“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
August 30, 2024
If God is good then is everything that happens to us good? Some may glibly say, “everything is for a reason.” However, if you are not a Christian you can’t live by the promise of Romans 8:28.
Paul is not offering a superficial optimism that whatever happens will all work out for the better in the end. The good to which Paul is referring is the Christian’s completed salvation. There are those for whom all things work together for bad (Rom. 2:5). But for those who are walking by faith in Christ there are the perplexities of the bad things that happen to God’s people. “We encounter affliction, misery, injustice, and a host of other evils. Yet God in his goodness, transcends all of these things and works them to our good” (The Reformation Study Bible).The key word in all this is “ultimately.” There is a final benefit to pain, suffering, and disappointments. Are you loving God? Then look at the God behind this promise. We must start there and leave the temporary perplexities in the hands of God.
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“If God told me to eat the dung from off the streets, not only would I eat it, but I would know it was good for me.” Martin Luther