Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
All things work together for good! All things. For good!
God is good in Himself. He is Jehovah, the overflowing fountain of all good, full of lovingkindness and tender mercies. He is good to us in Jesus Christ, showing at the cross His mercy and love toward us.
All things work together for good. Whatever is sent across our path is for our advantage or benefit. Cancer, car wreck, fighting in the church, death, failure, losses, constant financial anxiety – everything. Everything is for our good.
How we need that reminder! The sinful flesh cries out against this word: “Good? How is cancer good? How is a car wreck, with injury and death, good”?
But we can know that trials are for our good.
We know all things work together for good by faith. The Spirit does not inspire the Apostle to say, “I think we can know,” or “we can only know after a special revelation.” No, this is God’s Word – we know! Without any doubt, with absolute certainty, we take hold of God’s promises that He will never let us go; that He will never abandon us; that He will bring us to an expected end. Faith, that knowledge and confidence by which we see and know God as mighty, faithful God, grasps these promises. Yes, we can know!
We know all things work together for good because God loves us! We love God, but that is because He first loved us. Love is a bond – a bond that is strong, and never broken. You can know God will only do you good, even in your trials, because you are His friend-servant, because you dwell in fellowship with Him. As His friend, He communes with you and tells you that all is well! All is for your good!
We know all things work together for good because He has called us. God called you, He called me, out of the darkness of our own sin and misery into His marvelous light. He has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Never is it the case that God calls but His children remain in the darkness. God never calls halfway, abandoning the ones whom He loves. His call is efficacious. It never fails. Alienated from God, He calls us so that we might be close to His side. Then, in fellowship with God once again, He says, “I love you! All is for your good”.
We know all things work together for good because this is God’s purpose. Study that most important word in the text – “purpose.” God calls us according to His purpose. It is God’s purpose, in His love, to send us grievous trials. And that is why these afflictions are good! Not because cancer, car wreck, or death in and of itself is a good thing, but because God, the loving Father, has sent it unto a good end, for a good purpose, in His all-wise plan. That is what makes it so good. The minute you and I start looking down at our earthly circumstances, we forget why it is truly good that God sends us trials. Of course, when we look down, we see only the suffering. But when we look up, we see the glorious work and promises of God. We see how we will all soon be in heaven, dwelling with Him forever. We see how the things we suffer now are but light afflictions, compared to the heavy weight of glory awaiting us. God’s purpose is that we might dwell with Him in heaven forever.
Then when we look down again at the difficult path which is ours to tread, we can say by faith, “yes, this is good for me! Good, indeed, because God loves me, has called me into His light, and sends me down this narrow path for a purpose.”
All things work together for good to them that love God!
RB
Young Calvinists 