKING FOR WHOM
Now note the first of two conditions or prerequisites for whom God will works all things together for their good. "For them that are loving God."
The first qualifier for who has God working all things together for good is that these persons "are loving God" (Jn. 14:15). The Bible says that all things work together for good, but only to them that love God. Loving God is the necessary condition for the promise of God working all things for good. The first and great commandment is that we love God with all our being. Our love is undoubtedly the product of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5; 1 John 4:19).
[If a man loves and trusts and accepts God, if he is convinced that God is the all-wise and all-loving Father, then he can humbly accept all that He sends to him. A man may go to a physician, and be prescribed a course of treatment which at the time is unpleasant or even painful; but if he trusts the wisdom of the man of skill, he accepts the thing that is laid upon him. It is so with us if we love God. But if a man does not love and trust God he may well resent what happens to him and may well fight against God's will. It is only to the man who loves and trusts that all things work together for good, for to him they come from a Father who in perfect wisdom, love and power is working everything for the best [Barclay, DBS. Westminister Press. 1975. 113-4].]
Romans 8:28 does not say that all things work together for good for all people. Many people live in open rebellion against God. Other people live in complete indifference to His claims upon them. Our sin does not work the righteousness of God.
This chapter has been talking about those who are living "in the Spirit" verses those who are living "in the flesh." The only way we ca be obedient to God is "in the Spirit." Those who love God are those who are filled with His Spirit so that they might keep His Word (Jn. 14:21-24) and do His will. The meaning is that only those who "love" God have the right to be comforted in this pact (Ex. 20:6; Deut. 7-9; Neh. 1:5; Ps. 37: 17, 20; 37-40; 97: 10; 1 Cor. 2:9; 8:3; James 1:12; 2:5).
The verse concludes with the promise's last prerequisite. "and are being called according to His purpose."
This is the second qualification to God most gracious promise and proposal. Whose purposes or plans for life are those who love God following? ...God's!
[The called is one of the distinctive designations of the spiritual people of God, borrowed, like most of these, from an appellation of Israel according to the flesh. Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldees, Israel called out of Egypt, called to the enjoyment of particular privileges. The called under the better covenant are "called out of darkness into light" ... out of slavery into freedom. By a divine invitation, accepted under divine influence, they are brought into the possession of high privileges, and higher hopes, "called to eternal life, unto the kingdom and glory of God," to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ," and to the fellowship of God's dear Son (Brown).]
These called are those who have been received, accepted and heeded the call to live life according to God's purpose. [Note that God calls us to fulfill His purpose and when we do we are fulfilled.] The called are those who accept the privileges and responsibilities to which they were invited (Jude 1). They are called to a life of service that glorifies and pleases God. They have listened to God and are heeding or following His will (1 Cor. 1:24). Such people have a new perspective, a new mind set for the purpose of life & their life. They are trusting Christ and not life's treasures. They look for security in heaven, not on earth. They are learning to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because God is with them, working in them for His good purpose.
This call is not according to the merits of man but according to the purpose of God. God has divine purpose for those who are called. By our free will we must answer the call to follow God's purpose for our individual life. Have you accepted the calling to God's purposes? What way are you going, yours or God's (Prov. 3:5&6)? The promised blessings are for those who will follow God's plan as recorded in His Word. But what unsearchable blessings are in store for those whom follow God's purposeful calling.
[God Rules and Overrules! When the missionary Barnabas Shaw was forbidden to preach in Cape Town he decided not to leave Africa, but to push into the interior. He bought a yoke of oxen, put his wife and his goods into a wagon, and started out, resolved to settle wherever he would be allowed to preach.
So they journeyed for three hundred miles. Then while camping one night they discovered that a band of Hottentots were also camping nearby. In conversation with the leader Shaw learned that the heathen were on their way to Cape Town to find a missionary. The similar meeting of Philip and the eunuch (Acts 8:26-40) flashed through his mind, when he realized that God had been leading him where He wanted him to go.]
CONCLUSION
Bernard Gilpin, accused of heresy before Bishop Bonner, set out for London for trial. His favorite maxim was, "All things are for the best." On his journey, he broke his leg. "Is all for the best now?" jested a scorner. "I still believe so," he replied.
And so it proved, for before he was able to resume his journey Queen Mary died, and instead of going to London to be burned, he returned home in triumph.
We do not always understand what God is doing, let alone welcome it, nor are we told that God is working for our comfort. But we do know that God is working all things for our supreme good.
Those who are in Christ, who love God, and are following His purpose for their life, should rest in perfect confidence beneath the shadow of His wings. All things work for their good because all things are under the control of Him who has called them to His purpose.
EASY ROAD CROWDED
The easy roads are crowded,
And the level roads are jammed;
The pleasant little rivers
With the drifting folks are crammed,
But off yonder where it's rocky
Where you get a better view,
You will find the ranks are thinning
And the travelers are few.
Where the going's smooth and pleasant
You will always find the throng,
For the many more's the pity,
Seem to like to drift along;
But the steps that call for courage,
And that task that's hard to do,
In the end results in glory
For the never-wavering few.
