What exactly is the promise of Romans 8:28 (the translation question)?
Romans 8:28 promises that God works all things together for the good of His people. Different translations emphasize either “all things work together for good” or “God causes all things to work together for good,” but both affirm that God is actively involved. He is the one orchestrating all events for the good of His people.
To whom does God make the stunning promise of Romans 8:28?
To “those who love God” – These are believers whose love for God is a result of His prior love for them, expressed in saving faith. To “those who are called according to his purpose” – This refers to those whom God has called to salvation. Their calling is rooted in God’s eternal plan, ensuring that their salvation depends on His purpose, not their effort.
What has to be true of God for Romans 8:28 to be a gloriously true promise?
- God must be wisely omniscient.
- He knows all things and directs them with perfect wisdom.
- God must be omnipotently sovereign.
- He has the power to control all things and work them for good.
- God must be lovingly good.
- His goodness ensures that even suffering and pain are used for His people’s ultimate good.
What is the “good” God works for his people through “all things”?
The “good” in Romans 8:28 refers to being conformed to the image of Christ. This is God’s ultimate goal for believers: to shape us into the likeness of His Son, using everything in our lives, even hardships.
What are just two of the “all things” God works together for the good of his people?
- Daily difficulties and lifetime calamities
- God uses trials, like sickness or loss, to refine our character and make us more like Christ. The sin of other people against us
- Like Joseph’s story in Genesis 50:20, God can take even the wrongs done to us and use them for good, just as He did through the cross.
