“And we know that, to those who love God, all things are working together for good—to those who are called according to a purpose.”
Romans 8:28
“Grace reaches back to eternity, and every step of the way leading to this very moment has been a moment of grace…And because of all this glorious bygone grace, we may now, with tremendous confidence, stand in the great halls of Romans 8:28 and live in the freedom and love and righteousness that come through faith in the future grace that God will cause all things to work together for our good.”
John Piper, Future Grace (Punctuation slightly altered)
Romans 8:28 is probably one of the most well-known verses in
the Bible next to giants like John 3:16 and Genesis 1:1. It is quoted for
inspiration as much as any other verse could ever be. Yet it is used in such a
limited way. We use it as a generic platitude for those in pain: “I know you
lost your son, but all things work together for good.” Sometimes we forget the restriction
of believers only and try to use it for those whose lives will certainly not
end in good, but condemnation. In all of this, we neglect to notice this
verse’s true power. This promise is the essence of freedom. If we can truly
believe it in heart, soul, and mind, we can live in a way so radically
abandoned to the love of Christ that nothing will stop us. My hope now is to
illuminate its power and show the glory of the sovereign God behind it, not
just for your sake, but to set my own heart free.
First, we have to remember who is benefiting from this
promise. It is not applicable to everyone. The lives of some will not end in
good but in terrifying judgment. This promise is “to those who love God” and
“those who are called according to a purpose.” These are the same people from
different perspectives. From the earthly perspective, we love God. We have love
for God, and thus God works all things together for our good. From the heavenly
perspective, God has called us each for a purpose, and thus He works all things
together for our good in that purpose. This is crucial. God will not waste His
time making a wonderful plan for those who hate Him, and are not called for a
heavenly purpose, but out of sheer grace, perfectly unmerited favor, He works
all things together for the good of His own people, of whom we are so graced as
to be a part.
So, what does this promise mean in our everyday lives? Yes,
it is a great promise, but surely there is more to it than vague consolation
during trials, as it is so often used. It is useful for comforting those in
distress, but that is not where it is most effective. Solace from tragedy is
not usually a focal point of our lives. We have daily business to which we must
attend, and we want to be holy in even these little things (Lk. 16:10; 1 Co.
10:31; Col. 3:17). How does this promise help us do what we have to do every
day, to love others and spend time focusing on God and step out of our comfort
zones to bring a little light to the corner darkness? Ultimately, the answer is
utter freedom: the ability to do absolutely everything radically abandoned to
the glory of God without fear.
Look at this promise: beyond specifying to whom it applies,
it has absolutely no conditions. For those who love God and who are called
according to a purpose, absolutely everything
most certainly will work together for
good. No exceptions exist. This is liberating. We can do anything and God will work it out for our good in the end. This
could be truly anything, from the worst of sins to the most brilliant acts of
righteousness. “But,” you ask, “does this not encourage reckless, sinful
living?” Indeed it could, if embraced by the wrong heart. However, those who
love God are those who benefit from this promise, and those who love God know
that we must not sin just for grace to increase, for we have died to sin (Rom.
6:1-2). Therefore those who truly love God will not abuse this liberty as a
cover for sin (1 Pt. 2:16), and those who do not love God will destroy
themselves by their abuse.
If Romans 8:28 is not a license to sin, then for what do we
use it? Remember, it is freedom. It is the most pure and utter freedom. We do
not have to refrain from any form of good out of fear of negative consequences,
because God will work it all out for good. Are you worried that witnessing to a
friend might destroy your relationship? Do not fear, for God will somehow use
it for good. Are you scared to take the initiative and love others the was
Jesus did because you think it will make you seem weird? Even if this happens,
God will use it for good. Romans 8:28 is essentially a blank check for doing
God’s will. Being a follower of Christ can be very costly (Lk. 14:25-33), but
God gives us the heavenly credit card of Romans 8:28 and says, “Go and make
disciples of all nations. Spend however much it takes and put it on this card.
I will take care of all the charges. You are free to do My will.”
Do you see the significance yet? This is the greatest
advantage we have, and we must make full use of it! I admit in shame that I have
yet to truly grasp this reality in my heart, but I am on my way. Slowly but
surely God is revealing to me that His loving, sovereign hand holds all that I
do, and He will use it all for my good in His glory. This makes me want to take
a step out and show the love of Christ. I know in my head that I can do
whatever I want to try to glorify God and He will use it, so now I am praying
He will make this truth sink deep into my heart and will. I want to be free of
my fear of man’s opinion, of scorn, and of earthly consequences. I want to take
the Romans 8:28 Card and max it out with the glory of God. The opportunity is
unlimited. I have no reason to shrink back from taking the first step in
showing love to people whom I see but do not know. There is no need for me to
be afraid if I wish to simply begin speaking to someone with grace and truth.
God has given me His unconditional promise: “Glorify Me in whatever way you can
think of, and I will use it somehow for your good.” It would be foolishness to
leave such an unlimited resource to the side. Imagine trying to start a new
business with only a few pennies when you have millions locked away, unused.
Why would we do this with the glory of God? He deserves our efforts to spread
His grace to others, and He has given us enough to make mercy cover the entire
planet.
So my advice, which I myself must learn to take: do it.
Whatever you think you might want to do for God, just do it. God promises
unconditionally to work it out for your good, so you are in no real danger. You
have nothing to lose and grace to gain, so glorify God every way you can
imagine, and pray fervently that I will do the same.