Romans 8:28

One of the most precious promises of the Bible to me is found in Romans 8:28. I would like to spend just a few minutes unpacking why this verse is so precious to me and so many other Christians worldwide. This is what Romans 8:28 says:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

The Conditions of the Promise

The first thing we need to see are the conditions of this promise, found in the second half of the verse. There are two conditions for God to work all things for your good: love God and be called according to his purpose.

So what does it mean to be called? In the New Testament, every time this type of call is mentioned it refers to an inward call of God. This call is the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual that opens their eyes to the light of the gospel and causes them to see Jesus for who he truly is. It is the bringing to life of a dead soul, like the call of Jesus "Lazarus, come forth." Or in other words, it is being "born again." This new birth produces saving faith – which leads us to our second condition: love God.

What does it mean to love God? It does not mean you meet God's needs. God is self-sufficient. It does not mean you love his gifts. That would mean loving gifts above Giver. What then is the essence of love for God? John Piper has defined loving God with descriptions like these: Loving God is treasuring Him above all things. Loving God is delighting in Him more than anything. Loving God is seeing and savoring Him above everything. He sums up all these in one sentence: the essence of love for God is being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus.

Therefore, loving God and being called according to his purpose are the two conditions that must be met for this promise to be true for you. This is great news. Yes, I said great news. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith, and that our faith itself is a gift from God. This goes hand-in-hand with what I've just said. In order to love God, you must have faith. How do you come to faith? God opens your eyes to the glory of the gospel through His inward call, and you respond in faith. Meeting the conditions of this promise is simple because God does the work in your life that enables you to meet the conditions. This is great news!

The Outworking of the Promise

So then, the first part of this verse is what contains the precious promise that I treasure so much: that all things work together for good. This does not mean that all things are good or that they work out for good by themselves. Not at all! Rather, our sovereign, omnipotent God is in His providence working all things for good. God works all things – good or evil, times of health and ease or times of suffering – all things work for good.

One great example of this promise at work is found in the Old Testament story of Joseph. If you recall Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to some Ishmaelites who then sold him into Egypt. Over time through God's providence he was made second in command. When God struck the land with famine Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for food, and eventually Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. At the end of the story, Joseph's brothers are fearful of Joseph because of what they did to him years before, but Joseph tells them not to fear, and then says in Genesis 50:24: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Joseph endured all kinds of suffering early in his life, but trusted that God was working all things for his own good. God worked through the evil intentions of Joseph's brothers to save the life of Joseph and his family as well as countless others from severe famine.

Another great example of God working through evil and suffering to accomplish good is found in the death of Christ on the cross. The murder of the Son of God was the most heinous crime ever committed – yet God planned it from eternity past to be the means by which your sins and my sins could be atoned for. This is so important for us to grasp: God didn't just bring good out of the evil of the cross and the slavery of Joseph; he planned it from the beginning.

The Implications of the Promise

So what are some of the implications of this glorious promise?

First of all, there may be some of you reading this that have not met the conditions mentioned before. You may be thinking "I'm not satisfied with all that God is for me in Jesus. I don't treasure Him above everything. I don't desire the things of the Spirit. I've been living for myself. I don't desire God." If this is true of you, then you have no claim on this promise. That's a frightening thought: that God is not working all things for your good. Therefore, I implore you to please pray the promise of Deuteronomy 30:6, "God change my heart so that I can love you with all my being, and live for you, and all things will work together for my good."

For the believer then, how do you live out the truth that God is working everything for your good? What I hope you hear in Romans 8:28 is a liberating call to God-glorifying, on fire obedience in the cause of Christ. If all things work together for your good, then you can never be ultimately defeated. If God is for you, who can be against you? No one! This promise is a call to follow Christ no matter what it costs, because everything will work for your good.